A Few Days in Seoul, South Korea: July 14-17, 2026

Seoul: July 14-17

As I mentioned in the last post, LOTS of things -S O MANY things – have been going wrong, or at least feeling like they’re going wrong. My anxiety has been Through the Roof, which is never good. When I get into Anxiety Mode, I freeze, and all productivity ends.

But okay. Chronologically.

When I booked my flight from Tampa to Vietnam, it seemed like a good idea to make my Seoul layover four nights. Miles, flight prices, blah blah blah. In hindsight, it was DUMB. Korea has gotten more expensive since I lived there, so I had to double my usual accommodation budget, and it meant another round of getting to and from the airport.

Still, one good thing came out of it.

This time, I was determined to downsize from Papa Bear/Baby Bear suitcases to Mama Bear/Baby Bear. Papa Bear was heavy even when empty, and I was constantly paying overweight fees. I managed to make the U.S. 50-pound limit, just barely…but many Asian airlines only allow 44 pounds checked and around 15 pounds carry-on.

So I decided to leave my winter clothes in storage in Seoul. I won’t need them in Vietnam, and I can pick them up when I return for winter. I found a facility near my Airbnb offering tiny storage spaces, literally the size of a Korean post office shipping box, for about $8 a month.

Perfect! Much cheaper than baggage fees.

Except they didn’t provide the box. Or tape.

So I spent more than half a day Ubering around Seoul to buy supplies, pack everything, and deliver it to a contactless storage facility where I forgot my passport and it was nine MILLION degrees.

That took most of the day and all of my last nerve.

The night I arrived, I was also wracked with the worst leg cramps I’ve ever had. I spent most of the night pacing around my tiny room, already exhausted from the Tampa-to-Seoul flight. I finally fell asleep around 6 a.m. and slept until noon, which wiped out most of my first full day. I met a friend from Korean language school for dinner, and Day Two became Storage Day.

Meanwhile, I was going through my “Do I Have Everything I Need for Vietnam?” checklist when I realized I had never booked a flight out of Vietnam. Immigration may ask for proof of onward travel, so suddenly I had to buy another ticket at a moment when my resources were already getting low.

Then my bank started sending fraud alerts about my main travel card.

ACK.

I finally got a human on the phone and told them I would accept the suspicious $55 charge just to keep the card active. Losing $55 felt less terrifying than losing my main credit card in a foreign country.

The charge looks Uber-related, and I had used Uber that day, but all my actual rides were accounted for and only cost $4–6 each. So it remains a mystery. I’m checking my account daily.

That was what pushed me over the edge. I’d already taken one of the anti-anxiety pills from the small stash I got while living in Korea because I was basically One Big Trembly Nerve.

But somehow, I got the onward flight booked. My card stayed active. I checked in for Vietnam. I packed. I was ready for my Uber the next morning.

I now travel with a luggage scale because every airline seems to have different rules. My checked bag was fine, but I knew my carry-ons were a little heavy.

At Incheon, they weighed my carry-on.

Five pounds over.

I reached for my credit card, ready to pay, but nope: you can’t pay an overweight fee for carry-ons. They MUST be within the allowance.

So there I was at the counter, frantically pulling out my BRAND-NEW LAPTOP AND CAMERA and wrapping clothes around them so they could  be somewhat protected in my checked bag.

I didn’t even think you were allowed to check a laptop because of the battery.

Apparently, according to her, you can.

And that was how Seoul ended.

BUT WAIT! THERE’S MORE! I just realized, that in typical Bettye fashion, I’d only told you the bad things. They do tend to take over, but…there were good things, too!

On my way “home” from the airport, as we were getting close to my old neighborhood, it felt so comforting and nice. It felt familiar and good.

My room, while up one flight of stairs more than I’d planned for, was a nice little room. The ac was powerful, the bed was nice and the linens super nice, and the shower water pressure was excellent. My window looked out on a little neighborhood park with playground for kids and exercise circuit for adults and lots of trees and benches…and it seemed like whatever time of day or night I looked out there, there were people taking advantage of this nice resource. It also had a small “smart room,” with ac and tables, chairs, and outlets, so people couple could escape the heat and chat or read or work on their laptops.

It was nice to see my old school friend. Since she’s Korean American, and her mother full Korean, she was able to get a birthright visa (or whatever it’s called over there) and is planning to stay there indefinitely. I’m happy for her. She brought her language-exchange partner/friend along to dinner, so it was nice to meet a new person.

And while it was an annoying process that took way more time than it should have, I was very relieved to be able to leave my heaviest stuff there in storage and not have to lug it all around with me. I’m appreciative that they had such a service and the minimum size isn’t like a 3×5 room for $75/month. You can store a box or a suitcase for very cheap.

Okay, now that’s it!