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.
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