Travelers reveal surprising contrast between first-class and economy aboard high-speed train: 'So much luxury'

When it came to riding economy or first class on a bullet train, it boiled down to the age-old question of luxury or beer money for two travelers. 

TikTokers Chelsea and James of Cheap Holiday Expert (@cheapholidayexpert) got to test out the Seoul-to-Busan route courtesy of the Korea Tourism Organization in London. 

@cheapholidayexpert ad 🚄 ECONOMY vs. FIRST CLASS on a KOREAN BULLET TRAIN 🚝 We're off exploring Korea thanks to Korea Tourism Organisation London inviting us to come and make some videos about our trip! ⬇️ WHAT WERE WE REVIEWING? ⬇️ We decided to get a 2 hour 43 min KTX bullet train from Seoul to Busan but the big question was… 💸 Economy💸 £33.25 one way or 🤑 First Class 🤑 £46.54 one way 
And obviously there's only one way to make that decision - DO BOTH!! Absolutely zero surprise who got which class here 😆 Yep, luxury James is BACK! @cumbrianjames ⬇️ WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENCES?! ⬇️ The main differences are that First Class… 💅 Has a 2-1 seat formation rather than a 2-2 💅 Has more legroom 💅 Comes with a free snack and free water 💅 Has access to a free 'library' with magazines and books But let's be honest, both seats are comfy and get you to Busan in less than 3 hours. ⬇️ ARE THERE OTHER OPTIONS? ⬇️ There is actually one that only takes 2 hours 17 mins (KTX-Cheongryong) but it's just once a day (08:58) and gets booked up quite fast! This is the newest bullet train though so I was GUTTED we missed out on that option! Also, if you're on a budget the intercity trains only cost £16 BUT they will take you 5 hours 51 mins! ⬇️ HOW DO YOU BOOK TRAINS IN KOREA?! ⬇️ 
Korail is the best website for checking train times however, you cannot buy tickets on this website with a foreign card 😭 Therefore you can buy in person at a train station (this is what we did!) but if you're going at peak times, I'd definitely recommend booking in advance. You can do this using Klook where you buy a voucher which can then be exchanged for a ticket - you can do this all online before your trip. The one thing I'd say to avoid is Rail Ninja which does up in search results and accepts foreign cards, but it's often much more expensive! For example, first class would have cost £60 on there! 📣 LET ME KNOW… Would you opt for economy or first class for this journey?!! #korea #southkorea #koreantrain #koreanbullettrain #bullettrain #train ♬ original sound - Cheap Holiday Expert

Chelsea opted for economy at a one-way price of £33.25 ($43.85), while "Luxury James" sprung for a first-class ticket at £46.54 ($61.37).

The journey is around 260 miles via train, 245 via car, and 210 via flight, according to Distance.to. In the caption, Chelsea said they were "GUTTED" to miss out on the newest bullet train, which makes the trip in 2 hours, 17 minutes. Their train still made the journey in a swift 2 hours, 43 minutes, for an average speed of 96 mph.

In the video, James and Chelsea show the differences. The biggest one is probably that James' train had a seating configuration of three seats per row versus the four in economy. That means a more spacious setup. 

From there, it's mostly goodies such as a luxury carpet, complimentary radio stations, self-service water, an included snack box, and free reading selections.

"So much luxury," James muses as he enjoys the perks, including Jeonghan magazine.

But the economy class didn't skimp on the essentials. It included plugs for electronics, reclining seats, ventilation, identical bathrooms to first class, adjustable armrests, a tray table, a footrest, a reading light, and a comfy seat.

The video concludes with each traveler declaring their ticket the way to go — Chelsea for the extra beer money, James for the comfort and goodies.

Either way, travelers are certainly blessed in South Korea with a wealth of train options to fit all budgets. Bullet trains are becoming increasingly popular globally as a fast and lower-hassle way to travel than air travel. It's also better for the planet, as a Chinese study showed pollution per passenger is markedly lower than flights.

Would you support a tax increase to pay for high-speed rail in your state? Absolutely 👍 Probably 🤔 I don't know 🤷 No way 👎 Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.

While Asia is the leader in bullet trains, Europe and North America are making exciting progress with new routes.

TikTok commenters were split on which way to go.

"For the small difference in price, I'd definitely go first class," one wrote.

"There's really no difference…and to me it was a waste of money," another countered.

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