Alliance Seoul
- Everything You Need to Know -
Your Flights & Hotel
Hotel in Seoul - THE koreana hotel
135 Sejong-daero, Taepyeongno 1(il)-ga
Jung-gu, Seoul, South Korea
Phone Number: +82 2-2171-7000
Departing Flight from SLC
Oct 12th, 9:45 am MST on Delta Airlines flight #817
Arriving in Los Angeles (LAX) at 10:45 am PST
LAX - ICN
12:30 am am PST on Delta Airlines flight #9045
Arriving in Incheon-Seoul (ICN) on Oct 13th at 5:50 pm South Korea Standard Time
Returning Flight from ICN
Oct 19th, 7:20 pm South Korea Standard Time on Delta Airlines flight #198
Arriving in SEA at 1:28 pm PST on Oct 19th
SEA - SLC
3:15 pm PST on Delta Airlines flight #1011
Arriving in SLC 6:13 pm MST
See your slide deck for other flight information.
Packing & Travel Instructions
Passport! Don't forget your passport!
No visa is needed for travel from the US to South Korea.
$$$ Money $$$
You'll want to remember to give your bank or credit card/debit card company a heads up that you'll be traveling. A debit card is important as many things in may take only take cash! You'll be able to use and ATM to get South Korean Won.
Most activities/meals will be covered by your registration, but you’ll want to have money for extra activities, souvenirs, snacks, etc.
Electrical Outlets
Korea outlets have two round prongs, so you’ll need a converter. One good option is here. Make sure you’re choosing a type C or type F.
The outlets are also higher voltage than we’re used to, so you need a voltage converter in South Korea. You might consider a combined power plug adapter/voltage converter, like this one here.
General Weather
Average temps in Seoul in October:
Hi: 68 degrees
Lo: 49 degrees
It is wise to bring a light jacket/rain jacket for the evenings to stay warm and comfortable.
Important things to pack
Clothes for 8 days, including two travel days and one hiking day
Nice shoes for walking around
Shoes you can hike in
Jacket/coat
Hat and sunglasses
Raincoat or umbrella, just in case
Toiletries
Power adapter and converter
Credit card
Backpack or fanny pack for day trips
Water bottle
Itinerary Highlights
Wednesday, Oct 16th - Hike & Spa Day
Activities
Bukhansan National Park
Dragon Hill Spa
Recommended attire
Good shoes and a water bottle
Thursday, Oct 17th - Palaces Day
Activities
Changdeokgung Palace and Huwon Secret Gardens
Bukchon Hanok Village
Gyeongbokgung Palace
Stamp Engraving
Friday, Oct 18th - DMZ Day
Activities
K Pop Dance Class
Solgaheon tea and bath house
Dongdaemon Market
Seoul City Wall
Saturday, Oct 19th - Market/Travel Day
Activities
Taekwondo Class
Travel Day
Recommended attire
Comfortable travel clothes
Saturday, Oct 12th - Travel Day
Activities
Travel day
Recommended attire
Comfortable travel clothes
Sunday, Oct 13th - Get settled
Activities
Travel day
Check into hotel
Dinner
Monday, Oct 14th - Seoul Tower
Activities
Seoul Tower
Cable car ride
Kayaking on the Han River
Myeongdong Market
Tuesday, Oct 15th - Dmz day
Activities
DMZ Tour (currently closed because of an outbreak of African Swine Fever)
ALT - Cooking class
ALT - Traditional Tea Ceremony
City Hall
Jogyesa Shrine
Gwangjang Market
Communication
Snapchat
Prior to the trip, please make sure you are in the Alliance Group Snapchat. If you haven’t seen an invite come through for that or are having any trouble, please contact Trent. That channel will be one of the primary ways of communicating together on the trip.
Cell Phones & Data
For safety and communication reasons, you should have a cell phone plan that allows for cell phone and data usage in South Korea. If you don't already have this, you’ll want to contact your wireless provider and get an international plan set up prior to the trip. Most carriers offer temporary international add-ons for while you are abroad.
Verizon has no convenient plan for travel in South Korea, but their trip planning tool can be used to find your best options. You can find more info here.
For some AT&T plans, international calls and data are already included for free. If your plan does not include it already, you can add it for $10/day. See here for more details.
For T-Mobile, their T-Mobile Simple Global includes free data and text in South Korea. For more information, see here.
Don’t hesitate to reach out to Trent at trent@convoi.co or (925) 270-5099.
Recommended Apps
Travel in a foreign country can be confusing to say the least, especially when you consider that Google Maps doesn’t work in South Korea.
For ease of travel, I recommend you download the following apps:
Subway Korea IOS Android (clear and interactive maps for navigating)
i Tour Seoul IOS Android (tourist information, restaurants, and bus routes)
Visit Korea IOS Android (official Korea Tourism Organization app)
Punctuality, Directions, & Safety
Please be on time as we move from event to event! As long as you stay with the group you won’t have to worry about any logistics. We have all transportation accounted for.
If you do get separated from the group, refer to the schedule in Google Calendar for clickable directions. You will be responsible for determining the best way to rejoin the group and the associated cost. Seoul does not have on-demand services like Uber or Lyft, but taxis are readily available.
Safety/Etiquette/ Legal
While Korea is one of the safest countries in the world, always take proper precautions and use common sense.
Korea has a very unique culture, focused on tradition and etiquette. Be conscious of how you act and remember you are guest in their country.
I’m still trying to find official guidance, but it appears that marijuana and other drugs are very illegal in Korea.
