1-Week Winter Family Trip to Jeju Island
I can't even remember the last time our family went on a trip together. But since all three of us recently found ourselves out of work, we decided to celebrate our "total family unemployment" with a week-long trip to Jeju Island. The reason it turned into a full week was mostly because we were hunting for the cheapest flights, which meant flying in and out on weekdays when most people don't travel. With plenty of time on our hands, we planned a full-package Jeju itinerary: hiking Mt. Hallasan (since my mom and I had never properly climbed it), seeing the ocean, and trekking up Geomunoreum, a UNESCO World Heritage site.
To share a bit about our trip prep: since the three of us had nothing but free time, we booked the absolute cheapest weekday night flights, even though it was a bit last-minute. We flew with Air Busan, and the total for all three tickets was less than 120,000 won. It's crazy that flying to Jeju is cheaper than taking the KTX train to Busan. I don't know what's going on in the airline industry, but I love it.
We decided to book our hotel in Seogwipo (on the southern side of the island). We heard it was cheaper, quieter, and nicer to stay in than Jeju City up north. It's a bit far from the airport, but we chose it anyway. After searching for something affordable and clean, we set up our basecamp at the Ramada Encore East Seogwipo. We had absolutely no issues staying there, and at around 40,000 won a night, we were highly satisfied. Toward the end of the trip, when we were all completely exhausted and sprawled out, we agreed it was a great decision to book a proper hotel rather than a motel or guesthouse.
For the rental car, I was initially tempted by ads for AJ Rent-a-Car. However, when I saw that a tiny Matiz from a major company cost the same as a mid-size K5 from a smaller local agency, I didn't look back and booked through a social commerce site. The only downside was that the shuttle bus to the rental lot took forever to arrive. You're honestly better off just calling a Kakao T (taxi app) to get there. Shivering in the dead of winter for 30 minutes wasn't exactly fun. Other than that, despite the countless negative reviews I saw online, I didn't really have any complaints.
We also needed hiking sticks and crampons for our winter hike up Mt. Hallasan. Guesthouses usually rent these out, but hotels don't, so I was worried we'd have to buy everything. Thankfully, I found a fantastic startup called Oshare that offers rental services. For a small extra fee, they deliver the gear right to your hotel and come back to pick it up later. It was the perfect service. (Makes me sigh and think about how my own startup needs to succeed, too.)
In conclusion, here are the key points that made this a budget-friendly trip:
- Cheap weekday flights
- A hotel in Seogwipo
- A rental car via social commerce
- Renting hiking sticks and crampons from Oshare
That's about it.
Now, it's time to actually write about this mid-winter Jeju trip—even though it's already early summer.