TL;DR - Tips and Tricks for Flying to Korea

[@ReyOfLight]

An inflatable neck pillow, a blindfold and compression travel socks can get you a long way! And it's also very good to have an extra sweater on or in your carry on in case the flight is as cold as the polar express. Earbuds to keep noise out is another good thing to have around if you don't want to listen to music or watch a movie. Oh, and ALWAYS keep your prescription medicines in your carry on bag, in original packaging with the pharmacy tag on it! Especially important if your medicine is narcotic or a controlled substance anywhere. Have a letter from doctor if needed. Within the Schengen countries in the EU you can get a special document for narcotic prescription medicines at the pharmacy, it's very convenient. Another good trick when flying over many time zones is to sleep as much as you can if you're traveling to a place that is ahead of your home zone, and stay awake if you're traveling to a place that's behind your home zone. This works well for changes of 6-9 hours at least. And aim for night flight if traveling to a place ahead of your home zone... Morning flight or afternoon if you're traveling to a timezone behind your home zone. I've managed up to 9 hours time change without getting jet lagged simply by staying awake when going "backwards" and sleeping when going "forwards" in timezones. Music and neck pillow has gotten me through a handful of 10-12h flights. I use the in flight blanket as well to stay warm and get comfy, and the tiny pillow they provide is great for lumbar spine if having back issues. And don't forget to get up and move around regularly, DVT is a very real threat when flying long distances, even if you're wearing compression socks and having taken aspirin... If you're a pain patient, stay on top of your pain. Take painkillers before and during the flight to stay as comfortable as possible. Flying can be uncomfortable enough without having to deal with uncontrollable breakthrough pain mid flight because of being too stubborn to take your medicine.

[@secretdiaryofafoodie]

Jennie Svensson great tips! As a chronic pain sufferer I do many of these, but I haven't tried adjusting to timezones this way, and (as travelling knocks me around enough already) I'll try this next time!

[@EIeqant]

I wish there was a youtube channel like this for other cultures! D: I've learned so much about Korea and now I'm really curious about other countries

[@smeva26]

putting a suitcase inside a suitcase, genius!

[@MarkZ_1985]

how is that even possible? :(

[@smeva26]

MarkCEO09 your either a person who defies physics or your not lol jks just getting two different sized suitcases is all

[@1515Lexi]

Another way to relieve pain when the plane is descending is to chew gum. The motion of your jaw while chewing gum helps relieve the pressure similarly to how yawning helps your ears pop. Spearmint flavor will help with any motion sickness too. Yay for double uses!

[@DarkeCrimson]

I totally know what you mean by giant feet. My husband wears a size 15 double wide. DOUBLE WIDE?! Seriously. Tall skinny guy with giant flippers for feet.

[@eatyourkimchi]

For a non-stop flight we use Korean Air, for a short stop in Vancouver and then to Korea we use Air Canada.

[@shelbyllyn]

I don't know if this is important, but I visit australia because my dad lives there, and I live in western canada, and my travel time is anywhere from 32 hrs to 24 hrs... Yeah. (13 hour to hong kong, 8 hour to perth.) My tips would be.. 1. ALWAYS SHOWER 100% before the flight. That might seem obvious, but yeah. Do it. Not just your hair, shower like you're gunna go on a hot date. 2. Bring a change of clothes, ALWAYS. I once had a flight attendant randomly put a cup of hot water in my cup holder (they have no sides) while I was sleeping and I awoke to a burning sensation all over my leg because I had knocked it over in my sleep. I was soaked. And you might get annoyed with what you are wearing through the flight, and they might not turn on the AC. I even had a flight where the AC wasn't working the whole time because of some issue. I was SO happy that I had a sweater I could take off. 3. Plane food sucks. Don't be afraid to be picky, bring your own food from the airport when you get on for your first meal. I promise you that you won't want to eat again after you've been fed egg jello with ham chunks consecutively for the past 13 hours.. so buy snacks after you've gone through security. You won't forgive yourself otherwise. DON'T TRY TO DIET WHEN TRAVELING. TASTE ALL THE DIFFERENT KINDS OF FOOD *v*

[@eatyourkimchi]

ALO! It's called ALO. They've got a few shops around Seoul :D

[@yumyumyum2619]

My longest flight journey was Toronto to Singapore Toronto to Vancouver - 5 hours Vancouver to Tokyo - 10 hours Tokyo to Singapore - 8 hours In total (including airport time) was about 30 hours xD Longest day of my life.

[@Eric-ph4yw]

that's a rough flight. my longest was buffalo to New York City, NYC to San Francisco, SFO to Sydney

[@kendraleung3472]

Hi Simon and Martina!! Thank you for making this TLDR. You guys just saved my life i have a trip to china (18 hours flight) in 2 weeks, and I did not know how to survive that but now i have an idea, so thanks :) you guys are awesome.

[@chatnoir60609]

OMG is so funny what you guys said about the duty free magazine, because I actually ALWAYS check the offers and always get something hahaha I love it. For me is a great way to distract myself of being caught in an endless international flight pretending I'm going shopping, and if I'm with friends even better. I also write down the products I want to purchase to compare prices outside (Basically Amazon and random beauty stores) so if it beats them I'll get the product on my flight back home. Plus that, it's the perfect resource when I forgot some souvenir or to buy something more related to my friend's/relative's personal taste, since not all my relatives are a local artcraft crazies like me and they don't even understand why do I have to travel so far hehehe. I still love them so I buy them stuff they actually going to enjoy and that magazine is perfect for that ;) Anyway, I was kind of proud for all the usefulness I had found for that magazine so your comment made me feel sort of embarrassed like when I person just has to raise the hand and exclaim "guilty of charge". So I laughed, I laughed a lot.

[@Ennniii]

FINALLY this tl:dr is actually useful for meee!! 10-hour flight coming up in two months!

[@ItsRuthiee]

14 hours is nothing. i once got a bus from glasgow to amsterdam(21 hours). it destroyed a little bit of my soul but it was cheap

[@danielbrand4584]

21 hours is nothing, i once went from the Netherlands to croatia in 34+- hours

[@winniewong1845]

34+ hours is nothing, I've been on the plane for three days. No offence, guise.

[@zackleen9346]

Thats nothing I've been on a plane for a WHOLE week it was crazy and horrible

[@winniewong1845]

from where to what place? ive been from America to china all the way around the world.

[@ItsRuthiee]

Winnie Wong without stopping?! lol

[@I_am_Lauren]

I have a travel pillow that is big enough to sleep on but is super squishy and it fits between my back and my backpack I take when traveling. It doesn't take up any extra hand space and it is comfy on your back when your backpack gets really heavy. Ultimate travel hack that I am proud of!!

[@campbelllin3323]

In the next video, could you talk a little bit about the intercity train service in Korea, especially KTX. What are the choices? How frequently do trains operate? Thanks!!!

[@eatyourkimchi]

Citizenship: no. Permanent residents: no. We have a business visa, though!

[@박지애-k5o]

When i start to get tired on the plane, i usually put a hoodie and comfy pajama pants on, so it's like ur in ur pj's. :33 yup, i'm still 3 years old at heart

[@donnakimandfam]

Thank you for this I'm going to Korean in March for the first time and getting on a plane for the first time. And this helped answer some questions I had about flying.

[@Soshi9MV]

Can you guise make a video on how to pack our own bags more efficiently?

[@THEbakerbunny]

They have an old video about that already

[@eatyourkimchi]

Ugh sucky!!! Another tip then! I (Martina) use particular earbud headphones just for the airplane! They have flat backs so that I can listen to music while leaning on a pillow and it doesn't make your ear canal sore by pushing into it. They aren't a special brand or anything I just search for any flat design, which is surprisingly hard to find because most earbuds are round shapes. :D

[@purpleghost106]

Take your canvas bags, take your canvas bags (I wonder if they were trying for a Tim Minchin song reference or not?)

[@Avveh]

This couldn't have come at a better time! I'm heading to Cheonan in September for school and have been looking for all the little tips and tricks that will make everything go smoother. Thanks!

[@seafarer_]

But if you ask for an extra pillow and blanket, and they run out, then you have two blankets and two pillows, and someone else on the plane doesn't have any at all!

[@raccoonkat]

Hey Guys! I've done the long haul flights to and from the US and Korea for years too! You have a great and helpful list. I'd like to add some suggestions: -hand sanitizer (a MUST) -travel sized toothbrush + toothpaste (another MUST) -chapstick -eye drops -travel sized body spray/perfume (planes are smelly) -extra warm socks(if you wear sandals, your feet will be cold) -a smaller fleece blanket (I get cold easily) -a pen for immigration/customs forms -1-2 xanax (4-9 hours of guaranteed sleep)

[@pseudoash]

I always put my pain killers in my contact lens case and my friends are like "why do you do that don't do that." I'm just going to refer them to this video

[@HYREmusic]

This is definitely the most informative tl;dr ever (at least to me) because I live in Hong Kong and I'll be flying to Vancouver in August and these tips are LIFESAVERS

[@TiaSCREAMS]

If I'm a college student planning to go to Korea for a vacation, what is the minimum budget I must have in order to have a good time there? How about the prices for guesthouses and tickets for transportation?

[@jeynalim]

TripAdvisor is your best friend for planning trips. I'm going to S.Korea for a 6 day holiday soon and I used TripAdvisor to get all the info I need. If you're going to Seoul, use the subway to get around. It's 1150won minimum per journey if I'm not mistaken.

[@smeva26]

if u watch all of simon and martina's videos u get a good gauge on how much everything is, for me in australia it would be about the same though im not sure about accommodation, but i would have a few grand spending money

[@kennethhan652]

english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/FO/FO_EN_6_4_4.jsp?category=A05020100&areaCode=1&recomm=#selectBox

[@katjagellonika]

The flight to Vietnam this summer will now be so much better than if I hadn't watched this video. Thank you so very much!

[@allbecauseican]

I was coming back from Korea to the US and I bought a bottle of water at the gate (after I wen thru security o,f course). However, when I was about to get on the plane (like, right at the entrance), they told me I couldn't take it on and took it away from me even though I literally just bought it only 20 feet away! It was really odd. They stole my water -.-

[@hanar1060]

LOL I took a blender blade on a plane and we were told they had to throw it away when we had to change planes somewhere in the middle but then the pilot came out and said he'll put it in the safety box of the plane and give it back to us at the end.

[@uhlillie]

I did that, too, but they didn't confiscate my bottle. ^^ I was hiding it in my bag.

[@lizc1679]

guys you just massively helped me prepare for my almost 24 hr plane ride from Adelaide to london with stopover in melbourne and dubai for an hr and a half

[@checkacola]

I flew Pearson to Incheon and I almost lost my sanity because the TV didn't work at my seat.

[@Jirachiluva101]

This is really helpful to me because Im a fifteen year old going to Japan alone this summer(to meet family friends). I havent been out of America, and I haven't been on a plane in FOREVER. thanks for the tips!

[@LindaXTC]

Is there anything important that one needs to know about when changing money if you are going out of the country?

[@shelbyllyn]

I would change over some 20's if you are just touching down in other countries. Don't exchange when you're there because it costs a lot more. In my experience I change my canadian cash over to american because they take that in a lot of the airport stores anyways. Otherwise I use my credit card (after letting my cc company know I'm travelling). But when it comes to permanent money changing I have no idea!

[@Swytek]

A VISA is something that is stamped into your passport that allows you to enter another country. You can apply for a VISA with the nearest Korean embassy or Korean consulate.

[@joylucio4430]

From Brazil it's about 25 hours of traveling @_@ and from where I live in Brazil (it's very far from the closest airport) it would be something like full 30 hour of traveling ... i hope i survive it hahaha

[@joylucio4430]

hahaha i am from a city inside the state of Rio de Janeiro, but those 25 hours i was count along with the time beteewn a flight and other since most flights from here to south korea have 1 or more stops (kk i don't remember the correct term for this)

[@hypnochic76]

Bag-ception is brilliant! I'm definitely going to start doing this immediately.

[@HarryPotterFreakLena]

I'm gonna fly to Seoul tomorrow: It's a 13h flight for me

[@OMG1877]

I usually travel a lot and Simon and Martina's tips are really helpful for non frequent fliers. Instead of a bag (martina mentioned) I carry a very large purse where I stuff in my medicine, books, phone, tooth brush, and my computer. Also I would like to add that if anyone dilikes being seated in the middle of two people (like me) and would like to sit on the aisle or window seat, you should call your airlines and reserve a seat. I recommend you do this a month before travelling.

[@화파도]

DON'T put your laptop or Ipad in the place of the magazines!!!!!! Cause some people (ME) get emotional and sleepy when leaving their country so they(me) FORGET THEIR LAPTOP in that stupid magazine pocket sack thing!!!!!!!😒😔

[@alexandratavares8367]

Omg that nearly happened to me but a .an gave it back to me

[@Mollfie]

When I lived in the Philippines it was a 17 hour flight, with a brief one hour stop in Hong Kong to break it up and re-fuel the plane. The one hour wandering around the airport was amazing after so long on the plane.

[@Erik_Emer]

SEVENTEEEN?! I'm sorry, but, like, isn't the Philippines near the Latitude Korea's on? Was it cheaper with the stopover?

[@WeeklyGoodies]

The contact lenses case idea is absolute GENIUS.

[@jodie12347]

I'm flying to korea in August its an 18hr flight with a 3 hr layover in Dubai. I've watched this video so many times and i plan to use alll these tips

[@I_am_Lauren]

I love the duck quack sound you guys use! It is my go to noise when I see anybody attempt to hip thrust.

[@MrDaehyunnie]

I will rewatch this video everytime I'm planningg on going to a trip by plane from now on!

[@eatyourkimchi]

English captions are available now, for those who want them :D

[@TheCsel]

here too (indiana), sooo glad its not snowing anymore, and still not super hot & humid yet.

[@hanar1060]

I love plane journeys! I love the food, I don't get jet-lag, I never get to sleep on planes but I'm one of those people that accidentally does all nighters so I'm used to the lack of sleep, and landing and take-off don't bother me at all!

[@wobinwobinwobin]

This summer I'm flying Edmonton to Toronto, Toronto to Dubai, and Dubai to Cape Town. The first flight is four hours but the other two are LONG. I feel better prepared now.

[@ohmyfudgecakes]

The bag within the bag Trick was super helpful.

[@lucas5665]

Basically you can buy goods at the airport (Alcohol, cigarettes, souvenirs etc.) and the goods that you purchase will be transported with you to wherever your going. You buy them at the duty free store and you pick it up at your destination's airport. Duty free stores are usually located in areas where you have already checked your luggage, so you can buy last minute things without worrying about putting them in your checked bags.

[@Reformatt]

this is fantastic! thanks guys for the golden tips! I will be flying to Seoul on Friday from Toronto. Sooooo excited :D

[@MsBanditLee]

yes, I've been waiting for TL;DR about them for soooooo long !!

[@SuperMadumadu]

Great tips for flying anywhere. Definitely gonna be helpful when I come to Japan next month. Hope to bump into you guys!

[@drkphinx]

I had a layover in Icheon Airport this past Feb. I was flying from Manila to LAX, by Korean Air. Got to Icheon aroun 3am, there was not a lot of ppl there. Slept at the airport with our heavy coats on bc it's sooo cold. 6am, more people came. Went to the cultural centers around the gate , made free paper arts, including a Korean paper bowl, and they had a parade with traditional costumes. Met some cool people traveling and had korean breakfast. Bought some refrigerated Kimchi in maylar bags.

[@tvtoms]

If your bottle(s) is/are plastic then before you seal it in a zip top bag, squeeze excess air out of it first. Altitude expands the air and .. 'splosions happen. You can help mitigate the risk a bit ahead of time.

[@julkad.2335]

This Video and the blog post is really so very helpful. Me and my friend actually booked our flight to korea today and your videos helped us while planning the trip. So thank you very much, Simon and Martina! :)

[@eatyourkimchi]

That sounds like a cool idea! Thanks for suggesting it :D

[@lillia09]

I don't really think I ever intend on visiting South Korea or anything but I just can't stop watching these TL;DR's ^__^ you guys are just so fun & hilarious to watch ♥

[@netta9581]

I learned that at a Scuba-diving course - When lower, plug your nose with two fingers and blow air strongly from your nose. The air will go to your ears and set them free. It's like a whole new world. Always works, better than any other trick.

[@Echaede]

I flew to China from Detroit and it was like 12/13 hours. I think it is personal preference on whether you can handle the non-stop flight. I can sleep anywhere so I was personally fine with the 13 hour flight because I would put on a movie or two and end up passing out every few hours. Planes can change from cold to hot, so I recommend layering clothing. Wear a t-shirt and then a zipup hoodie so you can adjust to the plane. It's more enjoyable when you're comfortable :).

[@harrietludolph1896]

it always helps me to listen to music over headphones, i did a 12 hour flight last year, and god, without my ipod i would have died

[@lisachanggg]

This is so great! I won't be going to Korea, but I will be flying from California to Taiwan in a few weeks. I've flown back to Taiwan for the past 8 summers but I never thought about some of these tricks... Thanks Martina and Simon!

[@nomad2817]

Little tip, not sure if this only applies to Toronto to Hong Kong via Cathay Pacific but, you can ask them for cup noodles even when lights are off or any time pretty much

[@QuatresNuku]

Thanks so much I'm actually moving to Taiwan and I've never been on an international flight so these tips are very useful for me

[@icewitch_Skye]

Thank you so much for this! I am traveling to Korea next month, and it is my first time traveling to Asia! Thank you SO MUCH!!!

[@jonathannellis]

They usually have exchange places in international airports where you can do this, but they charge a high % fee. The best rate is actually when you use a credit or debit card that doesn't have an international transaction fee (even with the fee it's still usually cheaper than the shops) to make purchases. Second best is probably using an ATM overseas (some of them will accept out of country debit cards) or at your local bank.

[@Bonasita2]

Great tips! I also bring one of those Brita filter bottles, empty, thru security. Then I hit up a water fountain, fill it, and I have my free decent tasting water for the plane! Don't ever pack anything you can't deal with losing in your checked bags. We travel a lot and bags get lost more frequently than you'd think!

[@예은-f5q]

Omg! I've ALWAYS been SOOOO uncomfortable at the airplane and u guys seriously helped ALOT! OMG THANKS SO MUCH!

[@itshelenyo]

can't wait to visit korea at the end of the year!!!!!

[@itskamers]

Super helpful since i'll be making the same trip in two days!! Thanks Simon and Martina!

[@djdz0]

I can never think of anything to ask you guys... I'm glad other Nasties ask very awesome and relevant questions :)

[@pw1388]

Prevent leaks When the air pressure changes in an airplane due to elevation, your beauty products will react. To keep the products in their respective bottles and not all over your suitcase, make sure to release the air from your bottles and quickly close them back up before packing them. Then "tape the tops of your liquid containers to prevent leaking and exploding, and for double protection, recycle old grocery bags and wrap your liquids individually" before packing them away.

[@saxyviolist]

I can't speak 100% from not being there (yet) but in my experience with several friends and exchange students, the Korean people are very open and kind. Very generous. Obviously everyone is different, but for the most part, that is the impression I get. I'm studying abroad this summer with people from ALL over the world, different races and nationalities, at an international summer school. :) They also love when people are interested in their culture!

[@ple103]

Perfect timing for this video guys! This video should be useful for those who plan on flying to Seoul for SNSD's concert in June :)

[@JojOwHAnNa]

I already travelled to Korea last year and I did a really awfully bad job packing haha Thank you for all the advices, my body will thank you !

[@nairoby1971]

They answered that question in a program called "Heart to Heart"; they said they're happy being just married for now, and plan to have kids in their 30ish. You can find the interview here on youtube, I think is in the "Eat Your Kimchi" channel not sure.

[@Louchantez]

I CAN'T WAIT ANYMORE! IM GOING NEXT WEEK!

[@zeuseology]

This is very helpful. I'm not going to Korea but I will be travelling for a long time on a plane this summer.

[@sannetussch22]

Your welcome,, I hope it works for you too. The blow air trough your ear it could be painful but once it snaps it's also almost immediately over.

[@Nichkhun94]

Thank you Simon and Martina!!! I'm not going to Korea but i am going to be on a 13 hour flight to Germany. This is going to be my first time flying for more than an hour. This helped me so much!! i had no idea what to do! Thank you so much!!

[@MBisFrenchy]

When going to CAN from JFK and stopping at ICN make sure you have your portable charger accessible as they asked me both times to remove it and put it separately. They inspected it one time but it was close to 10K mAh. Also Asiana on the A380 good amount of legroom at 5' 8" but the seats can be quite hard and my friend and I started to get lower back pain. We and many others just stood at the back of the plane stretching for a good hour.

[@minakohiga]

Wow thank you for these helpful tips! I flew to Korea two years ago and if you uploaded this video before that you could have made my flight much more comfortable ;D

[@XxshandiexX]

Simon and Martina, would you make a video for people visiting South Korea for the first time. Places to visit, transportation, foods, what to be aware of, how much Korean would we need to know to get by etc.

[@karatepop]

You can't take any through security, but you can pack them in the checked bag. If you want to bring liquids on the plane it has to be in 1oz containers or something. If you bring medication it's always advised to bring a note from the doctor saying what it is and what it's for. Once you get through security and they've gone "sorry, that bottle of juice is too dangerous" and throw it away, you can buy a new one in one of the shops (again, after the security) and take that on the plane.

[@mel9588]

Thank you for this!! I was on a flight a few days ago and the cabin pressure was so bad that I was genuinely afraid that my head was going to explode. I'll definitely try the nasal spray tip!!

[@dmusta99]

I'm not flying to Korea, but these are great tips for long haul flights! And, I'm flying off to the States from Singapore next week. Thanks a bunch!

[@Rose_And_Wolf]

I flew Air Canada when I came to Japan and that was okay except for the food, but I didn't think about the shoes thing. I'm definitely going to wear my biggest shoes back now. Lighter luggage and more space! It makes so much sense. Plus much more stylish in the airport lol

[@CollyInSA]

Love you two! Feels like were friends! Thanx for the tips!

[@meaghannemack82]

I will be visiting korea in 2 years for a study abroad trip. All your information was very helpful, thanks!!!!

[@hmm1482]

that's good. When I was younger I went on exchange for 6 months and left with 2 suitcases and came back with 3 (don't do that!). But more recently I went somewhere for 5 months and was able to bring down to 1 suitcase on the way there and 1 an 1/2 on the way back. I like their idea of putting a smaller suit case in a bigger one (or something like that) so that if you get stuff while you're in China you can bring it back.

[@ClosetSONE]

As foreigners, do you guys ever go to Korean doctors, dentists, etc? How do you go about getting the medicines you need? Is the language barrier an issue when dealing with them? Lastly, how different is it from North America?

[@wontawnn]

ahhh this is so helpful, thank you~ I'm going to Australia in two months and I haven't flown anywhere since I was 12!

[@oceanaelf]

the suitecase tip was awesome, i'll be using that one day

[@AnimeLovinMusician]

Thanks for the tips! I'm flying to Korea this summer and this helped a lot with what to expect!

[@choieunji8140]

Yes I am going to Korea next year to have fun. I have a seven hour flight from Singapore

[@eatyourkimchi]

Yup! We live in Korea. :D

[@DoChanyeolKaiEXO]

im traveling to japan in a few weeks, and they have the same time zone as korea, so thanks simon and martina!!!!!!

[@maymay1889]

whether korean is a hard language to learn it depends on how often you interact with that language , for example watching korean shows/drama and listening to kpop does help on the process of learning the korean language .

[@dancetolive31]

I love this! I will be studying abroad for the summer and I really needed this! Thanks! Lol

[@musicalmist]

Simon and Martina are the best!!!