This is a collection of travel tips. I will update it as I see fit.
TIP #1
Use the Korea Tourism Organization Hotline (1330). 1330 is the default number for Seoul. Each province of Korea has its own branch. All you need to do is dial in the local area code before dialing 1330 (see below for list of numbers). Local offices are open during regular work hours (9-5), so if you call outside of those times, you will be transferred to Seoul’s office. In that situation, Seoul’s office is limited to giving you major bus/train schedules or help with light translation. So, be prepared… don’t wait until the last minute.
What can you use the number for? I use it to confirm dates and times of the events I find on the internet. I also use it to get directions to my destinations and also get bus/train schedules. If I didn’t speak Korean, I may use it for translation service when I’m lost or need some emergency help. All of these numbers are programed into my cell phone. Don’t forget to be patient and polite, and always say thank you when you receive help.
Seoul 1330
Busan 051-1330
Daegu 053-1330
Gwangju 062-1330
Daejeon 042-1330
Ulsan 052-1330
Incheon 032-1330
Gyeonggi-do 031-1330
Gangwon-do 033-1330
Chungcheongnam-do 041-1330
Chungcheongbuk-do 043-1330
Gyeongsangnam-do 055-1330
Gyeongsangbuk-do 054-1330
Jeollanam-do 061-1330
Jeollabuk-do 063-1330
Jeju-do 064-1330
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TIP #2
I often use The Official Korea Tourism Guide Site when I want to find a festival to go to. I use the International English Events Page which has updated festival listings with links to festival websites and other pertinent information. I always call 1330 to confirm dates, times, and schedules.
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TIP #3
I don’t rely 100% on any single source for information about what events are happening in Korea. I believe Korean websites when it comes to dates and schedules, but if you are not a reader of Korean, you are out of luck. Most English versions of festival websites are full of errors or at least lacking important details. It’s always best to contact 1330 to confirm information or to get some assistance.
Other websites I use to gather information about events include the following:
korea4expats.com (Events)
korearanking.com (Festivals & Movies)
worknplay.co.kr (Entertainment) (Includes other useful categories to browse.)
10 Magazine (Requires monthly magazine subscription. Highly detailed calendar.)
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KTO Travel Guide & Map
TIP #4
The KTO makes a travel guide book and a tourist map of Korea that are worth getting your hands on. The newest editions were released in the summer of 2010.
While the guide book couldn’t possibly cover everything one can do in Korea, it’s written in English and includes a good number of regional maps and tourist attractions to give you a “bird’s eye view”. Browsing through it may be enough to give you some travel ideas.
The tourist map is a large folding map that covers the entire country on one side, and then Seoul on the other side. The map of the entire country is good because it is simple and has some tourist destinations marked on it.
Both of these travel tools should be available for free at any major tourism office. Or you could contact the KTO and request these resources be mailed to you before you visit Korea.
While I’m on the topic of maps, a map that is important to me is the one I cut from the back of a Korean ‘planner’ notebook. It is a map of the entire country with lots of detail in terms of small towns listed. However, it’s written in Korean, thus only a suitable option for readers of Korean.