Three-day quick trip to Seoul for LASIK surgery
Jasper
7 days ago
Round-trip flights to Cheongju for under 5,000!
Depart early Saturday morning, arrive early Tuesday morning, office workers only need to take one day off, you can even turn getting laser vision correction into a super efficient Korea quick trip.
After actually doing this trip, I honestly think that if you were already planning to go to Korea for laser vision correction, Cheongju Airport is an option that’s really worth looking into.
And lately there really have been tons of Taiwanese traveling to Korea.
Whether it’s for an appointment, laser treatment, aesthetic procedures, or just sightseeing, it’s very easy for transportation to get jammed during peak times in Seoul, so my biggest takeaway this time is:
When you go to Seoul, you really need to book transportation in advance.
Especially the Cheongju Airport to Seoul leg, don’t go in thinking “I’ll figure it out when I get there.”
My plan was roughly like this👇
✈️ Early Saturday morning: Taiwan → Cheongju
I found a round-trip ticket to Cheongju for under 5,000 TWD.
The nice thing about departing at dawn is you don’t waste many workdays.
After arriving at Cheongju Airport, take the airport express bus or public transportation to Osong Station, then take the KTX to Seoul.
Leave Osong Station at around 8:00 a.m. and head straight into Seoul.
(Osong Station food court)
Overall, it was actually a lot more comfortable than I expected.
If the transfers go smoothly, once you arrive in Seoul you’ll still have a full block of free time.
My pre-op exam was scheduled for 2:00 p.m.
So it’s not like you’re stuck killing time in a cafe waiting around.
You can go check out an exhibition, explore somewhere you’re interested in, and grab lunch along the way.
If you already like visiting exhibitions, checking out architecture, and observing Korea’s everyday sense of aesthetics, this time slot is actually really useful.
Arrive in Seoul in the morning → lunch at noon → an exhibition in the afternoon → 14:00 exam/surgery.
Maximum efficiency.
👁️ Saturday afternoon: exam + laser vision correction
Arrive at the clinic at 2:00 p.m.
Usually you’ll do a complete set of tests first to confirm whether your eyes are suitable for surgery, then move on to the next steps.
If you’re cleared for surgery that day, you’ll go straight into it.
The whole process wraps up around early evening.
My plan was:
After surgery → head straight back to my accommodation in Gangnam at around 5:00 p.m.
I think this is really important.
Don’t assume you can keep shopping after laser surgery.
On the day of surgery, just go back and rest.
And Korea’s public transportation is super convenient, if you choose your hotel location well, you might not even need a taxi, you can take the subway or bus back on your own.
Once you’re back at the hotel, just lie down and rest.
Dinner?
Delivery.
Don’t plan anything like Michelin restaurants, bars, or night views that day.
Your eyes have already completed their biggest mission of the day.
🌆 Sunday: the real sightseeing day
After a good night’s sleep, you can plan a normal itinerary on day two.
That’s what I find most comfortable about this approach.
You’re not taking three or four days off just for the procedure, you’re simply fitting the surgery into a weekend trip you were already taking.
Saturday, surgery done.
Sunday, rest, shop, eat, visit exhibitions.
You can plan lighter activities, no need to walk like crazy, and no need to cram all of Seoul into the schedule.
If you’re into art, design, cafes, curated boutiques, and brand spaces, Seoul is actually perfect for this style of trip.
You can even skip shopping entirely.
Just enjoying the spaces, exhibitions, and good food can still make for a very full trip.
👁️ Monday: follow-up appointment
Go back for a follow-up on Monday.
Once it’s confirmed that your post-op recovery looks good, you can get the relevant diagnosis and visit documentation.
So for office workers, the most magical part of this whole trip is:
You might only need to take one actual workday off.
Saturday, surgery.
Sunday, rest.
Monday, follow-up and pick up the documents.
Then fly back to Taiwan that night.
✈️ Early Tuesday morning: back in Taiwan
Fly out from Cheongju Airport at night.
Arrive in Taiwan early in the morning.
Go back to work the next day.
Isn’t it kind of ridiculous.
But it really is super efficient.
Of course, this approach isn’t possible without a few conditions.
First, you must research transportation in advance.
Especially the Cheongju Airport → Osong → Seoul segment, and the connections on the return trip from Seoul → Cheongju Airport.
Don’t book just because the flight is cheap, if the timing doesn’t connect, the whole plan falls apart.
Second, it’s best to stay somewhere with easy transportation and convenient access for your follow-up visit.
Especially on surgery day, don’t make yourself transfer three or four times while exhausted.
Third, your post-op itinerary must be conservative.
“Can I still go eat after the procedure?”
Yes.
“Can I go shopping?”
Depends.
“Can I drink alcohol?”
No.
“Can I stay up late?”
Definitely not.
The most important thing after surgery is rest, anything else can be dropped.
So if I were to plan it again, I’d treat it as:
Saturday: transportation + surgery
Sunday: travel
Monday: follow-up + travel / return trip
Tuesday: back to work in Taiwan
That kind of pattern.
And right now, there really are a lot of Taiwanese traveling to Korea.
For peak-time transportation in Seoul, KTX, and airport buses, book whatever you can in advance.
Don’t wait until you’re there only to find out “Why are there no seats?”
The core of this whole trip isn’t about pushing your schedule to the limit, it’s about:
Minimizing time off, maximizing the weekend.
For people who work every day,
with one weekend plus one day off,
you can get laser vision correction done, eat well, visit exhibitions, and explore Seoul,
then still show up at the office on Tuesday morning like usual.
All I can say is:
Perfectly efficient.
