By Honorary Reporter Samia Shamim from Bangladesh

Photos = Samia Shamim, Cheonan Nonsan Expressway Co., Ltd.

The most efficient, budget-friendly and easiest way to travel around Korea is intercity buses. Seoul has four major bus terminals: Seoul Express, Central City, Dong Seoul and Seoul Nambu. Tickets are available online or at the terminal. Buses usually leave almost every hour and the departure times are strictly maintained.

This is an intercity bus at the parking lot of Jeongan Albam Service Area in Gongju, Chungcheongnam-do Province.

Buses can be either regular (ilban) or luxury (udeung) and ticket prices vary accordingly. Luxury buses offer more comfort with wider seats and more leg space. Late-night buses are available at slightly pricier fares.

While a student of Korean at Jeonju University in Jeonju, Jeollabuk-do Province, I often visited Seoul by bus. Just beside the lobby of my dormitory was a bus ticket counter, where I could purchase a one-way ticket to Seoul for about KRW 11,000. The schedule made it convenient for me to visit Seoul even just for the day. My bus always arrived at Seoul Nambu Bus Terminal and took 2 1/2 hours to get there if traffic wasn't bad. 

The best part about bus travel is seeing scenery. I remember looking out the window for hours on end just enjoying the changing scenery, from cities to rice fields to mountains to cities again. Another advantage is rest stops. The ones in Korea are the epitome of convenience, cleanliness and comfort thanks to food stalls, convenience stores and the cleanest washrooms imaginable on the road.

Traveling is so comfortable when you have no worries about a bathroom on the way. And the massive restroom facilities have at least 40-50 stalls. The staff there make sure to keep the place spotless. Other countries I've traveled to before have rest stops that charge for use of the bathroom, but Korea doesn't.

Jeongan Albam Service Area (Cheonan Nonsan Expressway Co., Ltd.)

A bus visits a rest stop every hour or so and allow passengers 15-20 minutes to use the facilities. So if you're hungry or need to stretch your legs, step out to get fresh air. All the buses look almost identical, so make sure to remember the bus number and also its parking spot. I always took a photo of the bus so I could recognize it after returning. Imagine getting on the wrong bus and realizing it too late. And don't make the driver wait for you by taking too long at the rest stop. 

Intercity buses wait at the parking-lot of Jeongan Albam Service Area in Gongju, Chungcheongnam-do Province. 

Traveling from city to city in Korea is a rewarding experience, with so much to see beyond big urban hubs like Seoul and Busan. A simple, fast, comfortable and easy way to do this is the country's excellent intercity bus service.