Also, this is mainly done for finnish travellers but there's some tips for those travelling from other countries too :)
Where to start?
Usually many do that rookie mistake and go straight to travel agencies sites. Actually you will end up spending more money because travel agencies have commissions and fees. So first thing to do is skip those sites and use search engines like
booking.com
ebookers.com
momondo.fi
hostelworld.com
Pick your price range first and start comparing. Remember to go to these sites in incognito mode, because travel search engines are tricky; if they see you are a returning customer they will have more higher prices than when you first came to their sites. Why? Because they know you are seriously planning to buy from them so they'll raise the price sneakily.
Anyway, comparing is the word if you are on a budget. Compare different sites because prices and hotel/hostel selection might vary.
When you find accommodation you like, check if they have booking option straight from their own home page. I haven't stayed in hotel in Korea, I always stay in hostels so I don't really know how it works with hotels but at least like 90% of hostels and guesthouses give you cheaper price than in search engines. Usually when you contact hostel via their own site, they will send you a customized price and they usually even offer a discount. So it's waaaaay better to book your hostel straight from hostel's own homepage.
As for flights, do not book too early or too late. If you book your flight let's say, 5 months earlier then the price will most likely be higher than if you would book it 3 months earlier of your trip. And if you book super late like let's say 3 weeks earlier the price will also be higher. Ideal time is to book flight about 3 to 1½ months earlier.
At first, look straight from flight companies own sites what they offer. They might have promotions etc going on so then you will get flights cheaper than in search engines. I favor direct flights because I have sometimes severe motion sickness and it gets only worse if I have to change flights. Lucky, Finnair has promotions going on alot during the year, usually around february-march, june, september-october and december. Finnair is currently the only company from Finland that has direct flights to Korea.
If you would like stop over to save even more money then I recommend first to look through search engines and after it compare prices with one way tickets and roundtrip tickets. Sometimes it is actually cheaper to buy flights separately one way than for whole roundtrip.
And if you have one flight company you favor over others like me, get their regular customer membership card. You will get points or miles and they are useful when you are planning your next trip. You will get points from their affiliates also! I'm Finnair plus card holder and I can totally recommend it, it doesn't even cost you anything so you would not lose anything with this deal ;)
Congratulations, you succeeded booking. What's next?
After booking you are starting to think what you should prepare.
First things first; vaccinations. Check if they are still valid. Every country has their own recommendations and to Korea it is recommended to take hepatitis and if you're going more rural area it is adviced to take japanese encephalitis vaccination. The latter one is expensive (I think it's over 100€) but better sure than sorry right?
You should also think if you want to just stay in Seoul or travel to another city in Korea. For this I actually advice to think before you even book your accommodation. Because some hostels can arrange so that when you're away couple nights they won't charge you anything from those nights and even let you leave your luggage to their baggage room for safekeeping. So then you don't have to drag heavy luggage with you. But this is totally depending from hostel, for me I have never had any problems with hostels I've stayed in and staff has always been super friendly and helpful with these kind of things.
If you go to major cities that are located south, for example Jeju or Busan, I advice to take fastest way there to save time. Even if it costs a little bit more it is worth it! You will save lots of time to see and experience rather than spending it in train/bus/plane.
Fastest way to Jeju is by plane from Gimpo airport. I recommend Jeju Air, it's usually also very cheap (like 50€ roundtrip). To Busan fastest way is to take KTX bullet train which takes you there in 3 hours (normal train takes nearly 6 hours). If I remember correct, roundtrip ticket cost about 37€. KTX has discount for foreigners so definetly check that out.
Plan beforehand some sightseeing places you definetly want to see. Seoul especially is a big city and you might end up not seeing what you originally wanted to see if you don't plan at least something beforehand. I don't mean you have to plan everyday but reserve one or two days and plan them beforehand. It also saves time because some sights are near to each other while some are very far. For example it's not worthwile to visit Insadong and leave there straight to go to gangnam because you have two main palaces and Bukchon hanok village near Insadong.
Remember to take travel insurance and for finnish people; send out the form to ministry for foreign affairs office to inform you are abroads. This way if a problematic situation in the country will occur while you are travelling, they can find you and help you more easier.
Also, if you plan on attending musicals, concerts etc. book ticket before you travel! For foreigners only option is to buy ticket beforehand from either interpark or yes24. Keep in mind that you will first have to sign in to these sites before you can buy tickets. When you have purchased ticket to event of your choosing, you will get confirmation email. Important! You have to print confirmation out as you will have to present it in ticketing counter when you are attending the event. You are also asked to show your passport with the confirmation so they can be sure you are the buyer before they will give you physical tickets.
If you discover some event while you are in Korea you can go and ask from ticket counters in the venue if they still sell tickets but this is usually unlikely because popular musicals and concerts sell out quickly.
What to pack?
One word: lightly. Korea has very affordable prices in cosmetics, food and clothes so for western person it can be a bit overwhelming and you're gonna buy alot of stuff! So pack lightly because your luggage is going to be full when you leave home.
If you're going in summer; there will be hot. Like humid hot. It will last from june until August and from September to mid-November it might still be warm so you will not need winter clothes.
From late November it starts to get cold and december might be a bit freezing already so take your winter jacket if you are travelling at that time. Cold weather last until february when it starts to get warmer. Last week of March might already be very warm so only light jacket is ok for more colder days.
If you get easily cold then take couple extra warm shirts and socks if you travel during winter time. Many hostels might be cold especially in winter. Koreans use floor heating in their houses and buildings so room might feel cold even though floor is warm.
I also recommend to take mosquito repellant. Those sneaky monsters are alive even in winter! I don't know how they do it... some hostels might not have mosquitos at all but some hostels have them even in winter.. I have experienced it.. did not like it. I hate mosquitos lol.
Pack as less skincare as possible, you will find lots of travel size products with cheap prices from Korea. This way you don't have to carry extra weight in your luggage.
Korea is full of hills so pack good shoes! You will end up walking a lot up and down hills.
Finnish don't need adapter to Korea, they use same electricity voltage as us and same plugs.
Take a travel guide with useful phrases in korean with you. Koreans don't speak that much english, older people almost none at all so it will be good to know some useful phrases or at least you will have some book where you can show sentences of what you mean. Don't trust on technical devices too much, sometimes some places might not have a wifi and then you can't use your cellphone to search for words or if you for example get lost.
If you know at least a little bit of korean you will manage. And locals are always happy even if you can only say 'hello' and 'thank you' in korean.
Other things to remember:
Check your passport if it's valid! For finnish travelling to Korea passport has to be valid at least 6 months when you go to Korea.
Take copy from your passport with you, put one in your luggage and one in your handbag in case you lose your passport or if someone steals it.
Check your phone company if you have data block etc so you will not get unpleasant surprises.
Pack your own medicine. Korean medicine isn't that effective and you know what's best for you so definetly buy medicine beforehand from your own pharmacy. Also pack some bandaids! I forgot to pack them for my last trip and it was pain trying to look for decent bandaids for abrasion in my toes what my shoes caused me for walking too much..
Separate your cash. Put some amount to your luggage and keep some in your wallet. Korea is reeeally safe country but you never know.. if someone success to steal your wallet at least you have money in your luggage.
I hope this helps all of you who plan a trip to Korea :) I might have forgotten something but if you have any questions just comment down below :)
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