Due to public demand of how we enjoyed South Korea with the littlest budget, let me share with everyone our itinerary and budget strategies.

Following the Christmas dinner we had with our group of college friends when we talked about travelling together, Sijei gave me a phone call one January morning. There was a Cebu Pacific seat sale going to Busan, South Korea! So, fresh from sleep, I gave her my details and the ticketing was completed.

Here’s the catch! Around summer, we received an email saying our flight was cancelled due to network changes. Apparently, there will be no flights from Busan to Manila after October 23 so they had to cancel our flights and we are free to rebook with no additional charges. Thank God for miracles. Instead of our original plan to go from Manila to Busan, then train to Seoul before going back to Busan for our flight home, we got a free rebooking of our return flight from Seoul to Manila! We were also given a free travel vouchers redeemable within a year. I love Cebu Pacific!

TOTAL FLIGHT COST via Cebu Pacific: PHP4, 562.00 each

Around July, Sijei and I started to plan our tour. September, we met for visa processing. She went to the Korean Embassy to submit our request personally so we didn’t have to pay for travel agency visa processing. We also didn’t have to pay for the visa itself since it is Gratis. How to you get a Korean Visa? Prepare the following requirements:

1. Application Form (from the Korean Embassy website)

2. 1 piece of Passport size colored picture

3. Original Passport (should be valid for more than 6 months)

4. Photocopy of Passport Bio-page (page 2)

5. Original & Photocopy of valid visa/s and arrival stamps to OECD member countries for the past 5 years (If applicable only)

6. Original Certificate of Employment (must include applicant's position, date hired, compensation, office address, HR landline number/cell-phone number is not allowed, HR e-mail address)

7. Original Personal Bank Certificate (must include account type, current balance, account opening date, ADB)

8. Bank Statement (original or certified true copy of bank statements/passbook for the last 3 months)

9. Photocopy of ITR (Income Tax Return) or Form 2316

10. Copy of PRC Card or IBP Card (If applicable only)

■ Processing Time: 7 working days

■ Visa Fee: 59 days (or less) stay in Korea -- GRATIS

                   60 to 90 days stay in Korea -- PHP2, 000.00

For more information, visit: www.overseas.mofa.go.kr

And so the tour commence!

October 23 – We arrived in Busan (Gimhae Airport) around 4PM, rode the KTX to Busan/Choryang Station then proceeded to find our Airbnb flat, which we booked in advance. We got lost! But thanks to two angels, a firefighter and a doctor couple, who escorted us all the way, we reached our flat with no issues. It was dark outside and we wanted to recharge so we chose to stay at the flat and rest after getting some supplies and a good bowl of ramen from just outside.

PREPAID EXPENSES
Travel Tax: Php1, 620.00 each
AirBnb (Oct.23-26 for 2pax): Php5, 332.55

October 24 – Sijei and I bought the Busan Coast Cultural Day Tour package via Klook. This seemed cost-effective as we have limited time in Busan and we wanted to make the most of it by cutting travel time. The meeting place for the tour is in KTX Busan Station Exit 1. We rode the double-decker tour bus around 8:20AM. The places we visited were:
o Taejongdae
o Songdo Walk
o Gamcheon Culture Village
o Haedong Yonggungsa Temple

KLOOK TOUR COST: Php2, 033.00 each

October 25 – Contrary to the guided tour the previous day, Sijei and I opted to have an independent tour this day. We bought the Red Line Bus Access via kkday. This allowed us to ride the Red Bus unlimited throughout the day while we choose which station to alight on. There are about 13 stations, but Sijei and I decided to just visit places we wanted to see to be able to spend quality time on each destination. The places we visited were:
o UN Cemetery
o Busan Museum
o Gwangali Beach
o Dongbaekseon Island
o Haeundae Beach
o Gwangbok-ro Busan Station

KKDAY TOUR COST: Php550.00 each

October 26 – It is such a memorable day. Imagine buying tickets for KTX Busan to Seoul ahead of time, fully relaxed knowing it leaves at 8:30AM. Your room is about 5-minute walk to the station so you plan to leave around 8:10AM. Around 8:10AM, you look at the ticket because: “Hey! I can’t believe I am finally going to Seoul!” Then you realize it was booked wrong and will leave at 8:15AM?

Sijei and I never ran so fast until that moment! Like we were trying to escape zombies on our way to the train station in Busan, no less! Did we make it? Of course not! But thank God we were allowed to ride the next train with no additional charge. I warn you dear readers! Don’t try it. We just got lucky because we were ushered to the next train by mistake and there were very little number of passengers so we were allowed to ride it. It took some time before Sijei was calm enough to talk to me! CRAZY, CRAZY DAY!

SEOUL TIME: It was good that we lucked out on the Airbnbs both in Busan and Seoul. They were all pretty short walk from the subway stations. We checked in at Yun Stay at Gyeongbokgung Station (about 5 minutes walk from the palace). Rested for a bit and proceeded to explore Seoul. The places we went to on the first day were:

o Dongdaemun Design Plaza (Stroll)
o Gwangjang Market (Lunch)
o Myeongdong (Shopping! What else?!)

PREPAID EXPENSES
Busan to Seoul KTX: Php2, 710.00 each (2.5 hours)
Airbnb (Oct.26-30 for 2 pax): Php8, 466.74

October 27 – It was a magical day. I know for a fact that it will be a lot of walk and wearing my boots will be torture. However, I couldn’t help but have a great OOTD for my Nami Island Tour. Sijei and I booked this tour ahead of time, so the morning of the 27th, we proceeded to Myeongdong Station Exit 2 and waited for our bus.

WARNING!!! October is the autumn season and there are hundreds of people who will be joining, so prepare yourself. There will be several buses so you just have to find which one you belong to.

After visiting Nami Island and Petite France, Sijei and I went to Hongkik Station to watch some buskers perform. There were many shops at night where you can also enjoy shopping and eating while watching Koreans dance or sing or both along the streets.

KLOOK TOUR COST: Php1, 918.00 each

October 28 – This is our day to explore the cultural heritage of Seoul. Sijei and I woke up early to walk towards Gyeongbokgung Palace. We were quite early so we had a nice time roaming around the place.

BUDGET TIP: We did not wear Hanbok here.  It will come later when we went back to Myeongdong. If you want to save money, then you can skip on renting.

At Myeondong, we tried to find the Seoul Global Cultural Center where, we were told, we can try Hanbok for free. We didn’t realize it was located above a known department store in Myeondong so we kind of wandered for quite some time. We also got lucky since we were the only people around when we went there so we were allowed to exceed the normal time of borrowing hanbok. We were able to take pictures for as long as we wanted.

After the Hanbok experience, Sijei and I went to Insadong for souvenir shopping. If Myeongdong is the place to go for beauty products, Insadong is the center for culture-related must –buys! We explored the area but decided not to go from end to end since we had to save money. Being in such a place sure is a temptation!

Instead of going from shop to shop, we walked around the village. We saw coffee shops, wall art and get this! We realized it was just a few minutes’ walk from Gyeongbokgung Station! But we decided to just take the train back home because our feet were already hurting from too much walk.

That night, we went back to Hongkik for another KPop night.

October 29 – This day is another day for nature. Sijei and I woke up early and rode the train going to Haneul Park. We were not prepared for the long walk up the hill but the early morning sun, the cool breeze and the beautiful view made it all worthwhile. After this, we made a quick detour to Gangnam before going to Ehwa Women’s University.

October 30 – It was a bittersweet moment when you realize that it’s almost time for you to wake up from a very nice dream. Busan and Seoul where like magic to someone like me. It’s a combination of nature, culture and man-made attractions. A piece of history combined with development. But like every good thing, it has come to an end.

Sijei and I checked-out early and rode the train to Songdo Central Park in order to meet my Alice Dreams (online family) sister Nicolette! This is such a fun experience. Alice Dreams is my first contact with people from around the globe. I met Alecia in Singapore and now I’ve met Nicolette. I wonder who will be next?

Apart from meeting my friend, Sijei and I explored Songdo for a bit. It’s a city in the making so there are not much attractions to see but the iFez sightseeing area and virtual tour was a cool experience.

All in all, I think it cost me around Php22,000.00 for necessities including food and beverage and T-Money. Add to that an additional Php6, 000.00 for shopping… but I know that’s on me. Who can say no to cheap Tim Tams, cute socks and durable bags?

For 7 days between Busan, Seoul and Incheon while making the most of the best tourist attractions? This is South Korea at its best on a budget!

#SouthKorea #BudgetTraveler