"Seoul Lost" | First Night in Seoul

Kevin Liu
Jun 25, 2018
2 min read

Updated: Apr 14, 2020

Finally, I have settled in after my first night in Korea! I have some learned some tips and tricks that can definitely save you from travel fears that I faced.

Pre-Departure

Before even going to the airport, make sure you pack light depending on your type of trip. Depending where you stay, you may have to lug your luggage around the city for a while. So definitely condense the items you will be bringing along on the trip. Also, save directions to get from the airport to your accommodation. It will save you the hassle of standing on the side to get directions. Another tip before heading to the airport is to check-in beforehand if your airport allows; by doing so, you can jump the line and be on your merry way! By checking-in to my Korean Air flight on the web, I could jump the line of 40+ people and head through the gates in a short amount of time (around 30 minutes).

Airplane Ride

For the airplane, I always dress comfortably; this time, I wore Adidas track pants and jacket (I swear I'm not sponsored). Keep in mind that the airplane tends to get cold, so be sure to dress for the occasion. The airplane ride from Hawaii to Seoul directly was about 9 hours which is quite a long time. During the flight, it is best to sleep and rest so that you are ready for the new location. Beforehand, I prepared my airplane playlists of Korean ballads, R&B, pop, and hip-hop to listen to on the plane. The ballads playlist definitely helped me to rest on the airplane! On my Korean Air flight, there were complementary movies and television shows to watch as well as a USB charging port. I watched Maze Runner: The Death Cure and Bleeding Steel for half the ride.

Arrival

Since this was my first time ever traveling by myself (and to Korea), I had my jitters here and there getting around Seoul. I screenshotted directions to my Airbnb accommodation but eventually became lost on the way. Don't be afraid to ask for help. It may seem daunting, but it's the easiest way to get where you are going. By asking the information desks (yes, plural), I was able to finally reach my destination. I took a subway train with my newly bought BT21 Chimmy T-Money Card (by the way, I love BTS) and walked for about 10 minutes until I arrived! Afterwards, I explored my surroundings by walking around the neighborhood to get a better feeling what restaurants/cafes are around my area. In order to save a few bucks, I decided to get a tteobokki for 2,500 won at a street vendor and a 2-liter bottle of water for 1,000 won at GS25 (convenience store), ending my first day in Seoul.