South Korea here we come!

Monday 18 – Tuesday 19 November 2024

I can’t believe that our heat-drenched exploration of Croatia was only four months ago, but that already our four feets are twitching, and so we are off again.

This time, just for something completely different, Debbie decided that we should try one of the tour holidays from Trip A Deal that she saw in the Qantas magazine. After much too-ing (Sri Lanka) and fro-ing (Terracotta Warriors) we settled on the “2 for 1 South Korea” deal.

$4999 gives us 9-days across three cities, all transport, several daily tours, accommodation, Qantas flights and breakfasts for two people. The trip starts in Sydney, so we add on HBA – SYD – HBA flights and an overnight in Sydney for an extra $811. So, a good start to the budget.

Can you believe that we are actually taking suitcases?

Historically Debs and I sport our matching lime green 40-litre Kathmandu backpacks, but this time we decided that we should blend in with our anticipated tour group and ponce a suitcase on wheels.

65 litres feels huge – so of course we packed more! Suitcases are certainly an easier way to access your belongings than a backpack, and as an added bonus they are much more attractive. Debbie was admiring my ‘bi-coloural’ suitcase at the baggage collection (Hang on Deb – they already have a word for that, “two-tone”) while some stranger was clearly admiring hers.

Travel Hack #35 Get picked up from departures.

My son Ryan, also a curious traveler, has come up with the absolute best way to collected travelers from Sydney Domestic Terminal. Avoid the chaos of the downstairs Arrivals area, to avoid people with large luggage and no sense of direction. Avoid militant lane police. Avoid dodging busses and taxis to meet generous friends.

Simply take the elevator to the next level and there you will find the completely abandoned Departures Drop-off Zone. The place is empty except for canny flight staff. Interesting.

Pru and Ryan scooped us up and deposited us 950 metres away at the Citadines Central Airport Hotel just off Joyce Avenue. [Can you believe the hubris of that man?]

They joined us in exploring the delights of the 24-hour rooftop bar while Ryan espoused the virtues of Movember!!!!

Sorry Pru, I really tried to get a decent photo, but as Ryan will tell me, the camera on my phone is rubbish. Although I am not sure that I can be held responsible for the daring pirate look.

Goodbyes were said and by the next morning Debs and I were setting a bracing and glamourous pace back to the airport (not a Roman fence in sight) with our bi-coloural bags and early morning faces to join the shuttle bus heading to T3.

Renovations at Sydney Airport International Terminal

The airport is in the throes of adding a new terminal extension at Gate 26; extending it into roughly seven more sub terminals, of which 26G is one. Two innovations alongside this improvement have left me perplexed and peeved.

The first is that we were advised that our flight had been delayed by telling us to relax. The worst euphemism ever for ‘sit and fume’ that I have heard in a while. We ended up ‘relaxing’ for 2 hours and 45 minutes.

I suppose I should be grateful that they are still posting ‘Cancelled’ for flights that are not actually taking off today. How long before these are rebranded ‘Go home and feed your lonely cat’.

They then pressed my second, third and fourth button with the following, and spectacular, arrangement of the lanes for Gates 24, 25 and 26.

However, it turns out that our plane was delayed for a reason and had multiple engineering problems.

• None of the left side toilets could work, or would work, for the rest of the flight.
• The maps and entertainment system wouldn’t work and, despite repeated reboots, didn’t work for the rest of the 10-hour flight.
• And because, by now, we were braced for anything, the captain jovially informed us that although we were cleared to taxi the front stairs were still stuck to the plane.

After all the rolling and unexpected delays and a very strong tug! we final set off for South Korea.

The Budget

Trip a Deal: $4999
Sydney airfare and accommodation: $855
Total Tally: $5854