Common Mistakes Tourists make in Korea (part 2 of 2)

So last week I wrote up a post about the top common mistakes tourists make when they come to Korea. It was getting to be long so I broke it up into two parts. That was 1 through 5 and now I’m presenting the last 5 this week. They come in no particular order. Again, nobody is going to put you down for committing any of these, but it’s just good to know before coming here.

  1. They try to give tips – There’s no tipping culture in Korea. Do not tip your taxi drivers nor your waitresses. With customer service in Korea, you get 5 star service regardless of a tip or not because it’s already embedded in the price. It’s part of the reasons why a Samsung phone costs more in Korea than anywhere else in the world. No need to tip. The last thing we need in our economy is more inflation or worse…people expecting or demanding tips. If you really want to do something for us, a gift from where you are from is always a nice gesture.

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    15%, 25%? Pre-tax? Post-tax? No need to stress about that stuff here in Korea!
  2. Being afraid to ask for directions – When you first walk down the streets of Seoul, you may notice that people don’t really have expressions on their faces. They may seem cold or look unapproachable. But deep down inside what you will find is that the Korean people are extremely friendly. We are a society that is based on Confucian principles. One of those values is that it is considered rude to show in public, emotions that you are overly happy or even sad. People tend to mask this by maintaining the neutral face that you see. With that said, I wouldn’t just jump in front of people and ask for directions. They will run away. I suggest the slow, i-look-kind-of-lost-type-of-face approach while clenching onto a map. And don’t be afraid if you think that they might not speak English. The younger generation can speak enough to at least point you in the right direction. Don’t expect a full blown conversation, but they would be happy to help out and practice their English on you.

    SJC_Gangnam_-25
    I.Seoul.U
  3. They don’t visit the DMZ because they are afraid of North Korea – I get a lot of customers who tell me they don’t want to visit the DMZ because they are afraid of North Korea. And then I look at them strangely, “Yet, you came to Seoul which is only 40KM away is perfectly fine?!?” So I’ll put it to you like this: If North Korea ever attacked South Korea, the DMZ is the last place they would start (JSA – The Joint Security Area for that matter). It is just as much a tourist spot for North Korea as it is for South Korea. If they were to attack, then they would probably start somewhere like the maritime borders like they did last time or just straight up bomb Seoul like they did at the start of the Korean War. Just go to the DMZ.

    DMZ at JSA
    The North Koreans putting on a show for us. Bravo. Well worth the price of the tour! It was better than Cats!
  4. They go with an travel agent that puts ginseng or raisin extract store on the itinerary – Or amethyst, seaweed or cosmetics store. Don’t get me wrong. Ginseng and raisin extract are great products of Korea and you should buy them as souvenirs. In fact, I live by ginseng and eat it all the time. But when you see it on the itinerary from the tour companies, you should beware. This may be a tourist trap – literally. They trap tourists in a room where a someone tries to sell you this stuff. There are no prices listed anywhere so it’s easy for them to jack up the price and they close the entry door on you. A lady will then start explaining the health benefits to it and give you a demonstration on how to use the product. Sure, there’s value in that and there’s no pressure to buy plus it might even lower the price of your tour, but you waste a lot of your limited time in Korea there. Your vacation ain’t that long!

    Cheong-Kwan-Jang
    If you really want ginseng, I would feel much better taking you to a Cheong-Kwan-Jang which can be found on any street corner in Korea with reasonable prices.
  5. They did not get a tour guide – As much as it seems like a plot to plug our services, it’s true. Even though Korean is a developed nation, it’s still very raw. We don’t have the tourism infrastructure that other countries have so it’s tough to go at it alone. Especially when you are trying to get outside of Seoul, you waste a lot of time with the language barrier and unfamiliar systems. A good Korean tour guide will tidy all that up for you. Sure you can read up on travel guides and blogs on how to get around, but the reality is that it’s pretty tough once you are here. And if you try to go about the palaces alone, they just become empty buildings with no character. You need a great guide to bring that all to life for you and tell you the stories that really makes these places so amazing.


I say this because the last thing I want you to do is leave here with a bad experience or worse yet, leave here more confused than you did before coming here.

USD Tour
You are going to leave here so educated on Korea. You all are Korea experts now!

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4 thoughts on “Common Mistakes Tourists make in Korea (part 2 of 2)”

  1. Pingback: Common Mistakes Tourists make when visiting Korea (part 1 of 2) | KoreanTourGuide.com

  2. I have been on many tours in many lands and I especially relate to the section on the tour guides taking the unsuspecting tourist into special labs or shops that only cater to tourists. This is a bad practice and only wastes time and money of the tourist. When I am on a tour and I see anyone coming out in white lab coats I get very afraid.
    Of course it is best is not to even go on these type tours. Ask ahead of time and if these stops are on the agenda just don’t go on these tours. Unfortunately there are so many tour operators that make this a regular part of their tour plans and they don’t always list these stops in their itinerary. Apparently some tour operators make a lot of money operating these tourist scams. If I do get on a tour where they make a “special stop” at a back room or factory shop then I try to tell the tour leader that I can’t go in or I just won’t go in. Then I try to get as many of the other fellow tourist to not go in as well. Will usually just say we will go to a nearby restaurant or something nearby. Many times many others will join in this protest. Or even better ask to be taken somewhere else. Usually the tour operator or guide will not do this, but you can ask. I have sometimes had a majority of the other people on a tour join me. It sometimes gets the tour guide upset but that is not my problem. This is also the time where withholding that “tip” they may be expecting at the end of the tour may come in handy. Tell them why at the end day or even better with a letter or email to the tour operators why you did not tip or why you will never go on their tours again. This might help to get this message across. Even though I know tipping is not generally practiced in Korea there are some tour guides in Korea that do work the tip angle. I fully agree it should be stamped out. All should stand up to the tour operators and just say no, where the tour guide or operator is not doing the best for their clients.
    Thank you for getting these words out.
    Richard

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