안녕하세요 여러분! I managed to get to south Korea for the first time ever and there are a few things that I brought with me that have been SO useful and some things I didn't bring that I wish I had.
Without a doubt the most important and useful thing so far has been my plug converter. I take it everywhere with me while walking around in Korea. When my phone starts to die, I can go to a cafe or somewhere else with plugs and I can charge my phone comfortably. Even my friends with different phones than me have been able to use my charger.
2.) Portable Charger
Some would argue just as Important as a normal charger, you should bring your own power bank or portable charger as well. This one of the things I did bring, but didn't get to use much because I had the wrong cord for it. I can easily buy it here in Korea, but just haven't yet. Still, It's good to have a nice power bank on you when you are gonna be gone all day from your hotel or airbnb.
3.) Neck Pillow
This one may seem like a common sense thing, but I really didn't want to have to "lug" a neck pillow with me. I had a 15 and a half hoir flight to South Korea and it was uncomfortable to say the least. I somewhat regret not just bringing my own nice quality neck pillow. I ended up with a bit of neck and shoulder pain for a couple days after that plane ride - ouch!
My waterbottle has been my savior through all of the long walks from place to place and hot days. Never underestimate the power of a bottle full of nice, refreshing, cool water. It can also be used for drinks besides water and hot drinks of course, but the point remains you will not regret taking a bottle with you. I was able to carry my waterbottle inside of my day bag with no issues, so make sure when you get a bottle you can carry it comfortably with you wherever you are going.
5.) A Nice Day Bag
Speaking of "day bags", It is definitely another essential. A day bag is basically a bag you carry with you throughout the day while traveling. You can keep all of your important stuff close by and not have to carry so many things in your hands. I like the bag I brought, but If I had to go back I'd try to get something a little better. After carrying my backpack around for awhile, I notice my shoulders start to hurt.
A day bag is best when it's fairly small, but not too small. Having a big bookbag on your back the whole trip probably isn't the experience most of us want. A medium sized bag that can fit all of your essentials - chargers, cables, headphones, waterbottles, wallet, sunscreen, T-money card, etc. is best.
I managed to bring 3 pairs of shoes with me, but I kind of regret all but 1 pair - my walking/running shoes. I was in for a very painful experience the one day I decided to wear my vans out instead of my nike running shoes. I encourage you to bring shoes that provide enough support for all the walking you will be doing in south Korea! I've done up to 30,000 steps a day being here - so don't underestimate how much walking you'll be doing.
I didn't do this either, but I have heard a few of the friends I met here talk about how they brought an extra suitcase with them. They fill that extra suitcase with whatever - new clothes, Korean snacks, souvenirs, etc. I haven't done this and I think it's a brillant idea. If you can put up with having to check an extra luggage and the difficulties that come with having multiple suitcases and bags then this is great. I would like to bring back souvenirs for me and my family plus some snacks I truly enjoy and would miss when coming home.
8.) Cable Case
I just put loose cables in my bags and It's not terrible but I do worry that I'm messing up the cables by doing so. I wish I brought a nice case to organize and keep my cables safe.
Depending on where you stay in Korea, different hotels, hostels, apartments, etc. may or may not have washing machines and dryers. I've been to more than one accomodation that either had no dryer or didn't have enough for everyone, in this case I wish I had a proper "thing" I could use to hang dry my clothes after washing.
10.) Hard Drive
I've taken quite a lot of videos and photos on my phone and towards the end of this trip, I've started to have no storage left in my phone. Luckily, I brought a hard drive with me so that I can transfer those files and not have to worry about my storage being full and not being able to take more pocs and videos.
These are my top 10 items that I either brought with me and use all the time or wish I would have brought with me. For reference, I came to Korea ot stay for a month. At the time of writing this blog, this is my last week here unfortunately!
I hope you enjoyed this blog and there will be more where this came from coming up soon~
와! The small things we don't think about makes a difference in having a great trip experience. Thank you for sharing with us! Have an awesome time! 🤗