Traveling to the beautiful and culturally-vibrant country of South Korea can be a daunting thought for those who have never ventured across those boarders before. Today we are going through 10 important things you should know before catching that flight to Seoul.

1. You definitely want to pick up a subway card

If you are visiting Seoul for any amount of time, you should definitely pick up a subway card. Grab yourself a T Money card at pretty much any convenience store in the city. There are plenty to be found in the bigger subway stations, and I recommend looking for one in the subway station at the airport you fly into; You’ll have the easiest time finding a subway card there. All you have to do is buy the card and put however much money you want to start off with on it.

From that point, you can use the card immediately. You’ll can scan it every time you enter the subway, and there are top-up machines at most stations where you can add money if you need to. We found this to be the easiest way to get around Seoul, and it's much cheaper and quicker than purchasing a train ticket every time you need to get somewhere!

2. Hangeul is easy to learn and super beneficial

Hangeul is the Korean alphabet, and it works much like our own by combining consonants and vowel characters to create sounds. Hangeul actually has fewer "letters" than the English alphabet, so reading Korean words is just as - if not more - straight-forward than reading in our own language.

I learned and memorized Hangeul in just one day, and I definitely don’t have the best memory. It’s great because, even if you don't understand a word of Korean, it's beneficial enough for foreigners to be able to read and pronounce the names of locations, streets and subway stations, that way you can get around on your own. On top of that, there are enough English cognates in the Korean language that you will be able to read and recognize words like 'ice cream' 'coffee' and others that sound the same or similar to words that we already know and understand.

3. The subway system is incredibly easy to use, so make use of it!

Seoul has one of the cleanest, smoothest-running subway systems that I’ve come across while travelling. The trains are frequent and reliable, as well as air conditioned, which is especially nice if you’re visiting during the hot, humid Korean summer.

Locals are super polite on the subway, as well, so getting from one place to another is always a pleasant experience. Be sure to use an app like Subway Korea to get real-time arrivals and departures and to find the quickest route from one station to another.

4. Korean people are quiet and respectful and you should be too

You'll find that in public spaces, the Korean people tend to be on the quieter side. This is especially true on the subways, so always be respectful toward strangers when out and about. This is even more important if you can see that someone is clearly older than you, as there is a fairly rigid hierarchy of age in South Korea. If you happen to know any Korean and are wanting to try and communicate, it's best to use the most polite version of the phrase you are using.

5. Sort your trash

This isn't as important if you’re only staying for a short time or if you're lodging at a hotel, but if you are staying long term or in a rented BnB or apartment, it's respectful and expected of you to sort your trash by recyclables, food waste and general waste. Bags for the different types of trash can be purchased at most convenience stores.

6. Don’t eat on the subway

Just something that we discovered during our trip through observation of Korean people. No one really eats on the go, and those who did were very clearly tourists and earned themselves a couple of looks from the locals that were present.

7. Give and take things with both hands

This is a little thing, but it shows respect for the culture and its people, and locals will really appreciate the extra attention you’ve paid to their social expectations.

8. Learning even a small bit of Korean can go a long way with locals

It's always appreciated when foreigners go out of their way to try and speak a bit of Korean. Even if you think youre awful at it or are embarrassed to say the wrong thing, I’ve often found that just the attempt to use someone’s native tongue is truly respected. While I do not speak Korean fluently in any way, I remember telling a street vendor ‘thank you’ as best I could, and I don’t think I saw anyone look so thrilled for the rest of the trip.

9. Go to the busy street food vendors

Busy stalls mean fresh food that's safe to eat and likely a good price, as well. The general rule is that locals know what’s best, so if a stall looks crowded, you can bet you’ll be in for a good meal!

10. The Korean people are so nice don’t be intimidated

All rules and formalities aside, the Korean people are some of the nicest that I’ve had the pleasure of meeting. Kindness truly extends beyond language and borders. Even without the luxury of verbal communication, we had so many people from in Seoul go out of their way to help a pair of foreign girls find their bearings in the big city.

What to Know Before Traveling to South Korea

Quirkiest Cafes in Seoul