Hi Liyana,

Can u share your itinerary with me plz?thanks

Thanks huiyin.

Thanks. I'll email USO to confirm which part we can go with our Malaysian Passport.

anyone know how to book ticket from seoul to jeju?

wah so many people here already. I already booked my ticket,good bargain since we budgeted RM1600-RM2100 for ticket only.

mingyew:you can book your ticket from Asiana Airlines, Jeju Air or Jin Air airlines. Korean Air is okay too but i think it's a bit expensive

nejin (i hope you read this):many thanks for all the links your provided before. It is definetely daebak.

Already thinking to go there after our first trip since this time will only cover Seoul & Jeju.

For budget travelling to Jeju, u might wanna try Jeju Air or Eastar Jet. Jeju Air is flying with propeller plane and Eastar is flying with A320. During promo period, their fare could be as low as RM 60/person/way. However, to book Jeju Air, u might need a social ID where u might need a help of a local. I used to book there when I was staying there, I can read Korean too =).

However, for travelling in Jeju. It might be a bit hard for u to travel to places of attraction if u do not have ur own transport. Bus rides are particularly troublesome and cab is very expensive as the places are quite far apart from each other (Jeju Island is a BIG ISLAND).
If u own an International Driving License, then it's even better, car rental would cost about RM 100+ - RM 200/car/day. Alternatively, if you wanna save, u could get a scooter at the price of roughly RM 70-80 for 24 hour.

Trust me, it's hard to travel in Jeju Island just on public transport other than Cab/Taxi.

Anyway, for Jeju, there are only 2 main cities. Seogwipo and Jeju City. Jeju city is the one nearer to the airport but further from the attractions. For Seogwipo, it's the other way round. The accomodation in Seogwipo could be quite cheap which costs around RM 30-40 per person/night. I've stayed in this youth hostel/guest house at Jeju and find it very good. : http://www.hostelworld.com/hosteldetails.p...ju-Island/18633
(Jeju Hiking Inn)

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Added on August 9, 2010, 1:47 pmThe hostel would not cost more if u check in the guest house without pre-booking. However, it's likely that u couldn't get a room as it's usually fully booked during peak season. For Koreans, usually they will go to Motels without any pre-bookings. Motels usually have bigger rooms and at a better room condition than guesthouse/hostels. A motel room is also cheaper compared to guesthouse as it will cost around 30k won = RM 80-90 /room/night. U can squeeze as many ppl as u want in a rooom but for guesthouse, u are not allowed to squeeze more than the designated amount of ppl. If u wanna squeeze, u have to pay more for an extra bed. Even if u do not want a bed, they will charge u.

So if u do not wanna prebook any guesthouse, go to Motel. There are plenty of them at a very good rate. =)

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Added on August 9, 2010, 1:52 pmYou can follow Seoul City Tour package which will cost about 40k won - 50k won (~ RM 120). They do not require any special permission/passport/visa. Just be sure to bring ur Passport, that's all. There will be no restrictions towards dress code. However, there're a few packages some of which will require u to be dressed in proper attire (no jeans, no shorts, no slippers - Must be in formal wear - tie, coat, proper pants, formal black shoes etc.). Just go to the DMZ area which doesnt require u for attire, it would be good enough to look around the tunnels as well as the guard post.

Danger or not, well I've been there before and I am still back one piece. There have been a few incidents where the tourists wandered off the tour group and got shot dead by North Korean Snipers. Therefore, the area is still closed until today.

This post has been edited by Seng007: Aug 9 2010, 01:52 PM

Really appreciated for you all reply.

Do u know the petrol in jeju-do expensive or not? Actually i plan to rent a car, is it easy to drive there? (i have drive in bali/thailand before)

and most ppl want to know, how to book jeju air / eastar jet airtix？

thanks again bro.

The petrol in Korea is quite expensive. If i am not mistaken, it used to be about KRW 1500/litre ~ RM 4 per litre. However, the petrol is still cheaper than Singapore though

It's not hard to drive around in Jeju as there isn't a lot of cars. It's ok too if u wanna drive a scooter. For scooter, a license is not required, but for a car, it's a must. Malaysian License/Singapore License are not allowed. It must be INTERNATIONAL DRIVING LICENSE. The driving is particularly easy without much variation other than opposite lanes like US and China. Korean drivers are usually polite but they are driving a little bit faster than usual. Fret not, Malaysians are good drivers too!

For Jeju Air, http://www.jejuair.net/ (Need a Social ID - get it from those who are residing in Korea/Locals)
For Easter Jet, http://www.eastarjet.com (The website is currently down at the moment).

If u try other airlines, e.g. Asiana/Korean Air. It would cost up to RM 1000 for one way. That's pretty expensive!

hye guys,

wanted to know if anyone has any experience on winter trip to Korea..
i book my flight on Jan next year and wanted to experience backpacker traveler.
So, i would like to know if anyone has any recommendation for winter package i would like to do daily ski tour because i got limited time i only go for 5D4N.
please recommended me nice budget hotel so that i can plan my budget well.

Oh ya, anyone know where we can get affordable winter clothes and Ugg boots?

Thanks

Hi, I have experienced winter before in Korea.
I am not sure of any winter package but I have been to Muju Resort for skiing. My friend went to Yongpyeong Ski Resort and he said that's cheaper than Muju. According to him, there will be pick ups from Gangnam Station in Seoul, not quite sure about it. May be u can google it. U can go there early in the morning and come back in late evening. Don't stay at the resort as it will be more expensive.

For winter clothes, if u are going during Jan, it's gonna be freaking cold and a down jacket is a must + thick gloves. Down jacket is quite costly here but it's cheaper there. It usually costs less than KRW 100,000 there for a good down jacket. For good gloves, I got it from Uniqlo before for roughly KRW 15,000.

For budget stay, u might wanna try Motel there or book through http://www.hostelworld.com. I've stayed in Grape Garden House in Seoul before and it was quite a decent and quiet one. =)

Mind to share how's the communication with those korean? i heard usually they scare to u once u talk english.

Air Asia Go Namiseom Island day trip package. RM300 per pax x 3 person = RM900.
https://www.airasiago.com/travel/show_activ...ct_last_index=6

Dear seng007,

If I DIY the above trip ( to avoid spending time in Ginseng Outlet and Amethyst Factory), do you think I can cover the transport, lunch, dinner under RM900 ?

Thinking of a dayor 1.2 day tour to DMZ..wondering whether easy to go there & anmy restriction..wanna take picture beside North korea army liao

Anyone having expereince or any contact organisingday/ 1.2 day trip to 38 DMZ zone?

Too bad we can't cross over to PyongYang from Seoul..otherwise, it will be much adventurous to North Korea rather than South Korea

It's quite likely to save some money if u go by urself. However, bear in mind that the trip would be quite troublesome.

Anywhere to Cheongnyangi Station (Subway) = around 1500 won/person x 2 (ways) x 3 (persons)
Cheongnyangi Station to Gapyeong (Train - train leaving at 10.30 am, 1 train/day) = 3800 won/person x 2 (ways) x 3 (persons)
Gapyeong - Namiseon Island (Taxi) = 4000 won/trip x 2 (ways)
Ferry ride to the island (Ferry) = 8000 won/person x 3 (persons)
Good meal in Nami Island = 10,000 won/person x 3 (persons)
Having a meal for dinner back in Seoul = 7,000/person x 3 (persons)

Total : Approximate (rough estimate) KRW 93,200 = ~ RM 260 for all. =) Divide by 3 = RM 90 each.

So by that, u save quite a lot of money, but make sure u have to wake up early to catch the train. Else u would have to wait until the next day.

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Added on August 9, 2010, 6:56 pmFor DMZ Tour, please kindly contact http://www.seoulcitytour.net/English/eng_menu_02_02.html
They will give group discounts if u have more than 5. The last time we went they gave us a discount of 8,000 won per person which made it 40,000 Won. You can look through the available tours and liaise with them.

Yes, u cannot cross over to PyongYang from South Korea even though Malaysians are elligible to enter North Korea without needing a VISA (Malaysia is the only nation in the world which doesnt require a VISA to enter North Korea).

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Added on August 9, 2010, 7:00 pmThe communication with the Koreans are terrible. You have to understand at least some basic korean before u can even order food. However, they are very patient and polite and will try to understand u when u are speaking in language they don understand. However, the situation is better when u are in Seoul because most of the younger generations, they are capable of speaking elementary korean. However, don't feel intimidated when Koreans run away from u when u are speaking English. This is simply because they are afraid to communicate with u in a foreign language they hardly master. So please approach another person for directions in that case.

In order to order food and survive there, please learn some elementary/survivnig korean before going there. The buses are written in Korean letters and u might not even know where u are going if u do not know how to read. Learning basic korean is simple but to master it is harder. Learning how to read will take u 1~2 weeks. Memorizing surviving phrases = 1~2 weeks. All together u would need less than 1 month to master surviving Korean.

This post has been edited by Seng007: Aug 9 2010, 07:08 PM

Cool..Din know NorthKorea allows M'sian rights to their country without VISA, too bad only cnly can enter from China side..haizzz
Anyway tnx for the link...probably check few more link...

This post has been edited by stimix: Aug 9 2010, 09:12 PM

Seng007,

Thanks for the info. It's really helpful.
May i know what is the temperature during end of Nov? 0 degree?

November weather isn't really too bad.
Early to Mid November around 15 in the morning
Mid to End November around 10 in the morning

But when it's at night and the wind blows, it's freaking cold.

Hi, I also booked my flight to Korea this coming december via AirAisa
But the problem is I underestimated the cost and booked 12 days...so anyone has an idea about how much do I need to bring for the 12 days?

I plan to backpack and travel in a budget, do u think RM2.5k is enough for 12 days?

Or better still anyone also wish to backpack there during early December? Maybe we can travel in a group.hehe

Thanks

12 days..... if u stay kampung... shud be ok... wahahaha...

if go jeju, surely spend another 1k

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Added on August 10, 2010, 1:41 am

I dun think I'm planning to go to Jeju, too expensive and heard that nothing fantastic over there.
Hope 2.5k or max 3K should be enough la...should have thought of the cost and language barrier before buying the ticket.haha

I cant speak nor read Korean, this will be really challenging. haha

This post has been edited by Derwyn: Aug 10 2010, 01:42 AM

I think 2.5k for 12 days including accomodation should be more than enough. Especially if u r not going to Jeju Island. Jeju Island will cost u about RM 1k for a 4-5 days trip. Better spend some time learning some basic korean. U wont regret it.

Assuming the costs:

Accomodation (12 x 20,000) = 240,000 Won
Food (12 x 2.5 x 7,000) = 210,000 Won
Transport (12 x 10,000) = 120,000 Won
Admission Fees (12 x 10,000) = 120,000 Won

Total 690,000 Won ~ RM 2k
Other than Accomodation and Food, Transport and Admission Fees are overestimates. So if u plan ur trip wisely, it shud be less than RM 2.5k.