DMZ Tour from the South Korea Side: Intro and Booking

DMZ Trip Report Series:
DMZ Tour from the South Korea Side: Intro and Booking
DMZ Tour from the South Korea Side: From the South Side to the North Side and Back Again
DMZ Tour from the South Korea Side: The Lonesome Train Station
DMZ Tour from the South Korea Side: Lunch! And After Lunch

Second time's a charm! I first tried going on the DMZ tour July 2013. Being that it was summer it was hot so I wore shorts and a v-neck t-shirt. I arrived at the tour only to be told by the operator that I was dressed inappropriately. WHAAAAT??! Apparently you have to dress conservatively which means no shorts and the neckline can't hint at any cleavage. Sigh. I had accidentally skipped over the dress code in the confirmation email. (It's a confirmation email... who reads past the confirmation statement?) I actually ran out and made a quick shopping trip to buy clothes but unfortunately couldn't make it back in time before the tour bus left. (Lost in translation with taxi drivers. Sigh!) Since it was a pre-paid tour, I lost my payment but as a consolation prize I received a pack of postcards. I vowed I would return.

And I did. When I was planning my Hello Kitty Extravaganza I knew I had to take the TPE-ICN Hello Kitty flight that would route me to Seoul. I arrived on a Wednesday, gave myself a full day in Seoul on Thursday, and left Friday morning for Sapporo, Japan. The recommended DMZ tour operator in KoriDoor Tours, which has close ties with USO Korea. Their office is even located within USO's Camp Kim. (Don't tell that to the taxi driver though. They have no bloody idea where that is. Instead, tell them to head to Kaya Hotel, which is next door to Camp Kim.)

The booking process is not that simple. After going to their website, you have to wade through their calendar for the tour and date you want. DMZ tours are offered Wednesdays thru Saturdays. After finding the one you want, you complete a reservation form. Then you wait for a response. After receiving a confirmation email, you have up until five days prior to the tour to make a payment. They provide a few options for payment. You could pay in person. Nope. You could wire money over. Not my cup of tea. Or you could call and provide a credit card number over the phone. Option 3 is the winner! Ding ding ding! I used my Google voice number to call over (2 cents a minute woot!) and everything went smoothly. Just make sure you account for the time difference. Once payment is confirmed, you're all set!

Just make sure you read the dress code, which now is plastered all over their website. You're welcome.