The One Trip You Cannot Miss While Studying in Korea.
Jeju Island is often called the “Hawaii of Korea.” With its emerald waters, stunning Hallasan Mountain, and unique local culture, it is the #1 must-visit destination during your stay here.
<출처: 제주특별자치도관광협회, Photo by 김홍경>
“But I’m a student on a budget. Isn’t flying expensive?” 🥹
Not if you know the secrets. Today, I’m going to show you how to find flight tickets way cheaper than a KTX train ticket from Seoul to Busan, and share the ultimate “Thursday Rule” to save 50% on your trip.
1. Check Airline Websites Directly
Many students just use Skyscanner or Trip.com. While those are good, the real treasure is found on the Korean budget airline (LCC) websites. Why? Because they run Flash Sales that aggregators sometimes miss.
As I’m writing this post, I checked Jeju Air and—Boom!—they are having a special promo.
They are selling tickets for November and December at a huge discount for just 48 hours.
Luck favors the prepared. Make it a habit to check these sites often! (sites are listed below)
“But I can’t read Korean!” 😭
No problem. You don’t need to be fluent to book a ticket. Just use the translation tool on your web browser (Chrome or Edge).
Boom! Now you can read all the event details and booking conditions in your own language.
2. 💡 Pro Tip for “Broke Students”: The Thursday Hack
Do whatever it takes to clear your schedule on Friday! Most people try to fly Friday to Sunday. That is the most expensive time.
But if you can skip class (or have a free day) on Friday: 👉 Fly Thursday → Return Saturday.
Not only is the ticket way cheaper, but you also get a bonus “Recovery Sunday” to rest before school starts again! (Sorry to those who have Thursday night classes… this hack might not be for you. 🥲)
See that? The price is less than half! This is how smart students travel.
3. 💰 Price Check: Real Examples
How much does it really cost? Let’s look at the difference between weekends and weekdays. (Note: Prices change constantly!)
From Seoul (Gimpo) → Jeju I found a ticket for 20,420 KRW. (Yes, really. That’s like $15 USD).
From Jeju → Seoul Coming back is cheap too. I found one for 26,300 KRW.
📅 The Monthly Calendar View When you look at the calendar view, it shows the lowest price for each day. You can instantly see the price gap between weekdays and weekends. (Seoul -> Jeju)
Wait, what about Busan? Check out the prices from Busan → Jeju.
Fun Fact: Did you notice that flights from Busan (which is closer to Jeju) are actually more expensive than Seoul? Why? It’s simple economics. Seoul has a massive supply of flights. Because there are so many planes leaving from Gimpo Airport, the competition drives the prices down.
4. Bookmark These Airlines
I’ve listed the major airlines that fly to Jeju below. Bookmark them and check them daily for special events!
Click on the name of the airlines to visit the official website.
Thanks for reading! I hope this guide helps you book a cheap trip to Jeju. Don’t let money stop you from exploring Korea—just travel smarter!
Want more survival tips like this? You are in the right place. The Campus Korea is built to make your student life easier. We will keep updating helpful info on travel, visas, and part-time jobs, so stay tuned!
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