South Korea (Seoul) again – with a 10 month old baby and a 3.5 year old toddler

It’s my third time to Seoul, South Korea. This time, the trip was a pretty long one, (two weeks). We travelled from Seoul 서울 to Jeonju 전주 to Busan 부산 then back to Seoul from 31 May to 15 June. The trip was very child-friendly, filled with fun places for young kids. Though nothing much for my little brother, he was enjoying himself too. 

We started the trip with a red eye flight by Singapore Airline (SQ8). My first business class experience on a Boeing 777-300ER was amazing. Before boarding, we had the time to rest in the Business Class Lounge. 

Our seats were located on the first row but we didn’t board first. We took our time and strolled to the gate. The seats were wide and we could lie flat to sleep. I got a goodie bag from SQ too! I loved the available entertainment choices and watched The LEGO Movie.

Mummy chose “book a cook” as our inflight meal. Yummy! 

We arrived in the morning. I didn’t really sleep much. I might have enjoyed more if it was a day flight. But mummy said day flights were all A320 and business class was not as good. Lol. My 이모 came fetch us to our temporary home in Seoul and I had omelette rice as my first meal in Seoul. 

Emergency Trip – China

It was a sudden decision for us to go to Shanghai, China. There was an emergency. We bought tickets at 1.30am and the plane departed at 9.50am the same day. Mummy just wanted to make sure that she packed everything for me. It seemed to be a great new challenge for her to bring me to China. She predicted that it might not be so convenient to travel with baby there.

SQ830 from SG to Pudong International Airport cost about USD750 per pax. The plane was very full with mainly business travelers (as it was a Monday!) It reached Shanghai at 3.10pm. There was a special priority lane at the custom opened especially for people with needs (baby, medical condition, late, etc). Mummy and I were directed there, so we had a much faster custom clearance.

Note: All foreigners need to complete an Arrival Card. Get one on the plane to avoid the long queue at the custom. If you have anything in your luggage to declare, get another form. If you are not feeling well, you need to declare too.

We then took the Airport Bus Line No. 1 to transfer from Pudong Airport to Hong Qiao Railway Station. The temperature was a comfortable 25 degrees Celsius outside but it was raining. The journey took about an hour. I was starving on the bus. T.T We were so not used to it as the day got dark around 6pm when we arrived at the railway station.

South Korea Family Trip (1) – SQ flight

It has been a long while since mommy last took a Singapore Airlines flight. Since there are many mileage points expiring in her account, she decided to redeem tickets for this trip. A return ticket from Singapore to Incheon (Seoul) costs 45,000 miles with 15% discount for online booking. Each adult needs to pay S$373.50 (US$300) in addition to the miles. Infant (on lap with no seat) fare is S$125 (US$100) and tax S$12.80.

 

Singapore Airlines (SQ) is one of the best airlines in terms of customer service. The Singapore Girl is the central figure in its corporate branding. We received top personalised care from the Singapore Girls. First of all, our baby travel cot and stroller were checked in free of charge and not counted in our baggage allowance. We decided to bring the stroller to the gate. Clearing custom was fast and easy. How good Changi Airport is? I have mentioned it in another post. While at the gate, SQ provides a large plastic bag that fits all strollers. How thoughtful. My stroller would not get dirty with the protection of the plastic bag. There was a sign ‘stroller collection point’ and a man stood there to receive my stroller at the boarding bridge.

 

Infants are required to wear extension seat belt in all SQ flights. It has a loop where part of the adult seat belt can go through. Then the two rings each goes around the adult and the baby independently. Babies may find it uncomfortable, so please make sure that the buckles are not pressed on any parts of the body. The most comfortable take off position for babies is probably feeding position while the baby is being feed actually. Breastfeeding or bottle feed serve the same purpose to ease the discomfort from air pressure on the eardrums.

 

The flight from SG to INC takes six and a half hours. It’s not a short day flight that I can sleep through. SQ provided us a cabin bassinet upon request. At least, I have a flat surface to lie down for a nap. One thing to take note, while the seat belt sign is turned on, babies need to be carried out of the bassinet. Well, somewhat troublesome and it disturbs baby’s sleep.

 

The entire journey was smooth and fun filled. I really enjoyed my mommy and grandma’s company. I met another baby friend of the same age (month)! Seoul, here we come!