Leave again

Last week, we finished talking about my first trip to South Korea, which last one month instead of three, in October 2022. This does not mean that we should let ourselves be discouraged and decided in January 2023, to prepare to leave for a year in the same country. Did everything go as planned? Of course not.

As I told you in the introduction, I was planning to leave for a year. To leave for this long period, I had to have a Working Holidays visa. In order to have it certain conditions must be met: have 2500 euros in your account, have a return flight (or the outward flight, with proof of having the money for the return), complete a cover letter, specify your itinerary on a sheet and that your file is complete and approved before your departure. (You can find all the information to prepare for your trip with this type of visa online. They are very easy to find.)

Already having a tourist visa (compulsory during COVID period) valid for two years, I took a return ticket. I will left on June 22, and will come back on November 29. You counted well six months between the two journeys. Strange if I wanted to leave for a year.

To tell the truth, I wasn’t sure I would last a year financially speaking. The Working Holidays visa allows you to stay and work a little to finance your trip, however, it was on the condition of finding work. We can never be too careful. I planned to have the money to last three months without work, just in case, but if I found work, I wouldn’t need to dip too much into my reserve. In addition, it was not possible to book a ticket for 2024 that far in advance. However, I learned from my lesson on my first trip, in addition to cancellation insurance, I took an option to be able to change the date of my tickets if necessary.

We’re not going to lie, I’m not very well off. I put aside the money as best I could and I was going to have enough savings, without a penny extra, to send my file. Unfortunately, in March 2023, my car had to pass a technical inspection. Assuming that this does maybe not exist in other countries, the technical inspection of a car is a compulsory inspection every two years. A mechanic must check that your car is up to road standards. And, sometimes, for it to be up to standard, small repairs are necessary. This was my case. The bill was larger than expected which cut into my budget for my trip, making it impossible for me to qualify for a one-year visa.

This is why it was necessary to change the date of my return. I was still leaving on June 22, but I had to settle for a 3-month tourist stay. And there the problems start again. The “flexible” ticket option wasn’t really one. The only thing this option covered was not having to pay charges to change the date of my plane ticket. However, I still had to pay for a ticket again. The price offered was the price of a normal ticket. Looking on my side, I was able to find a cheaper return. So I did it alone. My advice if you find yourself in my situation: take separate tickets with a refund option, this will be the most practical for you and will provide better peace of mind.

So I left on June 22 and returned on September 20. What happened between these two dates? We’ll see about that next week. Have a nice week end!