For some, Airports can be dreadful if you have long layovers or have to spend the majority of the day there for whatever reason. Before arriving in Korea, I had an 8 hour layover in Istanbul, Turkey and it was horrible. I've spent more hours than that in Dubai (11 hours) and they went by much quicker than the 8 in Istanbul. It all depends on the size of the Airport and what they offer. Istanbul was ridiculously expensive with everything sold in Euros. Thank goodness I saved my two bottles of wine bought for me by a Turkish passenger sitting next to me on the flight. Those wine bottles and a good book made the time a bit more tolerable since ONE cocktail ranged from $16-$19 and everything else was above my traveling budget. The wifi wasn't free, cost about 1 Euro but required credit card information and if your bank is like mine and suspicious of every country then a layover in Istanbul won't count as part of "traveling" and most likely block that transaction.
Welcome to Korea!! Not only is there free wifi but there's also an internet cafe where you can relax with a big desk and comfortable seats. I would advice to carry a personal small transformer fit for your phone or laptop since they don't provide those there. The cafe doesn't have a time limit and its only restriction is bringing in outside food or beverages. Speaking of food and beverages, there are plenty of places to eat here including food courts. For those who prefer American franchises, you can get them here. I haven't explored the whole entire Airport from Gate 1-14 (pretty decent sized airport) nor all the 3 floors but I did find a Jamba Juice, Dunkin Donuts, McDonald's, Quizno's, Subway, and a Baskin Robbins. If you are a shopper, you can find a duty free with nice brand name items from cosmetics and perfumes to apparel and gifts. There is also entertainment here. The day I arrived was a live Opera show and it was really nice and lively. Overall, I give this Airport a thumbs up for cleanliness, easy to maneuver in, excellent customer service, friendliness, food, and entertainment. Before arriving in Korea, I tried researching online to see if I could possibly use my iPhone 4s in Korea. I figured it had to be factory unlocked and that would be the only pre-requisite to getting my phone set up. Unfortunately, I couldn't find any YouTube videos on that particular topic. I asked around as much as I could to my fellow EPIK teachers and just like me, we were all lost and had no idea where to find that information. The main thing that kept circling around us was that it would be not only difficult to find a sim card that "fit" an iPhone 4 but that if you got lucky, your contract would be sky high. Heard numerous stories of how Koreans don't like Apple products and that your iPhone will most likely not be compatible. I decided to pre-purchase a Korean phone because I didn't want to take chances of being stranded at the airport and with no communication since I was traveling solo. F.Y.I. there are many pay phones posted at the Incheon Airport. Once arriving in Korea, it was fairly simple getting around the airport and the customer service was amazing. I never once got lost because every staff member that helped gave me clear and concise directions. I bought a bus ticket to Osan Air Base to visit a friend for the weekend and as soon as I met with her, I noticed she had an iPhone in her hand and so did her friend! I soon came to find out through them that getting your iphone set up in Korea is not at all like I had imagined it would be. I literally went down the street and found a pre-paid store that sold sim cards and phones. The sales guy popped in a korean sim card and activated it in under 20 minutes. It cost me $30 ($10 for sim, $10 for minutes and data, and $10 for activation fee). The monthly pre-paid plan is about $10 a month with 60 minutes and 1 GB of data. That may not seem much to you but for me it was perfect being able to get this service immediately. I have apps like whats app, viber, and magic jack that allows me to communicate for free and get by in the time being until I find other options and possibly even a contract later on down the line, should I decide to go down that route. For now this will do and I truly regret going with a Korean phone initially, not because there is anything wrong with one but because I wasted money doing so. I'm hoping that this video can benefit someone else and yield them from making the same mistake as I did.
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