Jeju Island is defined by its volcanic landscape full of craters and cave-like lava tubes. Known also as the Island of the Gods, Jeju is a popular vacation spot for Koreans and many Japanese. If it wasn’t for Running Man, my favourite Korean variety show, I don’t think I would have ever heard of this exotic island that has literally everything!
Flying out from Kansai International Airport in Osaka, I find myself walking on the tarmac at Pusan International Airport in Busan, before boarding on the final flight to Jeju. It’s been a while since I’ve been on the tarmac. It was cool!
A little about Busan
Wished I had a few days in Busan too, as it’s a famous place for spas. It would have been great for some Korean spas after an intensive 10 day adventure in Japan. However, it does take 2 hours by train (the fastest mode of transportation) from Pusan International Airport to the city where most things are. Therefore, I decided to wait at the airport for two hours for my flight to Jeju at the domestic departure hall, and mesmerize myself over the picture I took while en route to Busan. If only…
Modes of Transportation
Before going in depth about Jeju, there is one thing I should mention. Jeju, while it is an island, it is a BIG island. In order to get around this island, there are a few methods: (1) Bus, (2) Taxi, and (3) Rental car.
(1) Bus
While buses are the cheapest type of transportation, it is not reliable as they are not on-time. Sometimes, the buses don’t even show up! That would totally ruin a great vacation.
(2) Taxi
Taxi is also an alternative, however, during my trip in Jeju, I rarely saw any taxis. There are, however, taxi drivers that engage in private tour of the island, but it can be quite costly.
(3) Rental Car
The last alternative would be renting a car to drive around the island. I decided to do this, as most blogs I’ve read suggested it. Renting a car allows you to get to as many attractions as possible without any constraints of tour timings/schedules.
Jeju International Airport website does provide a few major rental car companies where you can book a car rental in advance. My advice is to book ahead, as car rentals may run out if it is during the peak vacation season! To rent a car in South Korea, you will need an International Driver’s License if you are a visitor. And while you need to be 21 to obtain one, some car rental companies in Jeju only allow people at the age of 26 to rent a car. For car rental information, click here.
Additional information on rental car
You will not be picking up your rental car the airport. All car rental companies are located away from an airport, where shuttle buses will pick up their clients, you, to the rental companies where you will pick up your car. This is similar to when you return your rental car. If you miss the a shuttle bus at the pick-up area, do not worry, the next one will come in around 5-15 minutes. So don’t panic!
Renting a car that is right for you
In my trip, my cousins and I rented a Kia K3 and it was sufficient for us. We had two backpacks, three carry-ons and two medium size luggage. As Jeju is an island, some of the roads tend to be quite narrow, so while you want to choose a car that can fit all your luggage. You might also want a car which you can drive in relatively narrow roads.
Navigating around Jeju
So you got your car, but now what? You don’t know how to get to where you need to go. GPS to the rescue. When renting a car at your respective car rental dealer, remember to pick out an English GPS. If the car rental dealer do not have an English GPS (as this is a rare commodity), a Korean GPS is suffice. To navigate around Jeju, all you need is the place/attraction’s phone number. This is usually available in maps that car rental dealers provide you.
Put away your iPads, iPhones, and tablets. Don’t even think about using Google Maps; they won’t have the information available. Plus, Google Maps won’t tell you where the speed bumps, speeding cameras, or the red light cameras are!
For additional information, I did find this website extremely helpful when doing my research.
In the next post, I will talk more in depth of my trip.
But for now, here are some spoilers!
