South Korea Trip expense from India: Report & summary

Below is a brief of how our South Korea trip from India went, what all we did and how much we spent.

South Korea trip Summary:

• Total spend: under 1.2 lakhs INR everything inclusive
• Duration: 9 full days in South Korea, + 4 more days travel time, time spent on Udupi to Mumbai.
• Cities visited: Busan (3 days), Jeju 4 days, Seoul (2 days)
• Major attractions: Hiking in mountains, traditional temples & palaces, markets, colourful nature, beaches
• Trip style: self planning, no packages, public transport as much as possible, budget stay

Itinerary: My Day wise summary

Day	Activities	Remark
-2	Udupi-Mumbai train
-1	Work from Mumbai Night flight to Singapore
0	Singapore local Sky helix ride in Sentosa, Jewel, Nature Park Night flight to Busan, South Korea	Availed VFTF
1	Arrive in Busan, drop bag Gamcheon Culture Village, Chumna Sculpture Park Sondgo beach, Cable car ride, Dongseom suspension bridge
2	Busan Opera House (closed) Busan tower Jagalchi Market Ocean cruise (planned but didn’t happen) Flight to Jeju	Korean Air
3	South Jeju -orange farm visit Cheonjiyeon Falls Oedolgae Rock Yongmeori Coast Seaside walk & sunset
4	Full day hike to Hallasan to view crater	almost 20 kms trek
5	Yongduam Rock & Sarabong Park Work from Jeju
6	Seongsan Ilchulbong Sunrise trek Seopjikoji trail Manjanggul Lava Tube cave Woljeongri Beach
7	Flight to Seoul Gyeongbokgung Palace Insadong Street Seoul tower Markets & shopping	3000 KRW entry fee
8	Hike at Bhukansan national Park Changgyeonggung Palace Starfield Library	6 kms hike 4000 KRW entry fee
9	Flight to Busan Samgwangsa Temple: Haedong Yonggungsa Temple
10	Return to India (Mumbai) via Singapore
11	Early morning flight to Mangaluru from Mumbai	Air India

South Korea trip expense summary:

I was fairly certain it is impossible to manage under 1 lakh rupees. I was hoping to ensure expenses doesn't exceed 1.5 lakhs.

A typical 6-7 days package tour to South Korea easily cost 1.8 to 2 lakhs + another 50k in expenses not covered in package. Packages usually include better hotels, service of a tour guide, airport transfer etc and will take you to pre-defined destinations. 

How much different things cost in South Korea?

1. A cup of coffee: 1500 KRW (90 INR) to 5000 KRW (300 INR)
2. Taxi ride: Min 3300 KRW in Jeju, 4800 KRW in Seoul, Busan. 25 kms could cost 40000-50000 KRW- approx 100-120 INR per km
3. Entry tickets to attractions: From 1000 KRW to 10000 KRW (60 to 600 INR)
4. A pizza- approx 20000 KRW (1200 INR)
5. Bus rides- depends on type of bus, distance etc- roughly 30-40 INR for short rides
6. Proper meal for 4 people in a restaurant: 100000 KRW or around 6000 INR

Factors that helped us reduce cost

1. Stayed in budget hostels costing around 1500 INR per day on average. A decent hotel will cost 3x more.
2. Carried ready to eat, noodles etc from India and cooked food at hostel, saved food bill considerably on several days
3. Flights were booked 9 months in advance. Non refundable tickets. Last minute booking would cost 2x-3x more. I paid 30k INR for Singapore airlines. Even cheaper options maybe available on Air Asia and VietJet Air for 22k onwards, but food, bag etc extra.
4. Used Public transport as much as possible, used taxi where needed, expense was shared with friends. If I was alone, taxi expense would have been more.
5. Didn’t buy DSP, DBP etc (Discover Seoul Pass, Discover Busan Pass) and didn’t book any package tour. Managed our own research, planning, public transport/taxi
6. Skipped attractions/activities that felt expensive/not worth (like hiring hammock for 3000 INR in rent, entry to museums with expensive tickets)
7. Shopping was bare minimum- around 1200-1500 INR only, some simple souvenirs n gifts.

Things that could have been better

1. Because I live in a small town, more time n money to travel to big city for flight and also for visa.
2. Some time lost waiting for buses and taxi
3. Fitness level: as fair bit of hiking, adventure, walking etc were involved, some time had to be spent on resting towards the end of the trip
4. Finding taxi was a bit tough in Seoul
5. Limited functionality of Google maps demands trial and error.
6. A cruise we wanted to take didn't operate on Monday saying they need minimum 30 customers

Standby for detailed posts on individual attractions and experiences. (adding links in table above on each of the attractions/activities)

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