Seoul Day 1: Arriving in Insadong (7 February 2025)

I'm going to keep this post short and straight to the point.

You can also check out my full summary post here for a day-by-day breakdown.

What I Prepared Before the Trip

1. Choosing travel dates: I chose the school holiday period. I'm forever grateful that my parents-in-law were able to take care of the two kiddos while my husband and I went on this trip.

2. Buying air tickets and booking accommodation: We did this through Agoda.

3. Applying for K-ETA: Use the official link - K-ETA Official Website (ours was approved within 24 hours).

4. Downloading necessary mobile apps: I downloaded Kakao Map (very important because Google Maps doesn't work as well, especially for walking navigation), Papago (translation app), Uber, XE (currency converter) and Seoul Subway (for the subway system).

5. Staying connected: We decided to turn on international roaming.

6. Planning itinerary: You can view the brief South Korea trip itinerary in this blog post.

7. Exchanging money and topping up GXBank: We exchanged 300,000 KRW and ensured our GXBank account had a sufficient balance in case needed to use the GX debit card. We also brought along our credit cards.

8. Checking the weather: Upon Googling, I realized that it was still winter in February.

9. Packing appropriate winter clothing: Since I'm from a tropical country, I definitely didn't want to under-pack. I prepared:

Layer 1: Heat tech inner top and bottom
Layer 2: Wool sweater and winter skirt
Layer 3: Waist-length wool vest
Layer 4: Padded outerwear (preferably with a hood to reduce the stinging wind on your face)
Other necessary gear: Winter gloves with screen-touch, scarf, hat/beanie, wool socks, and winter boots.

I tried a winter mask, but it fogged up my glasses. I had forgotten to get an anti-fog spray!

Other essentials: Toiletries, medicines, skincare, and disposable panties.

Note: Bring disposable bath towels. If you're staying in budget guesthouses or cheaper motels, their towels are tiny!

Remember to bring your passport!

Watching the Sunset from the Plane

The flight was about 6.5 hours, non-stop from KLIA 2 (AirAsia) to Incheon International Airport.

We flew past snowy plains—a surreal sight from above!

Arriving at Incheon International Airport

We touched down at Incheon International Airport at 6:15pm (local time).

The airport itself wasn’t too cold, but the moment we stepped outside to hail a taxi, the temperature was -5°C. The experience was shockingly cold because I was underdressed at that point. I had to scurry back inside and put on more layers, or I would have frozen into an ice lolly!

We took a taxi to our accommodation for the next three nights—Lifein Insa in Insadong.

Excited to see snow, even if it was just on the sidewalk! ❄️

First Meal in Insadong

By the time we reached the guesthouse, it was already almost 10pm. So we just went to the nearest 7-11 and grabbed some convenience store food.