Korail Pass (S. Korea)

Traveling around South Korea is relatively safe, inexpensive and manageable. My preferred mode of transportation the train. You can get a train to almost any small town in the country. The popular train types are the KTX, Saemual, and the Mugunghwa. The KTX is the fastest and most expensive and the Mugunghwa is the slowest and cheapest. The KTX takes about 2.5 hours between Seoul and Busan while the Mugunghwa takes 5 hours. The prices on the KTX vary on the time of day of your trip. Back in 2004-2005 when I lived in Seoul, I vowed NEVER to take the KTX since it was twice the cost of the slow train. However, I recently had to travel to Seoul for the weekend and was pressed for time both going and returning. In order to save time and money, I decided to look into the Korea Pass. This is a pass tourists and non-Koreans can use to travel for a selected amount of days (1-10)on the trains. Travelers can ride the trains, not subways, unlimited in the economy seats. You can even upgrade to first class for a small fee. I was a bit excited to finally ride the KTX and I recommend the pass if traveling round trip from Seoul to Busan. The price of a three day pass is cheaper than buying a round trip ticket from Seoul to Busan. And I was even able to squeeze in an extra trip to visit a friend during the weekend with my pass. The pass must be purchased online at www.korail.com. The website is tourist friendly and in English. You will need your passport number to book the pass. This is definitely an inexpensive and convenient way to travel to different cities in the country.

Riding first class...

First class snacks

The seats on all 3 train types can be turned

Busan to Ulsan (South Korea)

There are many ways to get between Ulsan and Busan. One of the more budget friendly ways to get between the two cities is to take an intercity bus. The bus leaves from Nopo Bus Terminal which is on subway line 1 (the orange line). The buses are outside and don't depart from the same location as the other buses heading to cities further away. The two buses that I know you can take to Ulsan are 1127 & 1137. The one way

fare if paying with cash is 2,000 won and if paying with the Busan transportation card is 1,800 won. The ride takes about 1.5 hours.

You can also get to Ulsan via the trains and express buses. The one way fares for the train and express bus ranges between 6,000-7,000 won.

Happy Travels!!!

Back in the ROK

Hello All! I ve been thinking about doing this travel blog for quite sometime, but never got it started. As most of you know I LOVE to travel. Currently I'm living in South Korea (for the 2nd time) and the experience never presents a dull day. This blog will give you an insight on my expat life here in the East as well as travel information in different cities around the world. I'm very cautious about who I travel with and rarely go on trips with others without outlining what it's like "traveln with Rachel". The hope of this blog is to give readers an insight on too often missed information when traveling. Hold tight and hang on! You are now Traveln with Rachel!