How to change planes and travel to Korea yourself?
If you are flying for the first time, this step-by-step guide will help you prepare your journey easily flying to Korea.
“How do I buy a plane ticket?”
“How do I change planes?”
“How do I pack my bag?”
“What can I find in Korea? What is hard to find?”
📌 한국어로 볼 수 있어요! 👉 [한국어 보기]
You are going to study in Korea for the first time.
But you have never been on a plane. And your English is not so good.
So you feel worried. 😱
Don’t worry.
Read this guide slowly.
If you prepare one step at a time, you can get to Korea by yourself.
For a first-time flyer, the cheapest ticket is not the best.
A ticket that is safe and easy to travel alone is more important.
1. First, check your school’s “pickup” date
Before you buy a ticket, there is something to do first. Check your school’s pickup date.
“Pickup” means someone from the school waits for you at the airport and takes you to the school.
Many schools offer pickup for new international students.
But pickup is only on certain days and certain times.
For example, your school tells you the pickup days.
So you should buy a ticket that arrives in Korea between August 25 and September 11, from 9:00 to 16:00 (9 AM–4 PM).
Q: The ticket is expensive. What if I arrive at night?
A: You don’t know the way, so you must go from the airport to the school alone. A taxi costs a lot. You may even have to sleep at the airport or book a hotel.
So the order is important! Think about this before you look at tickets:
① Check the pickup date → ② Decide your arrival date → ③ Look for a ticket
2. Don’t look at only one place
First, compare prices in a few places. I recommend two websites.
Before you buy, check these:
- Which airline is it?
- Is the baggage included in the ticket?
- How many times do you change planes?
- How long is the wait between flights?
- What time do you arrive in Korea?
✈️ Google Flights
You can change the date and see the price. You can see which day is cheap on a graph.
Search like this: From: your city (example: Kathmandu, KTM) → To: Seoul / Incheon (ICN)
Then compare prices on different days near your pickup date.
✈️ Skyscanner
Skyscanner also shows prices from many airlines at one time.
But this is important: Google Flights and Skyscanner are places to compare prices.
※ If you can pay with an international card, you can buy online.
But if you can’t use an international card, compare the prices first, and then buy the ticket at a travel agency in your country.
3. The cheapest ticket is NOT the best!
Even if a ticket is a little cheaper, don’t buy a ticket that is too complicated. Is it your first time on a plane? Is English hard for you? Then I recommend a ticket like this.
When flying to Korea, making sure you have a safe transfer route is essential for first-time travelers.
① Change planes only one time
“Changing planes” means you get off one plane and get on another plane. This is called a transfer.
- The best is a direct flight. A direct flight goes straight to Korea, with no change.
- If there is no direct flight, buy a ticket with only one change. → Kathmandu → (one transfer) → Incheon
- A ticket with two or three changes is too hard for the first time. I don’t recommend it.
② The wait between flights: 2 hours 30 minutes – 6 hours
- If the wait is 1 hour, it is too short. In a big airport, you may not find the next gate (door) in time.
- If it is 10 or 15 hours, it is too long. It is very tiring.
- So 2 hours 30 minutes to 6 hours is good.
③ Never buy a “Self-transfer” ticket
This is very important. Some very cheap tickets say “Self-transfer.”
With this ticket, you must do this at the transfer airport:
Get your bag again → line up and check in again → give your bag again → go through the check again.
Sometimes you must enter that country for a short time, so you may need a visa. This is too hard for a first-time flyer.
So buy a ticket where you give your bag in your country and it goes straight to Incheon. Before you buy, ask the travel agency or airline:
“Is my baggage checked through to Incheon?”
And, depending on the transfer country, you may need a transfer (transit) visa. Always ask the airline before you buy.
4. Always check the baggage rules
The big reason not to choose a ticket by price only is the baggage.
- Some cheap tickets have almost no checked baggage.
- Some tickets give students more baggage.
There are two kinds of baggage:
- Checked baggage: the big bag that goes under the plane.
- Carry-on baggage: the small bag you take inside the plane.
Before you buy, check:
- How many kg is the checked baggage?
- Is it 1 bag or 2 bags?
- Some airlines give 2 bags to students with a study visa. Please check this.
- If you buy extra baggage, how much is it?
- How many kg is the carry-on?
★ “Students always get 2 bags” is NOT true. It is different for each airline and each ticket.
So you must check the rule for the ticket you buy.
When you buy, look for these words:
Baggage / Checked baggage / Cabin baggage
Check how many bags are allowed.
5. Don’t buy everything before you go
When you go abroad for the first time, you feel worried.
So you put many things in your bag.
But in Korea, you can easily buy the things you need for daily life.
They are cheap and good quality.
You can buy them easily at Daiso, big supermarkets, and online shops.
So you don’t need to bring many of these:
- shampoo, soap, laundry detergent
- bowls, cups, kitchen things
- towels, pens and notebooks
Don’t carry heavy things. Every kilogram in your bag is valuable — don’t waste it on these.
6. Bring only a little clothing
Don’t fill your bag with clothes. Bring only the clothes you need at first.
For example:
- underwear
- a few T-shirts
- a few pairs of pants
- comfortable clothes, pajamas
- sneakers
You can buy clothes after you arrive in Korea.
In Korea, clothes are cheap and nice.
And you can see and choose clothes that fit the Korean weather.
In Korea, summer and winter are very different. So don’t bring too many clothes from home. It is also good to buy clothes in Korea for each season.
7. Good to bring: your familiar “taste”
Better than “things” is the food you eat often.
Some food you can’t buy in Korea, or it is expensive in Korea.
For example:
- spices in a package
- sauces in a package
- seasonings you use often
These are good to bring.
★ But there is something very important!
🥩🍗 Never bring meat!
- meat, or any food with meat
- fresh fruit, fresh vegetables
- seeds, plants
Meat, and food with meat, cannot come into Korea. You will have a problem at the airport. Bring spices that are made in a factory and sealed in a package.
And check first that you are allowed to bring them into Korea.
8. Prepare money for the transfer airport
First-time travelers often forget this.
Your country’s money cannot be used at another country’s airport.
While you wait for the plane, you may want to buy water or eat food. Then you need money.
So prepare a little money of the transfer country:
- Transfer in China → Chinese money (yuan)
- Transfer in Thailand → Thailand money (Baht)
If it is hard to prepare many countries’ money, prepare a little 💵 US dollars.
If you have a card you can use abroad, you can use the card instead of cash.
Each airport and shop takes different money and cards. So it is good to check the transfer place before you go.
9. Prepare Korean money too
When you arrive in Korea, you need money right away.
For example:
- water and food
- a SIM card (phone, internet)
- transport (bus, subway)
- school books
- money you need suddenly
So prepare Korean money before you come to Korea. About 200,000 – 300,000 won is good.
Don’t bring only big bills (50,000 won).
Bring 10,000 won bills too. They are easier to use at first.
Incheon Airport has a bank to change money, and places to buy a SIM card.
But the airport is a little expensive. It is much easier to prepare Korean money before you go.
10. On your flight day, go to the airport 2–3 hours early
On the day you fly, go to the airport early. For an international flight, it is good to be at the airport 2–3 hours before.
At the airport, do it in this order:
- Check-in — Go to the airline counter. Show your passport and ticket. Give them your big bag. Get your boarding pass.
- Security check — Put your bag in the machine. You may have to throw away your water bottle.
- Immigration — Show your passport.
- Gate — Wait at the gate. The gate number is on your boarding pass.
★ If you don’t know, ask an airline worker. You can also show your destination written on paper (Incheon, Korea).
11. At the transfer airport, follow the “Transfer” sign
When you get off the plane, where do you go? The airport has signs with words and pictures.
- Follow “Transfer” or “Connecting flights.” → This is the place to change planes.
- Do not go to “Exit” or “Arrival.” → That is the way out of the airport.
Check your next flight’s gate number on the big screen. Find your flight number.
If you don’t know, show your boarding pass to an airport worker and ask.
12. On the plane: if they give you a paper, fill it in early
On the plane, a worker may give you a paper.
It is the paper you use to enter Korea (a customs form).
If you fill it in early, you can leave quickly when you arrive.
Write your name, passport number, and Korean address (school or dormitory address).
So know your school address before you go.
※ You can also fill out the customs form online. ➡️ [Mobile Customs Declaration]
13. Arriving at Incheon Airport: do it in this order
When you arrive at Incheon Airport, do it in this order.
1. Immigration: Line up. Show your passport.
If the officer asks, say “I am a student.” You can also show your acceptance letter.
2. Get your bag: Find your flight number on the big screen.
Get your checked bag in front of that number.
3. Customs: If you have something to declare (food, etc.), say it here. If not, just go out.
4. Go to the pickup place: Go out (Exit). Go to the pickup place the school told you. Meet the pickup person there.
For example, the school may say the pickup place is “in front of the Gate F.”
★ Know the pickup person’s name and phone number before you go.
★ Ask the school where you will meet, before you go.
14. Put your passport and documents in your carry-on bag
This is the most important thing when you pack.
Do not put these in your big bag (checked baggage).
📌 Always put them in the bag you carry onto the plane:
- passport
- visa documents
- plane ticket (E-ticket)
- university acceptance letter
- school address, dormitory address
- school staff phone number, pickup person phone number
- money and cards
- phone, charger
- important medicine
- power bank (★ A power bank cannot go in the big bag. You must carry it on.)
And don’t save your documents only on your phone.
Your phone can turn off. The internet may not work.
So print one paper copy of your important documents and bring it.
15. Save these on your phone
Save these as photos (screenshots), so you can see them even with no internet:
- the whole ticket
- first flight number
- second flight number
- transfer airport name
- Incheon Airport arrival time
- school address
- dormitory address
- school staff phone number
- pickup person phone number
- photo or note of the meeting place
Finally, please remember this
Keep these tips in mind when flying to Korea, and your journey will be much smoother!
For a first-time flyer, the best ticket is not the “cheapest ticket.”
Here is an example:
| You need to think… | [Ticket A] — $50 more, but… | [Ticket B] — $50 cheaper, but… |
|---|---|---|
| Changes | Home → transfer → Incheon (1 change) | Home → transfer → transfer → Incheon (2 changes) |
| Wait between flights | 3 hours | 12 hours |
| Baggage | enough kg | you want more, so you must pay extra |
| Self-transfer | No | Yes |
| Pickup | school picks you up | you must find the way alone — and you don’t know the way |
[Ticket A] is much better!
Studying abroad does not start when you arrive in Korea.
When you choose your ticket and pack your bag, your life in Korea already begins.
Don’t look at only the price. Look at these first:
- Can you travel safely?
- Can you change planes alone?
- Can you bring enough baggage?
- Do you arrive at the school pickup time?
Wow! done!
Flying for the first time makes you very nervous. And you even have to change planes in a country you don’t know! If your English is not so good, it feels even harder.
But try to remember what you just read here.
Then your first flight is already half a success!
The first time is hard. But once you get through it and get used to flying, next time you can choose a cheaper ticket and travel more freely, right?
Slowly, one step at a time. you can come to Korea by yourself.
I’m cheering for you!
See you in Korea! 🥰
💡 Do you want to know about Korea before going there? Start by reading the [Korean culture here.]
FAQ –
Q: Should I buy the cheapest flight to Korea?
A: No. For your first flight, choose a safe, easy ticket — one transfer, enough baggage, and arrival during your school’s pickup time. The cheapest ticket often has long waits or a self-transfer.
Q: How many bags can a student bring to Korea?
A: It depends on the airline and ticket. Some airlines give students with a study visa two checked bags, but not all. Always check the baggage rule before you buy.
Q: Can I bring food to Korea?
A: You can bring sealed, packaged. Never bring meat, food with meat, fresh fruit, fresh vegetables, seeds, or plants — they are stopped at the airport.
Q: How much Korean money should I bring?
A: About 200,000–300,000 won in cash is a good start, for a SIM card, transport, food, and school books. Bring some 10,000-won bills too.