Travelogue: Korea – Pre-travel (checklists)

1^st August 2016

Since I’ll be going to Korea in Autumn, the weather will be a little bit cold, but not as cold as winter and a little bit hot, but not as hot as summer. It’s a mild weather, and the best season to visit Korea. Let’s us check out things to pack for a convenient one week trip. The one I stated here are on my personal checklists.

Apparels (untuk musim luruh):

1. Jacket – Perlu kerana suhu pada musim ini adalah sejuk!
2. Sweater – Jika dibawa bersama lebih bagus.
3. T-Shirt & Kemeja Casual – Secukupnya.
4. Seluar – Seluar panjang lebih sesuai.
5. Sarung Tangan – Yang tidak terlalu tebal memadai.
6. Kasut – Bertutup lebih sesuai dan lebih selesa.
7. Stoking – Perlu kerana cuaca pada waktu ini dingin.

Others:

1. Passport / e-tickets / hardcopy of booking confirmation (flight tickets, hostel, train)
2. Cash money (credit/debit cards as a back-up)
3. Kompas dan sejadah
4. Travel adapter (sangat penting!)
5.  Power bank
6.  Ubat-ubatan (paracetamol, vicks, chit ke te un, plaster, minyak cap kapak)
7. Toiletries (letakkan dalam bekas-bekas kecil yang lutsinar, terutamanya yang dalam bentuk cecair. Please make sure the things in liquid foam didn’t exceed 100ml or it will be confiscated)
8. Wet tissues
9. Padlock or travel lock
10. Sunglasses
11. Earphone
12. Tripod (perlu jika pergi solo)
13. Botol air
14. Stok makanan (chocolate is one of a must have food as it provide instant energy booster, lain-lain seperti serunding dan small packs of biscuits)

Since I didn’t book a luggage for KUL – PUS flight, I have to be smart while packing my things and have to make sure there is enough space to stuff all my things in a bag pack.

Going to places outside Malaysia is not as simple as going to other states in Malaysia. You’ll need a proper few stages while preparing things and schedule your own itinerary, lebih lebih lagi bagi mereka yang pergi solo so that you will have a convenient and comfortable trip. And again, here are my checklists while preparing my first solo trip.

1. Booking return airplane tickets KUL – PUS –KUL
2. Booking return airplane tickets KCH – KUL –KCH
3. Booking return Mugunghwa train ticket PUS – SEOUL – PUS (Mugunghwa train selalunya mengambil masa 5 – 6 jam untuk perjalanan dari Busan –     Seoul atau sebaliknya. I choose Mugunghwa to save a bit of my money since KTX tickets is more expensive. Tapi, satu kelebihan KTX ialah hanya mengambil masa 3 jam untuk perjalanan dari Busan – Seoul and vice versa)
4. Booking hostel at Busan (I have already booked a dorm type room at Mr Egg Original Hostel Nampo)
5. Booking hostel at Seoul (I have already booked a single room with shared bathroom at Itaewon Inn. I choose a single room since I’ll be staying for a straight 4 nights at the hostel and I want to have some privacy during my stay)
6. Claim free booklet and voucher from KTO (Check out my next post to know more about this)
7. Complete and finalize full itinerary for the trip
8. Convert MYR money to KRW money in Malaysia (Most travelers advise to change your money in Malaysia. This is because of our low rate currency these days, so most of money changing counter didn’t accept our currency, except for few but of course with a very high exchange rate. Or you can change MYR to USD, because USD currency is acceptable in Korea)
9. Activate bank card for oversea use
10. Initial packing
11. Final packing
12. Study Busan and Seoul Subway map (Seoul especially, since it is more complicated compared to Busan. It’s better to have some understanding on the subway map for both Busan and Seoul)

Remember! Having a thorough and detail checklist is really important for a pleasant trip.