Start Here

New here? Welcome! 👋 This is the easiest way to use the blog: follow my friend Mia from Canada through her first day in Korea, one step at a time. Each guide has a 1-minute comic, then all the details: maps in English, timetables, price ranges and the Korean phrases you'll need.

First Day in Korea: read in order

  1. No internet at Incheon Airport?
    Free airport Wi-Fi, eSIM vs SIM vs pocket Wi-Fi, and where the counters are.
  2. Jet lag face? Freshen up at the airport
    Restrooms, water refills, nursing and prayer rooms, showers and layover naps.
  3. Coffee and sweet treats at Terminal 1
    A café map, 24-hour spots, prices and how ordering works in Korea.
  4. Your first Korean meal
    Free side dishes, the B1 food street, fast food, halal and vegetarian tips.
  5. Incheon Airport to Hongdae by train
    BLUE all-stop vs ORANGE Express, a station map and first/last train times.

Coming next

  • Hongik Univ. Station: which exit has a lift, and how to reach your hotel with a suitcase
  • Olive Young in Hongdae: K-beauty shopping and instant tax refunds
  • Sangsang Madang and Hongdae's shopping streets
  • Your first dinner in Hongdae

Tips for using this blog

  • Look for the 📌 Screenshot this box at the end of each guide: everything you need on one screen.
  • Korean phrases always come with the pronunciation and the English meaning, so you can say them out loud.
  • Prices are given as a range because they change. Always double-check on the day.

Want the comics first? Subscribe on YouTube for a new episode every morning.

또 만나요! (tto man-na-yo) = See you again!
Jay

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Incheon Airport to Hongdae by Train: Take the BLUE One, Not the Orange One

Image
Full of bibimbap, Mia turned to me and asked, “Okay, how do we actually get to Hongdae?” Easy, we take the train. But there’s one mistake I see first-timers make all the time, and it can send you straight past Hongdae. So let me walk you through it the way I walked her through it. ▶ Tap the picture to watch the 40-second short on YouTube ▶ Subscribe on YouTube Watch this episode on YouTube 1. Follow the train signs from the food street From the B1 food street in Terminal 1, just follow the signs with the little train on them. You’ll hop on a moving walkway (Mia loved this) and it drops you at the Transportation Center . The station hall is right there, still on B1. 2. Grab some cash if you need it There’s a bank right in the station hall, so you can exchange money before you go through the gates. Mia swapped her Canadian dollars there. I stood a few steps away and studied the ceiling, as you do. 3. Top up your T-money card Find the kiosk, tap English , then Top up , and pop your cash i...
Read more

Free Side Dishes?! Your First Korean Meal at Incheon Airport (T1 B1 Food Street)

Image
Mia’s stomach growled so loudly I swear the people at the next café heard it. She went bright red. I’d promised her lunch was on me, so off we went. And then the best part. We sat down, ordered, and before our food even came, six little plates of side dishes landed on the table. Mia’s face. “We didn’t order all this!” Nope. And you don’t pay for them either. ▶ Tap the picture to watch the 40-second short on YouTube ▶ Subscribe on YouTube Watch this episode on YouTube Where to eat: Terminal 1, B1 food street Head down to the basement level (B1). It’s before security, so anyone can go. You’ll find Korean places along the west side and the middle, while the east side has stuff like pork cutlet, tacos and Chinese. Over by the Transportation Center there are burgers, pho and Korean snack food too. Most menus have photos, so you can just point. Mia picked Jeonju bibimbap because, in her words, “it looks so Korean.” Great call. I went for pork gukbap. A few Korean restaurant things nobody te...
Read more

Need Coffee at Incheon Airport? Where to Find It in T1 (and Why Koreans Leave Their Bags Outside)

Image
Freshly washed up and feeling like a new person. But Mia had one more thing on her mind: “Okay. I need coffee… and something sweet. Like, now.” Fair enough. ▶ Tap the picture to watch the 40-second short on YouTube ▶ Subscribe on YouTube Watch this episode on YouTube Terminal 1: the cafés are right outside arrivals Good news: you don’t have to go hunting. When you come out of the arrival gate in Terminal 1, just look up for the letters B , D or E above the exits. You’ll find a café right by each of them. Easy. Here’s a quick top-down sketch so you know exactly where they are. My own top-down sketch, simplified from the official Incheon Airport map . Not to scale. Cafés in the T1 arrival hall (1F) Where Café Hours Near arrival exit B Tous les Jours, Mimi Dandan 06:00 to 22:00 Between exits B and C Hollys Coffee Open 24 hours Near arrival exit D Paul Bassett 06:00 to 22:00 Near arrival exit E Angel-in-us Open 24 hours Near arrival exit E Normalo Coffee 06:00 to 22:00 Near door 10 Kri...
Read more