Seoul vs Sydney, for crew.
The two guides side by side, the three that cost money or liberty first. Each line is the guide's own sourced answer and opens the section it came from.
The same eight questions
Cannabis sits with opium and cocaine on the restricted list, food is a quarantine matter, and cash over ten thousand dollars is declarable in both directions.
Cannabis is restricted from entry. Korea's own entry guidance lists marijuana and cannabis alongside opium and cocaine as illegal drugs. Prohibited and restricted items carried into the country are confiscated, and carrying one is punishable under Korean customs law.
Seoul in full →Vaping is policed exactly as smoking is, and undeclared food at the biosecurity line is the thing that ends layovers badly.
Smoking and vaping are banned in all enclosed public areas in NSW, including shopping centres, cinemas, libraries, trains and buses, and in a list of outdoor ones: within 10 metres of children's play equipment in outdoor public places, at public transport stops and platforms including ferry wharves and taxi ranks, within 4 metres of a pedestrian access point to a public building, at public swimming pools, at spectator areas of sports grounds during organised sport, and in commercial outdoor dining areas.
Sydney in full →Express train, 43 minutes from Terminal 1 and 51 from Terminal 2. The last express back leaves Seoul Station at 23:00, and the last airport-bound all-stop at 23:40.
Two AREX services share the line. The express runs non-stop to Seoul Station with reserved seats, 43 minutes from Terminal 1 and 51 from Terminal 2, roughly every 20 to 40 minutes. The all-stop calls at all 14 stations on the route, Gimpo Airport and Hongik University among them, and takes 59 minutes to Terminal 1 and 66 to Terminal 2.
Seoul in full →Trains run from the arrivals levels of the International and Domestic terminals and reach the city in 13 minutes, but every airport tap adds a station access fee on top of the fare.
Sydney Airport puts the train at 13 minutes to the city with trains running approximately every 10 minutes. The International station is reached from the arrivals level past Arrivals Hall A; the single Domestic station is reached from the arrivals levels of T2 and T3. Transport for NSW runs T8 Airport and South Line services every day between 5am and midnight, so a very late sign-off is a road trip.
Sydney in full →Metered taxis from numbered ranks outside arrivals, with surcharges that are published rather than negotiated.
Use the designated ranks on the first floor. At Terminal 1 standard taxis are at 5C, 6C and 6D, international taxis at 4C, deluxe and jumbo at 7C and 8C. At Terminal 2, Seoul-bound standard taxis are at 7C, Incheon-bound at 5D, Gyeonggi-bound at 6D, international at 3C.
Seoul in full →Uber and other rideshare services operate, and at T1 International UberX runs on a six-digit PIN from a specific rank rather than plate matching.
At T1 International, UberX collects from Rank C, 20 metres outside Arrivals Hall B, using PIN technology. All other Uber products, including Uber premium, Uber XL and Uber Green, are allocated a specific vehicle and collect from Rank B; these do not use PIN technology.
Sydney in full →Roaming centres at Incheon and Gimpo sell SIMs and rent Wi-Fi eggs, convenience stores sell SIMs too, and free public Wi-Fi is widespread.
Korea's major international airports, Incheon and Gimpo among them, have roaming centres run by the Korean networks. Besides roaming, they sell SIM cards and rent Wi-Fi eggs and smartphones.
Seoul in full →A prepaid SIM needs your name, date of birth, home address and an ID check before it works, and T1 International has free Wi-Fi.
Australia's communications regulator says a telco must take your name, date of birth and home address and check your ID when you activate a prepaid mobile service.
Sydney in full →January in Seoul runs between minus 5.5 and 2.1 degrees, August between 22.9 and 30, and the rain arrives in one concentrated month.
Seoul's published range is a January high of 2.1C against a low of minus 5.5C, and an August high of 30C against a low of 22.9C. Winter averages sit at 0 to 1C and frequently drop below zero, driven by the northerly wind off Siberia.
Seoul in full →The ultraviolet load is the hazard, not the temperature, and it burns through cloud.
Destination NSW says the sun in Sydney is very strong and can burn the skin even on cloudy days, and advises avoiding lengthy periods outdoors between 11am and 3pm, when ultraviolet rays are at their most intense.
Sydney in full →Water and side-dish refills are free, every table has a call button, and tips are not expected.
Asking for more water or more side dishes costs nothing extra. More restaurants now let you serve yourself water and side dishes, or order at an unmanned machine.
Seoul in full →Retail hours are short by Gulf standards, and the card surcharge you have been paying ends on 1 October 2026 for the major networks.
Sydney's popular shopping precincts open seven days a week from 9am or 10am to 5.30pm, with stores open until 9pm on Thursdays. City supermarkets are open for up to 24 hours, which is what covers a night-arrival crew.
Sydney in full →Duty-free bought inside Korea counts against your 800 dollar allowance, and the VAT refund starts at a kiosk before you check your bags.
The arrival allowance is USD 800 of general goods, and goods bought in Korean duty-free shops, the arrivals duty-free shop included, count towards it.
Seoul in full →Aircrew get half a passenger's duty free concession on general goods, and are excluded from the GST refund scheme outright.
Sydney Airport publishes the general goods concession as AU$900 worth of goods per adult, and AU$450 per traveller under 18 years and per aircrew member. The crew figure is the trap: it is the same as a child's.
Sydney in full →Taxis do not require a tip, and the extras on the meter are published percentages rather than anything discretionary.
The national tourism authority says most taxis charge by the taximeter inside the cab and do not require tips. Fares are paid by cash, credit card or transport card.
Seoul in full →Your choice, with no service charge added, though a weekend or public holiday surcharge can be if the menu says so.
Tourism Australia says hotels and restaurants do not add service charges to your bill, and tipping is always your choice.
Sydney in full →