| Logistics and Packing List |
| Getting There and Back Again: Before you leave:!!!! Free stuff: The best resource we've found for information on where to go and what to see is FREE, and you can order it online. Go to www.tour2korea.com, sign up for their "membership," and then submit a request for their brochures - they will send this bound little volume called the Korea Travel Guide, which has everything you need to get around, and which easily fits in a backpack pocket or your purse. Do this a few weeks ahead - they are a little slow to respond! Currency: We've found that we have no trouble using our Visa card anywhere in Korea, including for little stuff in souvenir shops. We took about $400 in cash, and the rest we could do with the ATM machines there, or with Visa. You can find ATMs almost everywhere, they accept American bank cards, and they dispense Korean won. 1. Airlines: The first time, we used Northwest Airlines Adoption Fares. The tickets came to about $700 from the west coast and were changeable without penalty, on demand. It was a great deal, and they try really hard to get you the bulkhead seats so that you have extra space, and also so that you can use the bassinet. This last time, we used Holt's recommended travel agent, Erle at Azumano Travel - and he was awesome. He booked us exactly what we needed, at the last minute, with seats together in the bulkhead. The fares the second trip were about $810. 2. The trip is about 12-13 hours from the west coast. Plan on having some entertainment for yourself, and some comfy clothes on. 3. When you arrive in Seoul, there are multiple options for getting into the city from the airport (be careful about relying on outdated information about the airport, because Seoul switched from Kimpo airport to Inchon Airport as its main international airport in April 2001, and they are in very different parts of the city. Cabs: a cab cost us $42 from the airport to our hotel doorstep, downtown. We haggled a little - the range was from about $40 to $90. Don't be surprised if your cabby expects you to also fork up the money for the toll roads between the airport and your destination. We were able to pay in dollars, since we hadn't changed any money yet. Busses: Holt will give you a sheet which tells you about the bus. BUS 601 or 602 will take you to the Holt office, (or guesthouses), assuming that you want to go there. The bus tickets must be purchased inside the airport - when you are facing the street, go to the far right end of the airport lobby, and there is a desk to buy tickets. They were 7,000 won each to get to Holt. Then, you go outside and look for the right stop - numbered 601 or 602. HapJeong is the first stop on Bus 602's route, and you can see the Holt building from there. You should get some maps from holt before you are scheduled to leave, but I have tried to reproduce them here as well, because ours didn't come in time. 4. Hotels: the first time, we found our hotel on a great site on the internet. The best advice we got was to stay near City Hall, which is a main downtown area, with great subway connections. We stayed at the New Seoul Hotel, not to be confused with the SeoSeoul Hotel, which is actually closer to Holt, but less "upscale." We paid about $90 a night for the room, and tried the Korean-style, mats-on-the-floor room for a few nights before switching to a "western-style" room with beds. The Holt guest house is also a great option - we toured it the first time, but couldn't stay because it was full. We did stay there the second time - it was fantastically convenient. You book it through your social worker once you get your travel call, and it runs between $30 and $45 (?) a night. Both it, and most major hotels, will have an internet connection. The guest house also has a kitchenette and shared living area. 5. Subways and Transportation: the subway was so easy to use. It is 700 won per ticket, which you could buy either at a teller's window or from a vending machine down in the subway station. THE BETTER OPTION for someone staying a few days is to buy a "pass", which gets you 15 round-trip rides for 10,000. You must buy the pass from a teller - and then use it just like the regular ticket - slide it through the machine (and don't forget to retrieve it from the machine). For one ticket, you could ride anywhere in the same zone, as long as you stayed underground. We never traveled far enough to leave the "zone", and we went everywhere, so basically, you can go anywhere you need to go in the main city for 50 cents per trip, each. Save your coins for those vending machines, though - its must easier to get tickets that way. Once in the subway station, there are signs (a bit cryptic at times, but very doable with some patience) as to how to navigate underground, and if you look around you can always find a "neighborhood map" which will tell you which of the multiple exits to take, to come up where you want to be. Word of warning: the names of many of the stations are changing in their english spellings, so the rule is to try saying it out loud - for example, Hap Jung is the same as "Hap Jeong," and Hap Cheong." The name may be different even within the same station on different signs, so go phonetic and you should be fine. Cabs: cabs within the city ran us about 1300 won ($1) per mile. They were easy to catch for quick trips, and sometimes easier to direct than the city bus as to where you want to get off. Getting to IlSan: if you want to see IlSan, the Holt's original orphanage and now an adult care facility, tell your Korean social worker, and see if you can ride the "volunteer" bus. It leaves most days around 10 a.m. It was free, and it let you meet other Holt folks, too. Then, the city bus leaves right from IlSan and comes back to downtown Seoul, for about $2. Just give the driver your Holt card, and he'll tell you when to get off. Carseats and private cars: we decided that it was good we had not tried to take a carseat to use in Korea. It would have been very difficult to get enough time to use it properly in a cab, and they are not mandatory there. Although we were freaked out by it, we took several car rides carrying Gabe in the back seat, and while it was uncomfortable, the alternative would have been almost impossible. We also didn't use one on the airplane, which worked out fine for us, but is a matter of personal preference, of course. 6. Our packing list: click here for some ideas about what to expect from Holt in terms of supplies, and what you might want to take for yourself. Also, our thoughts about what to wear, yourself, while in Seoul. 7. Traveling Home: At the airport: the new airport is beautiful and efficient, but there are a few things to know to help plan your exit. First, if you have friends taking you, plan to leave them in the lobby - just like as in the US after Sept. 11, they cannot go through security, so your goodbyes will be quick, in the front lobby. Exit tax: the parent who is holding your child will get to have their exit tax "waived," but the other parent or person will have to pay 15,000 won, payable only in won, to leave the country. (This last trip - this ended up not being true - maybe just a fluke, but we didn't have to pay this time). It helps with customs, or seems to, if you carry your blue Holt bag prominently displayed - the workers seemed responsive to the demands of new parents with full hands, and worked us through the lines very quickly. Many people recommend being the last to get on the plane, even if they have early boarding, because your child will be on there long enough, and its' better to get that last-minute stretch in. if at all possible, we would recommend getting the bulkhead seat on your return flight. It has much more room to move, and at least there is no one in front of you being bothered by your child's crying and antics. Lay-over: if you have to have a stop, we recommend trying for Tokyo. The airport there is set up to be very transfer-friendly, and there is a great "parent-child" room that is awesome for taking a break mid-trip. It has a tub, changing area, crib, rocking chair, soothing music, and private space for nursing/feeding. Just follow the signs to "main terminal," and then to "parent-child" room. It looks like an arcade from the outside, but in the back is the baby room, and it was great. 8. Encounters with Others while you have Baby: we were surprised at how much we were able to perceive about people's impressions of us having Gabe. We heard a lot of comments in English, and understood some comments in Korean, too, about the fact that he was Korean and was going to America. Be prepared for some sadness or even some guilt about that - it seems to be a natural feeling. Also, don't be surprised if strangers offer to hold or comfort the baby, even when you're standing right there with him or her. We had total strangers try to take him out of our arms at times, just to hold him or wrap him in more clothes or blankets (did I mention that Korean babies are kept very warm?!) While it didn't seem like there was any "danger" involved in letting people hold the baby, we wanted to be the ones that he started associating with "comfort" so we tried to politely decline each time. |