From bustling neon-lit cities, colourful traditional temples and stunning landscapes, South Korea is a beautiful country that has a lot to offer.
If you live in Europe or America, South Korea will be very different from what you know. There are also some things you need to know before you travel to South Korea, so here is a little list of planning and packing tips especially thought for South Korea travel.
For general tips about planning and packing, and for your South Korea itinerary, I recommend to check out these posts:
- Tips on how to plan and pack for a longer trip (general advice)
- 1-month South Korea itinerary. It also contains the recommended amount of time to spend in each place so you can use it even for shorter trips.
- Easy Guide to Travel Planning (if you want to create your own itinerary)
Planning your trip to South Korea
What you need to check before booking your flights to South Korea.
For trips where you go to another continent, I recommend you to check the following before booking your flight:
- passport: is your passport still valid and will it still be valid for more than 6 months when you are there? do you have time to request a new one?
- visas: do you need a visa to go to South Korea? how long does it take to get one? For this information, you should check your country’s governement website.
- international driver’s license (if you plan to drive there): do you need one? do you have time to request one?
Once you have checked all this, you can proceed with booking your flights to South Korea and you can deal with the admin stuff after.
Things to prepare before going to South Korea
Before going to South Korea, I recommend you to sort out some essential aspects of traveling that will allow you to leave stress-free and make things easier once you are there.
💵 Currency
The South Korean currency is the won, and South Koreans use both cash and card. Cash is generally used to pay for the bus if you don’t have a transportation card and in street food stalls or markets. You can usually pay by card in every shop.
Whenever I travel to a country with a different currency than mine, I like to use my Revolut card as it allows you to pay in a foreign currency without transaction fees.
You can use another method of course, but I found that this is ideal for me as it is very easy to top up from the app and I don’t need to worry about running out of cash because I can use the Revolut card to withdraw money.
📱 Phone data
Before going to South Korea, I recommend you to check if you can use your phone abroad. I personally have an international sim card, but if you don’t, you might want to check if you phone company has an international option.
Some people also use an eSIM but I have never done it so I couldn’t recommend anything regarding this.
Do you have to learn Korean to go to South Korea?
I would always encourage people to learn a few words or phrases in the language of the country they are visiting, just as a way to show respect. But I don’t think you really need to learn Korean.
Many people speak English in bigger cities like Seoul or Busan, but it is not so common in smaller towns and rural parts of the country. However, with the help of translation apps like Papago it is easy to communicate.
If you are going to South Korea for a longer period and visiting lesser-known areas, or if you will be driving there, it might be useful to learn hangeul, the Korean alphabet. Things are not always transcribed in latin alphabet on signs or at bus stops. You can easily use an app but if you have some basics it can make things a bit faster!
Packing for South Korea
Now that your trip is planned, it’s time to pack for your holiday! For general tips on how to pack for a long trip, I refer you back to this packing and planning guide for 1-month holidays.
Essential essentials
If you forget something, there is little that can’t be bought in South Korea, especially if you start your trip in Seoul, but there are some essentials that you really shouldn’t forget:
- your passport and, if needed, visa
- your international driver’s license, if you plan on driving there
- your phone and charger. A power bank might be useful too if you have one
- any type of medication you often use, especially prescription
- a plug adapter
What to wear in South Korea: clothes and shoes
⛅ Dressing for the weather
The clothes and shoes you’ll bring will depend on the season of your South Korea trip, so I recommend checking the weather a week before and the seasonal average.
Winters tend to be really cold and summers really warm and humid. For the in-between seasons, I’d recommend bringing things that you can easily layer. Don’t forget your “accessories”, such as umbrella, sunglasses, gloves and hat (depending on the season)!
⛰️ Dressing for the activities you’ll do
Whether you are following my 1-month itinerary in South Korea, or any other type of itinerary, chances are that you’ll walk quite a lot, and you might also go on some hikes, so I highly recommend to bring comfortable clothes and shoes.
Prioritise also light and breathable fabrics (cotton or linen are perfect for this) for warmer times of the year, and items that don’t need ironing since everything will be in your suitcase.
If you plan to eat at fancy restaurants, bring also a more elegant outfit!
Dressing for the country you’ll visit
I think it is important to keep in mind the clothing etiquette of the country you are visiting as a sign of respect for their culture.
Modesty, skirts and cleavage: In South Korea, if you are a girl, it is very common to wear very short skirts or shorts, but showing too much cleavage is a bit frowned upon. I’d also recommend tops that cover your shoulders, especially when you are visiting temples.
Trends and Korean fashion: South Korea is an amazing country for fashion enthusiasts, and you’ll see that many people dress very well. The trend currently is mostly about oversized items, and in general Koreans don’t wear a lot of colors and stick to neutrals and basics. But you don’t have to follow this of course!
Buying clothes in South Korea – Will you find your size?
You may have heard that it is difficult to find clothing and shoes in “bigger” sizes in South Korea. This is both true and false. In many small shops, it is true that clothes are often a “one size fits all”, which can basically fit a small or medium, depending on the item.
However, if you go to bigger shops and chain stores, you’ll easily find a larger range of sizes (at least until XL) for both clothes and shoes – though pants may be a bit shorter than what you’re used to.
Toiletries and skincare
Many hotels and guesthouses in South Korea provide shower gel, shampoo and sometimes even conditioner and toothpaste for guests, but to be safe I’d recommend bringing your own toothpaste and shampoo/conditioner. During my 1 month trip I used a body and hair soap bar from Rituals, and it was perfect to carry around and smells amazing!
One thing to be mindful of is that Korean deodorants might not be as “powerful” as those you use in Europe or in the US, so you’ll probably want to bring your own
When it comes to skincare, you’ll find everything you might possibly need (and more) in South Korea. If you are not there for skincare-shopping, then bring your own, but if you want to try Korean skincare, you’ll have plenty of choice!
I hope this little guide will help you to plan your South Korea trip and know what to bring in your suitcase so you can really make the most of your trip and leave worry-free!
