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LIFE IN KOREAPosted by Rita 🇵🇹 Portugal · 1 month ago
What's not worth bringing from home?
two suitcases and a year to cover. i keep packing and unpacking the same things.
what did you bring that was pointless, and what did you wish you'd brought
what did you bring that was pointless, and what did you wish you'd brought
11 comments
OFFICIAL ANSWER
MinjiALLO TEAM
Korea local tips · Seoul
Two suitcases is plenty. Korea has everything, most of it cheaper, and the shipping cost of anything bulky exceeds buying it again.
Do not bring:
- Winter coat. Buy a 롱패딩 here — better for this climate, competitively priced, and it takes half a suitcase.
- Bedding, towels, pillows. Cheap here and heavy to carry.
- Toiletries beyond a week's worth. Korean skincare and basics are excellent and inexpensive.
- Hairdryer, adapters for appliances. Korea is 220V with European-style round pins; most appliances from elsewhere need a converter and are not worth the space.
- Stationery, umbrella, kitchen things. Daiso covers all of it for very little.
- Large amounts of food from home. It is a comfort item; bring a small amount, not a suitcase.
Do bring:
- Shoes above roughly EU 44 / US 11 for men, and larger women's sizes. Korean shops stock limited large sizes and it is a genuine problem for some students.
- Clothes if you are tall, broad, or above a Korean L. Sizing runs small and the trouser length is the common complaint.
- Prescription medication with documentation, and any specific over-the-counter medicine you rely on — formulations differ and some familiar drugs are prescription-only here.
- Deodorant. Widely available but limited selection and expensive; people bring a year's supply and it takes almost no space.
- Your documents, apostilled, plus scans. Obviously, but people put them in checked luggage — do not.
- Six passport photos.
- A power bank and your own laptop charger.
What people wish they had brought: their own pillow, oddly, comes up constantly. And a small amount of something from home for the month-two dip.
What people regret bringing: an entire year of clothing for seasons they had not experienced yet. Bring one season, buy the rest here. Korean shopping is one of the genuine pleasures of living there.
Do not bring:
- Winter coat. Buy a 롱패딩 here — better for this climate, competitively priced, and it takes half a suitcase.
- Bedding, towels, pillows. Cheap here and heavy to carry.
- Toiletries beyond a week's worth. Korean skincare and basics are excellent and inexpensive.
- Hairdryer, adapters for appliances. Korea is 220V with European-style round pins; most appliances from elsewhere need a converter and are not worth the space.
- Stationery, umbrella, kitchen things. Daiso covers all of it for very little.
- Large amounts of food from home. It is a comfort item; bring a small amount, not a suitcase.
Do bring:
- Shoes above roughly EU 44 / US 11 for men, and larger women's sizes. Korean shops stock limited large sizes and it is a genuine problem for some students.
- Clothes if you are tall, broad, or above a Korean L. Sizing runs small and the trouser length is the common complaint.
- Prescription medication with documentation, and any specific over-the-counter medicine you rely on — formulations differ and some familiar drugs are prescription-only here.
- Deodorant. Widely available but limited selection and expensive; people bring a year's supply and it takes almost no space.
- Your documents, apostilled, plus scans. Obviously, but people put them in checked luggage — do not.
- Six passport photos.
- A power bank and your own laptop charger.
What people wish they had brought: their own pillow, oddly, comes up constantly. And a small amount of something from home for the month-two dip.
What people regret bringing: an entire year of clothing for seasons they had not experienced yet. Bring one season, buy the rest here. Korean shopping is one of the genuine pleasures of living there.
Was this helpful?Updated 1 month ago
11 comments
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You can still post anonymously after signing in.brought a winter coat from home, bought a 롱패딩 in week 3, never wore the coat again. it took a quarter of a suitcase for nothing
25
leaving the coat then, that settles it
8
same story. everyone does this once
6
i'm 190cm and size 46 shoes. bring everything. i found approximately two pairs of shoes in my size in a year and both were online and expensive
19
can confirm as another tall european. trousers were the real problem, everything was 5cm short
9
big size shops exist in dongdaemun but the selection is limited. bring what you need
5
deodorant. bring a year. it's available but expensive and the selection is tiny. weighs nothing
15
daiso replaces about 15kg of what people pack. kitchen stuff, stationery, storage, cleaning. don't bring any of it
12
genuinely go to daiso on day 2 before buying anything anywhere else
5
bring one season of clothes and buy the rest there. i packed for a year and wore about 40% of it
9
documents in your carry on. i know it's obvious. someone checks them every year and it's a disaster
7
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