Thanks to the support of the Singapore Tourism Board, I embarked on a 3-night, 5-day trip to Singapore. It was a long-awaited overseas journey that unexpectedly came my way, bringing unexpected joy. The excitement of my first international trip mixed with the reward for years of diligently writing on my blog.
Singapore seemed like a fitting choice for my first international destination. Despite the flight taking approximately 6 hours, which felt longer than expected, it was a safe and relatively small city-state, making it easy to plan the travel route. Additionally, Singapore, despite the misconception of Singlish, uses “English” as a common language, making the language aspect less burdensome.
“Incheon International Airport – Changi International Airport, Singapore”
To reach Singapore, I had to depart from Incheon Airport and head to Changi International Airport in Singapore. Typically, flights connecting Incheon and Changi airports depart late at night or early in the morning.
The flight I boarded this time was no exception, departing at 9 a.m. Considering the departure time, I needed to be at the airport by 7:30 a.m. at the latest. As the first subway from my home wouldn’t get me there in time, I decided to arrive at Incheon Airport the night before and depart on the morning flight.
“Incheon Airport Capsule Hotel and Jjimjilbang”
Incheon Airport provides convenient facilities, including a “capsule hotel” named “Darak Hue” and a jjimjilbang called “Spa On Air” on the basement floor. I intended to sleep at one of these places before the departure, but due to my lack of careful reservations, both were unavailable. The jjimjilbang, which I thought wouldn’t require reservations, was too crowded to accept more guests.
In the end, I had no choice but to sleep in the airport terminal. Observing the surroundings, I noticed many people, including myself, lying on chairs, catching some sleep. This marked the start of my first overseas journey right from the airport.
“Incheon Airport Departure Procedure”
After a somewhat uncomfortable sleep at the airport, the morning light emerged. Although I didn’t sleep properly in the airport terminal, I was quite tired. Still, it was time to gradually attend to the tasks at the airport.
“Tasks at Incheon Airport”
- Exchange Korean won to Singapore dollars at Incheon Airport KEB Hana Bank.
- Check in at the airline counter.
- Security check & departure immigration (baggage inspection).
- Duty-free shopping (collecting items ordered from the online duty-free shop).
- Move to the departure gate and board the plane.
- Incheon Airport “Departure Procedure”: Incheon Airport Departure Process
I proceeded with these tasks in order. One mistake was not checking in and receiving the boarding pass at the airline counter before anything else. It’s crucial to check in first to secure a good seat.
“Collecting Items Ordered from Lotte Duty-Free and Moving to the Departure Gate”
Before departure, I had ordered items from the online Lotte Duty-Free shop. After completing the security check and departure immigration, I entered the duty-free zone and collected the items at the “Lotte Duty-Free Pickup Counter.” Fortunately, it wasn’t too far.
Seeing many people trying to collect duty-free items in the morning raised concerns about potential delays, but thankfully, I managed to collect everything on time.
Afterward, I moved to the departure gate at Incheon Airport, ready to board the plane. Now, the main part of leaving Korea and setting foot abroad was the only thing left.
“Incheon Airport”
- Address: 272 Gonghang-ro, Jung-gu, Incheon
- Phone Number: 1577-2600
- Website: https://www.airport.kr/ap/ko/index.do