Early preparations for South Korea
Travel is in my blood. My parents were travellers, they emigrated from England to Australia as Ten Pound Poms at 22 years of age, and saw much of the world enroute. I love it. To date I've travelled to I think it's 18 countries, 177 to go!
World Masters, Daegu, South Korea 2026
Through Australian Masters Athletics I now have the opportunity to photograph Team Australia at the upcoming World Masters Athletics Championships in Daegu, August 22 to September 3rd, 2026 ( #WMAC and #WMAC2026 #WMACDAEGU2026 #Daegu2026 and of course #WorldMastersAthletics).
I've decided to take this opportunity to do some backpacking travel. Having been a single mum for almost 20 years (I wouldn't change a thing but for all the highs, there's certainly been some lows) and now it's my time. My youngest is amazingly independent, and with all three children living under the same roof I'm able to add an extra 28 days to the 12 days of WMAC! That's 40 days in South Korea. And I'm so excited, whilst being budget conscious.
I know some Masters are heading over for a few days, some for a week, some for a little longer. Therefore, I'm going to start blogging my research, and once there, my finds, my tips and tricks to help anyone else wanting to get the most out of this amazing opportunity and country.
Preparations:
The number 1 thing I've read and heard is to get K-fit! Now a lot of those reading this will be going as competitors for World Masters and will have a good level of fitness. I can walk for days on the flat ground, however, South Korea is reknowned for it's mountains, hills and steep steps everywhere! Therefore, 3 months out, get walking up those steps, build endurance and get what I'm calling K-fit so you can get the most out of your trip without risking injuries, exhaustion, inflammation or being unable to see some sites. For an idea of what we're in for, jump on Tik Tok and search South Korea stairs - if nothing else there's a lot of laughs to be had at people experiencing them for the first time, or realising just how unfit they are.
The below are some tips as part of preparation to help before arriving whilst researching and once on the ground.
Tips I've learnt so far:
Trains:
Thanks to Ainslie V who visited recently, her top tip was when catching the subway, which is very cheap - don't look at station names, look at the numbers! Numbers are far easier to remember and work out where you are on your route. If you're getting off at Station 419 it's easier to know you're now at station 418 rather than Hyehwa Station and realising you need to get off at the next stop, or hearing Suyu and having no idea how far away you are, as opposed to looking out the window and seeing Station 414 and knowing you're now 5 stops away from your destination. Awesome tip, thanks Ains.
T-Money card for transport:
A T-money card A T-money card is a rechargeable smart card used to pay for public transportation (subways, buses, and taxis) across South Korea. You can pick one up at the airport for 4000 KRW (about $4AUD) then load an amount on to it. You can NOT use your debit card in South Korea for public transport, therefore need the T-money card if intending to bus, train etc. You can also buy them and top up at any of the bazillion 7-11 stores in South Korea, CU or GS25 stores - one on every corner apprently, or the subway stations too. As an aside, South Korean 7-11's are like super convenience stores, many with indoor and outdoor seating, microwaves to heat up food etc. Lots of Tik Toks on the convenience and budget friendliness of them - akin to ABC stores in Hawaii I'm guessin.
Maps:
Google and Iphone Maps works well in most of the world, however, in South Korea it is recommended to download the Naver App for more accurate locations, directions and navigation. There are a lot of stories on line of Google and Iphone Maps not working, or not working reliably in South Korea. Naver appears the way to go and is a good idea to download and play with before you arrive.
There's another app called KakaoMap however, it's super power is in transit information updates rather than maps/navigation.
When seeing addresses I've learnt so far:
-gil - is a smaller street
-ro' at the end of a word means a main road - 2-7 lanes eg Gyuengo-ro
-daero is for roads with more than 8 lanes!
-si = city eg Seoul-si
'-gu' means a neighborhood or district area eg Gangnam-Gu (is the Gangnam district).
For units and apartments:
동 (Dong): The specific building block number
층 (Cheung): The floor level (e.g., 6층 for 6th floor).
호 (Ho): The individual unit or room number (e.g., 905호). [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
English and Korean Language:
I'm a firm proponent of learning some of the basics of the destination language. Duo lingo has been my go to, although for South Korea it's hell bent on having me learn the words tea, coffee, cake and shaved ice for some reason! Guess I'll find out why in 10 weeks time when I arrive!
Another suggested app to download is Papago (same developer as Naver) for text translation, voice translation and you can even take a photo of a sign or menu and it translates it for you. Very handy.
Apparently English is taught in schools therefore most people under 30 speak conversational English, in the major cities signs will have the Korean name and the English spelling underneath. Smaller businesses apparently only have Korean, and that's where your Papago app will come in handy, as will learning a few basics of the Korean language - verbal and written.
Money:
The South Korean Won (KRW) is the currency of South Korea. At present for every 1 AUD you receive 1071 KRW. It's advisable to have a couple of hundred AUD (400,000 KRW) on you upon landing for various things, and your international debit card for everything else. I'm just rounding down to 1000 and cutting off a few 000's! As an example of some costs, a train from Seoul to Gangnam is 2333 KRW or $2.33Aud for the half hour train ride.
I'm with Optus and they have international roaming with 5gb data and unlimited texts and calls which I'll be utilising, and remembering to turn off data when using hotel/hostel wi-fi.
Budget, Accommodation and Free Stuff
This trip for me will be on a shoe-string. I'll be selling photos I take at World Masters Athletic's Championships to fund the trip and equipment, however that will be post event therefore ahead of time I'm wanting to get bang for buck and get as much out of the trip for as little expenditure as possible.
Accommodation:
There are so many options in South Korea - like anywhere, everything from your $1000 a night resorts and hotel chains, to backpacker dormitories and everything in between.
I've created my itinerary from the last day going backwards to my arrival, so far I'm up to the week before the games begin and still need to source my accommodation for the first 2 weeks once I know where I want to go, what I want to see.
Whilst the games are on it is university holidays, therefore there are quite a few student accommodation Air BnB's available. I've snagged one that's a 22 minute bus ride to the main stadium which has a double bed, kitchenette with cook top, microwave, fridge, toaster, jug etc, and ensuite, study desk and wifi for $707 AUD for 21 nights!!!! Bargain. The host has been exceptionally helpful and speaks English.
After WMAC2026 I'm heading to a more traditional South Korean area for some R and R - that has cost me $129 AUD for 3 nights in a pension style accommodation with private room, private bathroom and shared kitchen. It's hosted by a Canadian family with amazing reviews. Very keen for this traditional village. I've booked this through Booking.com which I use regularly - never had an issue and apparently I'm now a genius in their eyes so get good discounts #loveagoodbargain.
Budget Friendly - Free stuff
I'm extremely frugal and minimalistic which allows for me to enjoy the simpler things in life (don't get me wrong, I love the finer things at times too). However, when travelling I'm just as happy discovering a local park with amazing sunset views and some historical significance, photographing and enjoying that than I am spending a fortune at the shops. I do enjoy sitting at a cafe and people watching at shopping centres though. Therefore, I have Googled free things to see and do in Seoul and Daegu. The list is long. I'll cover some of those in my next blog. If you've got any tips or tricks I'd love to hear them.
My backpack has arrived, I have the vacuum seal bags so the backpack isn't as cumbersome, I'm strengthening my legs and making friends with stairs, my budget is done, my plans for the WMAC2026 shoot are still to be ironed out (do I spray and pray (shoot everyone then try to advise all and sundry where to buy pics) or do I take pre-orders. Decisions decisions. Day 1 will be the opening ceremony and everyone gets a copy of the team photos for Australia and New Zealand complimentary. Stay tuned for more information on the NZ WMAC photographer who's joining me in Daegu.
I'm aiming to write a blog a week with my updates. By this time next week I'll have my itinerary worked out, and can advise on the freebie locations I'll be seeing in Seoul, Gangnam, possibly Busan, Daego, and a few other locations. 10 weeks and counting until I leave - can't wait.
Thanks Google:
Korean: 안녕히 가세요, 그리고 다시 만날 때까지 행운을 빕니다.
Romanized: An-nyeong-hi ga-se-yo, geu-ri-go da-si man-nal ttae-kka-ji haeng-un-eul bi-rim-ni-da.
Literal meaning: "Please go in peace, and I wish you good luck until we meet again."
Love,
Jo
Jo Harlow Photography
joharlowphotography@gmail.com
