a) Subway Navigation app
There are many apps to choose from but I liked the one from KAKAO CORP for its ease of usage.
In the app, you click the Search button, type the name of the station, specify is it the departure or destination station. Do this 2 times to specify one departure and destination station.
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| Subway navigation app |
Then the app will calculate the Duration of Travel and also the Fare.
Included are also the colour code of the subway station and which direction to take for transfer or exchange.
I love best the feature which specify which carriage to sit in best to catch the next transfer because the door of the carriage will always open next to an escalator or stairs to ensure fastest travel time (ie. less walking).
For example (5-1) means to take carriage no. 5 -1. You can find these numbers on the floor of the waiting platform.
Special tip:-
Always choose the shortest time rather than the least transfer because even though you might be unwilling to part with the seat, the least transfer can sometimes mean looooong walking distance from one transfer station to another.
Usually the transfer meant going up / down to another platform but when travelling from Nami Island back to Myeon-dong, it meant exiting the station, taking up flights of stairs and crossing of pedestrian bridge and down another stairs to get to the other station.
Bear in mind, I was carrying my baby who was coming down with chicken pox at that time. I felt like Kung Fu Panda then when I saw the stairs!!
So the shortest time is the safer bet anytime!
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| Currency converter app |
c) Weather app
Always good to check the weather 15 days ahead of your trip cos it's quite accurate. Plan your itinerary based on weather because places such as Everland are no fun with rain! So when it did rained, we head to Lotte World Mall at Jamsil station which had an indoor theme park.
d) Language app - I had this app but no time to brush up on the language.. so used English or hand language the whole time, even with the doctor in the hospital. LOL!!
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I got mine from my insurance agent who recommended ACE Jerneh Travel Insurance.
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| Malaysia travel insurance rates |
If you intend to travel a lot, then it's best to get the annual family package which covers spouse and children for RM640 (Asia Pacific) and RM865 (Worldwide).
Special tip:-
My agent advised me to buy the insurance the moment you confirmed your airline tickets because the coverage starts from the date of payment.
So you are protected from whatever that may happen to hinder the trip (eg. dengue etc). Anyway, just buy as early as possible because you cannot predict the future.
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Because I walked from Chungmuro station to the hospital and it took me nearly 30 -40 minutes of walking, stopping and asking for direction, being told the wrong place and asking again to finally finding the hospital located on a gentle slope. Boy was I tired!
Taxis are not that expensive in Seoul especially when travelling in group of 4 and short distances.
After the hospital, it costs us about W3,000-W4,000 to get to the guesthouse. Much better than spending W1,250 per person on the subway.
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5) visit Plaza Korea website to grab special discounts vouchers and freebies when you join Kaki Korea Club.
For my trip, Kaki Korea was running free pre-loaded Limited Edition Big Bang T-Money card promotion and discount voucher booklet. It was awesome travelling and shopping with T-Money!
Currently, Kaki Korea is offering free 2016 Calendar to all it's members who participate in the promo!
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There are 2 queue lines:-
i) one for those who already web check in and doing baggage drop and
ii) another line for those who have yet to web check in.
The shopping in the airport is so-so, so no point going to the airport early cos the time is better spent in the city doing last minute shopping (at better prices too) or eating in Seoul.
When we were there, many duty free shops were under renovation and those that were opened were selling international brands. I cannot find any bargains.
I managed to see one shop selling korean brands but the shop was very small and carried only famous brands - but mostly the brand's best sellers. Hence limited choice of products.
The only good thing about the airport => there were a few "shops" by Korean Tourism Board which organised cultural performances and at certain time there are models dressed in traditional costumes which you can take photo with.
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7) Tax refund at the Airport
Not all purchases are eligible for Tax Refund.
This only applies to products purchased in shops which honor tax refund (HINT:- look out for tax refund sticker at the shop front).
Plus in order to get the tax refund, once you made the purchase at those shops, you need to go to their special counter (within the shop) for them to validate the purchase and issue you a special tax refund receipt. Without these receipts, there are no way to get tax refund because at the airport, the process are partially AUTOMATED.
For more information on tax refund, see the attached images at the bottom on this blog.
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8) When the weather gets too cold, get HEAT / HOT PACKS from convenience store
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Well that's all the tips! Here's wishing you a safe and pleasant trip to Korea!!
If you are travelling to Korea with babies or small toddler, click here.
For useful tips for travelling to Hong Kong click here.
Tips on travelling from Hong Kong to Macau click here.
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MORE INFO / PHOTOS ON TAX REFUND
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