When I thought I lost my passport and went to the front desk because I knew it was the last place I took it out, the manager went to the security room and then after 15 minutes, returned and told me that from the CCTV footage, he noticed I had taken my passport up to the room!   Lo and behold, when I scoured my room, I discovered my passport had somehow fallen behind a dresser bureau.

2.  Be prepared to walk A LOT

I’m not kidding. Korean seniors are fit and active people; they make westerners look slothful. Taking the Seoul metro? Prepare to climb stairs (sometimes, levels). Korea has escalators, but usually it’s for intense climbs– hiking a floor or three with luggage does get sympathy from Korea.

3. Learn simple Korean travel survival phrases

4. Navigating Language Barriers? Try a Korean accent.

Here’s a quick primer in Korean pronunciation. The Korean language does not have hard sounding consonants. Instead, certain hard sounding consonants will be merged together to make the same alphabet. Thus, you’ll often see Koreans spell the same word differently. Let’s take cities  Daegu/Taegu or Busan/Pusan:

One thing you’ll find in Korean public bathrooms are a community hand soap. No, not the dispenser type (although in upscale Seoul bathrooms, you may find it). It’s a rounded bar of soap sticking out from the wash basin and you wet your hands and rub them over the soap to get it on you. It’s a slight turn off for Westerners who prefer their soap to not share the hands of others who have used the bathroom.

17. Korean is a gifting culture

Korean culture can appear generous~ it seems they are always generously giving gifts. You’ll experience it and you it will feel too good to be true~ you’ll wonder what the catch is. From unlimited panchan (side dishes) at the restaurant to skin care shops which give you a handful of samples or face masks for stepping into their store to 1+1 sales where you get an extra product or sometimes, extra gift with your purchase, Koreans constantly seem to gift each other.  Many of these gifts are a marketing incentive to keep customers coming back for more.

18. Kimchi is served at every meal.

Korea and kimchi are synonymous.  Kimchi is the national vegetable and a favorite panchan (aka side dish) you’ll see accompany every meal.. including breakfast . It is a tradition passed down through the women of the household and there are kimchi making seasons in the fall season, when you’ll see incredibly large cabbages being sold at supermarkets. Korean women still gather with their female family members to prepare kimchi for the season. However, modern Korean women who are too busy will simply buy it from the supermarket. There are many contradictions about its healthy properties which you’ll hear, from curing cancer to being too high in sodium. In either case, kimchi is spicy but super flavorful; it is a strong flavor you will not find anywhere outside of Korea.

19. “Good Morning, How was your breakfast?”

When I lived in Korea, every school morning, my Korean co-teachers would greet me with “Good morning, How was your breakfast?”  as I held my banana smoothie shake in my thermos. I didn’t have the heart to tell them I didn’t eat it. Skipping breakfast is a bad habit Westerners have gotten into but Koreans see it as the most important meal.

20. Hiking is a favorite national pastime in Korea.

Mountains in Korea are nothing to sneeze at and yet, it is common to see 60 year ajusshis and ajummas trotting up steep slopes that might have you wheezing. Walking trails are an element of Korea.

21. Be prepared to drink until the boss goes home.

Soju, makkeoli (rice wine) and maekju (beer) are the popular alcoholic beverages in Korea. I’m not sure why drinking is so big, but it’s all about bonding. And then hierarchy.  If you’re going for business purposes, know it’s impolite to refuse a drink. If you’re working with a Korean company, then hope your drinking levels are up to standard, because you won’t be able to leave until your boss does.

How did I fare when I was there? Well, I’m absolutely not a drinker, but thankfully my Korean teacher was more western and did not drink herself. She explained it was a western misunderstanding and it is against my religion. But otherwise, Koreans will expect you to drink.

22. Don’t want to drive drunk? Call a driver

As Koreans are heavy drinkers and understand that it is dangerous to drive drunk, there hire driver services. You call a driver service and the driver appears at the bar or restaurant you are at to drive you and your car home. Pretty cool, right?

23. Koreans love Noraebang

Noraebang (aka karaoke singing room) is a popular form of relaxation and social entertainment in Korea. Koreans honestly love to sing and don’t be surprised if you get invited to a noraebang. it is exactly like how you see it in Korean dramas, with some having disco lights, or instruments like tamborines, etc.. When I started working at my school, our first teacher’s dinner we all were required to sing a song. It is part of being a part of community.

24. Live and Fresh Foods

Koreans like foods fresh. Sometimes, that translates as “alive and still squirming”, like live octopus. At Jalgachi fish market restaurants in Busan, when you order sashimi, the sometimes bring the plate with the fish tail still writhing. But on tamer notes, this can also mean that shopping for product in the grocery marts, you might have some produce, like potatoes, will fresh dirt on it.  Read more about fresh foods here.

25. Warm Water vs Iced water

Iced water and drinking water are not always common to restaurant experiences. In fast restaurants, you may have to go to the water cooler to pour your own cup. Iced water is not a popular way water is taken, quite possibly due to the fact that health-wise, it’s shocking to the system. Koreans are health conscious people, so the water will usually be room temperature or hot.  But water is generally taken after a meal and often, it’s hot to warm water, which helps aid digestion.

26. Cup sizes

One thing that was very difficult for me to get used to in Korea was the size of the drinking cups. In the U.S., we like big cups- Big Gulps, Vente… Super size me.  In Korea, the average sized drinking cup fits in your palm. It’s like kiddie cup size. Koreans do value drinking water to quite the extent that the United States do.

27. Jjimjilbangs

Korea has public bathhouse spas that are inexpensive, fun, packed with entertaining rooms like sauna rooms with crystals, charcoal, salt, ice. They are popular hang out spots and a place where families and friends like to bond. It The best thing is that some are open for 24 hours. They give you a storage locker for your belongings and spa clothes to wear if you want to spend the night.  Check out my favorite jjimjilbang to sleep in Seoul.  Planning to stay in a jjimjilbang? Check out this jjimjilbang guide on things you need to know.