Traveling Alone to Seoul, South Korea
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I know for many, the act of moving to another country for school is scary. There are so many uncertainties, and if you haven’t flown a lot before, it can be daunting. I’m here to tell you that traveling across the world by yourself is possible! Here’s what I did to make it to Seoul, South Korea, on my own.
First, I think it’s really important to consider what kind of traveler you are. Personally, I am a very Type A traveler, which helps me avoid any anxiety or confusion when I’m on the go. When I knew I would be studying at Yonsei University, I began researching essential travel tips. During my research, I learned that I could register for my Korea Electronic Arrival (K-ETA) Card before my departure. This form allows the Korean Government to know why you are entering the country, where you are staying, and how long you’ll be there. Filling it out in advance made my immigration process much shorter. I didn’t have to fill out a paper one while in line, or stress search for wifi to fill out the digital one while in line. After nearly 30 hours of travel and finally arriving in South Korea, all I had to do was show my passport to the immigration officer, and I was all set to head to baggage claim.
The Longest Layover
You might be wondering why my travel time was 30 hours when a direct flight to Seoul is 14 hours from O’Hare International Airport. I flew with Cathay Pacific, a Hong Kong-based airline, and it offered the most affordable round-trip flight I could find. My flight itinerary included a 14-hour flight from O’Hare to Hong Kong, a 12-hour layover, and then a 2-hour flight from Hong Kong to Seoul. While that may sound like a lot on paper, I can safely say that it was a very peaceful travel time and I enjoyed my flights! (Not to flex, but I am also able to sleep on airplanes).
Although 12 hours may seem like a long time to be stuck in an airport, I actually found Hong Kong International Airport to be a very enjoyable place for a layover. The airport had beautiful architecture and was very clean. I spent a couple of hours walking around the airport, admiring the ceiling and the array of luxury shops. I was also very thankful that the airport had small 2-tiered shopping carts everywhere to hold my backpack as I walked. While exploring the airport, I was even able to enjoy and treat myself to the McDonald’s Lunar New Year My Melody and Kuromi Meal! Even though it was a special edition meal, it only cost $9 USD.
After eating, I found a spot near my gate and settled in for the night. I passed the time playing Hello Kitty Island Adventure (on the Nintendo Switch), calling my boyfriend, reading Song of Achilles, and taking a few 2-3 hour naps in between everything. For my naps, I stretched across four airport seats, which weren’t that uncomfortable (genuinely), and nearby others followed suit. I tried to break up my sleep just to remain aware of my surroundings, but at no point during my layover did I feel unsafe.
Arriving in Seoul
But enough about my lengthy layover, a little bit about my first 24 hours in Seoul. When I arrived at Incheon International Airport, I decided to travel on my own to my IES Abroad Housing using Seoul’s public transportation. Growing up in Chicago, I am used to navigating trains and transit systems, so I felt confident figuring it out; once you know one system, it’s not super difficult to figure out others. I loved taking the Seoul Station Express into the city because the ride included beautiful views of both Incheon and Seoul. Not to mention the added bonus that the trains seemed new and super clean compared to the ones back home.
Afterwards, I transferred to a local subway line for the remainder of my roughly hour-and-a-half journey using an app called Naver Maps, which I set to English and works better for navigation in South Korea.
Once I arrived, I checked into my housing, dropped off all my belongings, and headed straight to 7-Eleven to grab a light dinner and some snacks for the evening. In South Korea, convenience stores are everywhere. I went to 7-Eleven because it’s a brand I recognized immediately. Along with a banana milk, I also grabbed 2 kimbap rolls, which are Korean rice rolls wrapped in seaweed sort of grab-and-go style, a large bottle of Pocari Sweat, a Japanese drink similar to Gatorade, and a bag of potato chips. Checking out was very efficient and not much different from the experience in the U.S.
To end the day, I admired the sunset over Namsan Tower from my window, finished unpacking, and got ready for bed. It was a relatively relaxed first day in Seoul, but just the pace I needed after all my time spent traveling.
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