Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Ethan Allen Hawley]

Kangsan Travel doesn't seem to do the discounted Beetle ferry two-night package deal anymore. Anyone have any recommendations as to the cheapest way to do a visa run Busan - Fukuoka these days?
ie. ferry and hotel recommendations?
Best practise times for departure recommendations too?

[archaeologist5]

Let me ask you this: When a package deal in the west doesn't appear any more what do you do?

Do you go online and ask a question you can answer yourself or do you call a travel agent to help you with your plans?

[Zyzyfer]

[archaeologist5]

[Zyzyfer]

[spaceman82]

Even though we aren't travel agents, many of us have made that trip, so it makes sense to ask about it here, especially if there's a language barrier.

OP, I've stayed at the Fukuoka Artsy Hotel (near Tenjin Station) and the Hakata Nakasu Washington Hotel Plaza (http://hakata.washington.jp/en/) in the past and enjoyed both. They were each around 5100-6000 yen. I know the former was easy to get to by subway from the Korean Embassy, but don't know if that's also the case for the latter. If you want to search for someplace else, you might want to try out the site http://travel.rakuten.com/ , which is pretty good for accommodations throughout Japan.

In regard to the ferry itself, I'm afraid that I don't have a great deal of information for you. You can just buy a ticket directly from the ferry company for around 190,000 won round-trip, I think, or you could search online for a package. I found the following site through a quick search but can't vouch for the quality: http://www.kyushutour.co.kr/ .

[archaeologist5]

[radcon]

[coralreefer_1]

Kangsan may not offer the package anymore, but in reality the prices are the same if not less if you book yourself rather than having them book for you.

I can look up my past trips to find the name of the hotel, but in short the regular fee for the hotel was about the same regardless of whether or not you got the package, or otherwise bought the beetle tix and booked the hotel yourself.

With that said though, these days its very possible to couchsurf in the city...likely with people whom have hosted other S. K. expats doing the visa run, and can assist with directions and such.

[I'm With You]

[archaeologist5]

[Troglodyte]

I don't know about packages with the ferry but it's not hard to find package deals with flights. If you're already in Busan then you'll save some money by taking the ferry but if not, it will work out about the same to fly.

I recommend the Sun Life Hotel right next to Hakata station. It's along the subway line that goes from the airport to (near) the Korean consulate. I think that on its own it's about $50 to $70 per night. It's a "business hotel", meaning that the rooms are ultra small. (Imagine sleeping in a camper van.) If you're flying to Seoul, you can get package deals for 400,000 (or sometimes less if there's a special offer) - return flights and 1 night at a hotel.

If you take the ferry, you might have to spend 2 nights in Fukuoka. It will depend a lot on the ferry schedules. You need to hand in your visa application in the morning and pick it up the next afternoon. The amount you save on the ferry might not make up for the amount you spend on another night at the hotel. If you CAN make the schedule work, you can save a bit.

[Stan Rogers]

Cheapest method would be to stowaway on the ship.

Another cheap method would be to hide in another person's suitcase.

You could also tie a rope to the back of the ferry and hold on really tight.

[young_clinton]

[young_clinton]