Seoul: A Budget Travel Guide for Juans

Seoul is on almost everyone's preferred travel destinations. However, budget travel in South Korea's capital is not common. Rightly so because the city consistently makes it into the list of the ten most expensive places in the world. As such, Seoul may seem like a pricey destination to get lost into for a lot of Juans. 

The beautiful and grand Gyeongbokgung Palace

But whether you want to experience its rich history, indulge in its fascinating food culture, see its futuristic structures, or visit the beautiful filming locations of popular K-dramas, there is a way to see Seoul on a budget of less than PHP25,000. Here's our guide to doing it. 

Note: Exchange rate used is PHP1 for every KRW20.83.

Flights
Airfare is nearly always one of the biggest expenses when traveling. So for us, it's really important to get the cheapest flights we possibly can. By taking advantage of lower airfares, we were able to drastically reduce many of our trips' total costs. 

For our trip to Seoul, we booked our tickets back in January during Jeju Air's Super Sale Event. At that time, one way fare from Manila to Incheon were offered from as low as PHP800 before taxes. Although we were not able to book the lowest fares, we still managed to score a pretty good deal on our flights. We each paid PHP6,262.65 for discounted round trip flight tickets to Incheon. 

Passport and Jeju Air boarding passes

Tip: To book cheap flights, you must first be able to recognize a good fare. Do some research to establish the going rate for flights to your destination. When you find seat sales, be ready to make an immediate purchase as these low fares sell out really fast. Lastly, be flexible. In a lot of cases, adjustments of a day or two in your travel dates can make a big difference in the price.  

Airfare: PHP6,262.65 total per person 
Travel Tax: PHP1,620.00 total per person

BPI and Air Asia Join Forces To Make Your Travel Goals Happen

Great news for BPI cardholders like us! You just might be able to scratch off some destinations in your travel bucket list with the first travel fair of 2018.

BPI has launched a partnership with Air Asia to offer loyal cardholders an exclusive one stop travel fair. Dubbed as the BPI-Air Asia Travel Fair 2018, cardholders can enjoy discounts on airfares and accommodations in luxury resorts.

For flights, cardholders can enjoy all-in fares for as low as PHP890 with Air Asia's domestic and international destinations. You can visit top local tourist spots such as Boracay, Bohol, Cebu, Palawan and Davao; or explore popular international destinations such Hong Kong, Seoul, Bali, Taipei, and Shanghai. 

Moreover, cardholders can also enjoy up to 40% discount on fares to El Nido or Batanes with AirSWIFT. One way fares from Manila can go as low as PHP2,200 to El Nido and PHP3,500 to Batanes.

For accommodations or tours, cardholders can enjoy up to 54% discounted rates to luxury getaways El Nido Resorts, Two Seasons Boracay, Amorita Resort Bohol, Pearl Farm Beach Resort Davao, and Dedon Island Resort Siargao; or special package rates with Batanes Travel and Tours.

On top of these, cardholders who spend a minimum of PHP25,000 and PHP40,000 with Air Asia, get a free round trip domestic and international flights, respectively.

The fair will happen on January 5 to 7 at the Grand Atrium of Shangri-La Plaza in Mandaluyong. It is exclusive for holders of BPI Express Credit Cards, BPI Family Bank Credit Cards, and BPI Prepaid Cards. 

For more information about the promo, please visit the official site here.

So mark your calendars for the fair and make your travel goals a reality with your BPI card.

Year-End Piso Fare for Your 2018 Travel Goals

Have you booked your Piso Fare flights already? 

Right at this moment, there is an ongoing Cebu Pacific Piso Fare Promo for 2018. 

Too bad we only found out about this promo earlier as we would have wanted to book flights to South Korea. Nonetheless, we were still able to book a round trip flight from Manila to Tagbilaran for two (2) persons for PHP1,530.48. That is only PHP765. 24 per person. 

This seat sale covers the second half of 2018, with travel period July 1, 2018 to December 15, 2018. Refer to the below table for the applicable destinations and the total number of seat sales offered for flights coming from Manila.
 

From Manila	Number of Sale Seats Offered
Bacolod	5,660
Butuan	3,600
Cagayan de Oro	6,260
Caticlan	4,780
Cauayan	730
Cebu	8,350
Cotabato	1,150
Davao	12,790
Dipolog	940
Dumaguete	2,300
General Santos	2,880
Iloilo	5,980
Kalibo	730
Legazpi	3,170
Ozamiz	1,040
Pagadian	940
Puerto Princesa	4,100
Roxas	2,790
Tacloban	3,090
Tagbilaran	2,180
Tuguegarao	1,380
Virac	230
Zamboanga	4,170
Bandar Seri Begawan	620
Bangkok	1,760
Beijing	420
Denpasar	640
Dubai	2,000
Fukuoka	300
Guam	440
Guangzhou	420
Hanoi	520
Hong Kong	6,730
Incheon	1,490
Jakarta	1,350
Kota Kinabalu	320
Kuala Lumpur	1,020
Macau	730
Nagoya	730
Narita	2,490
Osaka	520
Saigon	1,040
Shanghai	730
Siem Reap	420
Singapore	4,250
Sydney	1,260
Taipei	1,760
Xiamen	210

To check the applicable destinations and the number of seats offered for flights coming from Cebu, Clark, Davao, Iloilo, Kalibo, and Zamboanga, please visit the site here.

As we always say, follow these tips to be able to book sale flights:

1. Be flexible. Consider other dates. And be persistent enough to go through different dates to check for seat availability. 

2. Know the full route listing to be able to plan what possible destinations you will check out. 

3. Be decisive. We booked the flights quickly when we saw the availability. Sometimes you just have to chase and book that cheap fare. 

4. Know the promo details. This Piso Fare Promo accepts only payments through credit card, debit card, PayPal and Alipay. So make sure you have these payment options readily available. Payment Center options like ATM, Over the Counter, 7-Eleven, or Bayad Center payments are not applicable for this sale. 

So check out the availability here before seats run out to your 2018 travel goals.