Make sure you know the best time and place to watch it live. Prepare your best outfit then pose in the middle of a row of beautiful blooming flowers. Here are 7 of the best places you can enjoy spring in Korea:

1. Seoul Grand Park

Seoul Grand Park is one of the amusement parks in Seoul that has many choices of rides such as theme gardens , zoos, chairlift rides (skylift), campsites, to the Seoul land playground.

You can enjoy cherry blossoms comfortably in this theme garden area while relaxing in the cool air. During spring, in the garden area there will be a spring festival so that it is decorated to be more beautiful and very instagrammable .

Address : 102 Daegongwongwangjang-ro, Makgye-dong, Gwacheon-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea

Harga Tickets: Adults £2,000 / Teenagers £1,500 / Children £1,000

Website : http://grandpark.seoul.go.kr.

Transportasi: Seoul Grand Park Station (Seoul Subway Line 4), Exit 2 or 3.

2. Yeouido Spring Flower Festival (Jalan Yeouiseo-ro (Yunjung-no)

There are about 1,886 cherry trees lined this way. Imagine how beautiful this area is filled with pink cherry blossoms.

This street is one of the most famous places to enjoy the cherry blossoms in bloom. The spring festival is regularly held every year, so there will be many exciting attractions and of course there is an area that sells Korean street food .

Alamat: Yeouiseo-ro, Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul. Area of Yeouiseo-ro (behind the National Assembly Building), Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul

Operating Hours : All Day

Ticket Price : Free

Transportation :

• Dangsan Station (Subway Line 2 or 9), Exit 4. 20 minute walk ;
• Yeouinaru Station (Subway Line 5), Exit 1. 20 minute walk ;
• Yeouido Station (Subway Line 5 or 9), Exit 5. Take Bus 162, 262, or 461 to National Assembly Bus Stop ; 4) National Assembly Station (Subway Line 9), Exit 1 or 6. 5 minute walk.

3. Seokcheon Lake

If you like a quiet atmosphere to enjoy the spring, a leisurely walk or sit around the lake Soekcheon this could be the right choice.

Enjoying the fresh air with a view of the rows of pink cherry trees surrounding the lake with calm water will make our mood relax.

In addition, we can see the spring festival held regularly at Seokcheon Lake between early April to mid-April. This lake is near Lotte World,

Alamat : 148, Jamsil-ro, Songpa-gu, Seoul Seokchonhosu Lake area (Waterside Stage, Seoul Nori Madang, Gallery’Su’)

Operating Hours : All Day

Ticket Price : Free

Transportasi: Jamsil Station (Seoul Subway Line 2 and 8), Exit 2 or 10. Walk approx. 200m to Seokchonhosu Lake.

4. Everland

The beauty of the typical building of the castle of Everland coupled with the cherry blossoms will make us unable to stop taking pictures, because every spot becomes very beautiful.

In addition, we can also see directly the blooming tulips without having to fly to the land of windmills. In order to welcome spring, Everland resort regularly holds a Tulip Festival every year. Besides tulips, you can also enjoy other flowers in the Rose garden area, namely azaleas, forsythias, camellias and freesiasdi.

Address : 38 Everland-ro 562Beon-gil, Pogog-eup, Cheoin-gu, Yongin-si, Gyeonggi-do, Korea

Operating Hours : 10:00-22:00

Ticket Price: Entrance Ticket Everland

Transportation :

• Jeondae-Everland Station (Yongin EverLine), Exit 3.
• Take the shuttle bus to Everland (Operating hours 05:30-23:30).

• Sinnonhyeon, Gangnam, Yangjae Stations: Bus 5002
• Pangyo, Segok-dong, Suseo, Songpa, Jamsil, Gangbyeon Stations: Bus 5700
• Sadang, Nambu Terminal Stations (via Bundang and Gwangju): Bus 1500-2
• Gangbyeon, Gangdong Stations (via Gwangju): Bus 1113

5. Jinhae Guhangje Festival

Located around the Jungwon area and Jinhae City, here you can enjoy a row of beautiful cherry trees as well as the biggest Spring Festival in Korea. During the festival there will be various cultural performances as well as amazing military performances.

Alamat : Tongsin-dong, Jinhae-gu, Changwon-si, Gyeongsangnam-do

Operating Hours: All Day

Ticket Price : Free

Transportation :

[Express/Intercity Bus]

From Seoul Nambu Bus Terminal, take an intercity bus to Jinhae.

• From Jinhae Intercity Bus Terminal, go 30m straight and turn right onto Jungwondong-ro Road.
• Go 350m straight, and stay left at the fork.
• Go 230m to arrive at the festival venue

[Local Bus]

• Jinhae Changwon: 150, 751, 752
• Jinhae ↔ Masan: 160, 162, 760
• Jinhae Line: 301, 302, 303, 305, 306, 309, 315

6. Canola Field, Sakura and Tulips at Guil Station, Gwangmyeong-si, Cheolsan-dong

If you want to see a stretch of Canola flowers, tulips and cherry blossoms in one place, you only need to go to Guil Station then walk about 1.2 km and you are presented with a beautiful and blooming flowerbed.

The bright yellow color of the canola flower will dominate this area, you can take exciting photos at this location.

Address : Cheolsan-dong, Gwangmyeong-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea

Operating Hours : All Day

Ticket Price : Free

Transportasi : Guil Staion. Around 1-1.2 km of walking from Guil station

7. Yuchae Flower Festival in Jeju (Canola)

Yuchae (Canola) is one of the most popular flowers in spring on Jeju Island. It was Yuchue’s flowerbed that would fill this path and turn it into a very beautiful one.

If you visit Jeju Island in spring, make sure you take pictures here. The Yuchae Flower Festival is also the most popular festival on Jeju Island when spring arrives. There are many exciting activities that you can witness and try at this Festival, such as parade performances to cooking competitions.

Alamat : 381-15, Noksan-ro, Seogwipo-si, Jeju-do San41, Gasi-ri, Pyoseon-myeon, Seogwipo-si, Jeju-do (Jorangmal Experience Park)

Operating Hours : All Day

Ticket Price : Free

Transportasi: Approx. 45min from Jeju International Airport (no public transportation available )

It operates many big-box format stores across the United States (including the District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands); all 10 provinces of Canada; and all 32 Mexican states and Mexico City. MRO company Interline Brands (now The Home Depot Pro) is also owned by The Home Depot, with 70 distribution centers across the United States.

History

1978–1999

The Home Depot was co-founded by Bernard Marcus, Arthur Blank, Ron Brill, Pat Farrah, and Ken Langone in 1978.^[6][7][8] The Home Depot’s proposition was to build home-improvement superstores, larger than any of their competitors’ facilities. Investment banker Ken Langone helped Marcus and Blank to secure the necessary capital.

Bernie and I founded The Home Depot with a special vision – to create a company that would keep alive the values that were important to us. Values like respect among all people, excellent customer service and giving back to communities and society^[9]

— Arthur Blank

The Home Depot Atlanta Store Support Center, 2018.

In 1979, the first two stores, built in spaces leased from J. C. Penney that were originally Treasure Island “hypermarket” (discount department and grocery) stores, opened in metro Atlanta (in Doraville and on Memorial Drive in Decatur, both near I-285)^[10] on June 22, 1979.^[11][12] On September 22, 1981, The Home Depot went public on the NASDAQ and raised $4.093 million. The Home Depot joined the New York Stock Exchange on April 19, 1984.

The Home Depot began to branch out of Georgia to Florida in 1981 with stores opening in Hollywood and Fort Lauderdale. By 1984, The Home Depot was operating 19 stores with sales of over $256 million. To enter the Dallas market The Home Depot acquired Bowater Home Center from Bowater Inc. on October 31, 1984, for $40 million. The increased expansion of The Home Depot in the mid-1980s created financial difficulties with earnings falling by 42% and debt rising to $200 million. The financial difficulties of The Home Depot also caused the stock price to fall. To curb The Home Depot difficulties it opened only 10 stores in 1986 with a stock offering 2.99 million shares at $17 per share which helped The Home Depot to restructure its debts.

The Home Depot in Markham, Ontario, Canada

In 1989, The Home Depot became the largest home improvement store in the United States, surpassing Lowe’s. In the 1990s The Home Depot searched for ways to redefine its marketplace. An installation program for quality home improvement items, such as windows or carpets, was launched in 1991 called the EXPO with success. A 480-page book Home Improvement 1-2-3 was published in 1995. The Canadian hardware chain Aikenhead’s Hardware was acquired by The Home Depot in 1994 for $150 million with a 75% share. All of the Aikenhead’s Hardware stores were later converted to The Home Depot stores. By 1995, sales reached $10 billion while operating 350 stores.

Former General Electric executive Robert Nardelli became CEO and president of The Home Depot in 2000.

2000–2007

San Diego maintenance and repair supplies company Maintenance Warehouse was purchased by The Home Depot in 1997 for $245 million. Maintenance Warehouse was purchased because it was a leading direct-mail marketer of maintenance, repair and operations supplies that could reach customers out of reach by The Home Depot. Atlanta-based company Apex Supply was acquired by The Home Depot in 1999. Apex Supply is a wholesale distributor of plumbing, HVAC, industrial pipe and fittings. Apex Supply and Maintenance Warehouse were rebranded in 2004 as “The Home Depot Supply.”

In 2004, Home Depot employees at a suburban Detroit store in Harper Woods, Michigan, rejected a bid to be represented by a labor union, voting 115 to 42 against joining the United Food and Commercial Workers. If the union had won, the Michigan store would have been the first Home Depot to have union representation.

Your Other Warehouse, a large plumbing distributor with a focus on special order fulfillment, was acquired by The Home Depot in 2001. Your Other Warehouse also supplied two divisions of The Home Depot and the EXPO Design Centers. The “EXPO Design Center” division was reorganized in 2001 with three divisions based in the Northeast at South Plainfield, New Jersey, the West at Orange, California, and the Southeast at Atlanta, Georgia.

The Home Depot entered the Mexican market in 2002 with the acquisition of the home improvement chain Del Norte. In addition, The Home Depot had begun construction of stores in Mexicali and Tijuana. In the same year the Home Depot Landscape Supply was launched to integrate professional landscapers and upscale plants into a plant nursery retail chain. Home Depot Landscape Supply lasted only five years with only a few stores each in metro Atlanta and Dallas/Fort Worth. The Home Depot decided to close all Home Depot Landscape Supply stores in late 2007.

In September 2005, Home Depot Direct launched its online home-furnishings store, 10 Crescent Lane, shortly followed by the launch of “Paces Trading Company,” its online lighting store. In mid-2006, the Home Depot acquired Home Decorators Collection, which was placed as an additional brand under its Home Depot Direct division.

In 2006, the Home Depot acquired Hughes Supply the largest home retailer in the United States for $3.2 billion. Hughes Supply was integrated into The Home Depot Supply to better serve business-to-business customers. The Home Depot Supply rebranded under the new name HD Supply in January 2007.Five months later The Home Depot sold HD Supply to a consortium of three private equity firms, The Carlyle Group, Bain Capital and Clayton, Dubilier and Rice (with each agreeing to buy a one-third stake in the division).

2007–present

On January 2, 2007, the Home Depot and Robert Nardelli mutually agreed on Nardelli’s resignation as CEO after a six-year tenure. Nardelli resigned amid complaints about his heavy-handed management and whether his pay package of $123.7 million (excluding stock option grants) over the previous five years was excessive, considering the stock’s poor performance versus its competitor Lowe’s. His severance package of $210 million was criticized because when the stock went down, his pay went up.

Center aisle of a Home Depot store in 2014

His successor, Frank Blake, previously served as the company’s vice chairman of the board and executive vice president. Blake agreed to a much more conservative compensation package than Nardelli, which is very heavily dependent upon the success of the company. Although a longtime deputy to Nardelli at GE and Home Depot, Blake was said to lack Nardelli’s hard edge and instead preferred to make decisions by consensus. Indeed, Blake repudiated many of his predecessor’s strategies, and it has been reported that the two men have not spoken since Nardelli departed Home Depot.

In 2008 and 2009, with the downturn in the housing market, The Home Depot announced the layoff of several thousand associates, as well as the closing of 54 stores nationwide, including the entire EXPO Design Center chain. Associates at EXPO were allowed to re-apply for Home Depot jobs after the layoffs, and did not lose any tenure if hired back. In the year of February 2009, sales totaled $71.288 billion, more than $20 billion down from the peak of two years earlier due to the sale of HD Supply and falling revenue at the retained business. In 2012, they proceeded to close the big-box style stores that they had in China, however smaller stores that specialized in custom products and focused on more intimate interactions between customers and associates remain open there.

In 2013, The Home Depot established two large distribution centers in Atlanta and Los Angeles.

Interline Brands headquarters in Jacksonville, Florida

In August 2014, it was announced that Frank Blake would step down as CEO and would be replaced by 57-year-old Craig Menear. The change occurred on November 1, 2014. Blake would continue with the company as chairman. Menear joined The Home Depot in 1997, and served in various management and vice-presidential positions, until 2003, including merchandising vice president of hardware, merchandising vice president of the Southwest Division, and divisional merchandise manager of the Southwest Division. He subsequently served as senior vice president of merchandising from August 2003 to April 2007. He then served as an executive vice president of merchandising from April 2007 to February 2014. Until becoming CEO, Menear served as president of U.S. Retail from February 2014 to November 1, 2014.

The company had a data breach in September 2014.One major reason for the data breach was the practice of entering credit card numbers directly into computers at the service-desk and pro-desk, and in specialty departments including flooring, kitchen cabinets, appliances, and millwork, rather than using POS credit card terminals directly. The practice was stopped, and Home Depot offered a year of free credit monitoring through AllClearID for any customers who requested it. There were also reports of credit card numbers being stolen when used to make purchases on Homedepot.com.

On July 22, 2015, Home Depot acquired Interline Brands from P2 Capital Partners, Goldman Sachs’ private equity arm, and the management of Interline Brands for $1.6 billion. Interline Brands became fully integrated with The Home Depot in August 2016 with the Interline Brands website merging with The Home Depot website. The subsidiaries of Interline Brands are now companies of The Home Depot.

In 2017, Home Depot acquired the online presence of The Company Store from Hanover Direct. The Company Store was founded in 1911, operating primarily as catalog and online sales, but with five physical locations. The five physical locations were not included in the deal.

In January 2022, The Home Depot announced Craig Menear would be stepping down as the CEO and president effective March 1, 2022 while continuing to serve as the chairman of the board. He was replaced by former executive vice president Ted Decker.

Finances

As of 2020, Home Depot is ranked #26 on the Fortune 500 rankings of the largest United States corporations by total revenue.

For the Q2 of 2020, the company reported sales of $38.1 billion, which represented a growth of 23.4% from the same period, the previous year. The net earnings for the period of three months (ending August 2) rose 27% up to $4.3 billion. The growth in the sales was a result of Americans staying at home as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. In the Q3 for 2020, ending November 1, Home Depot reported a revenue of $33.5 billion; it represents a year-on-year increase of 24 per cent.

Carbon footprint

The Home Depot reported Total CO2e emissions (Direct + Indirect) for the twelve months ending 31 December 2020 at 1,821 Kt (-127 /-6.5% y-o-y).^[48] Reported emissions have been on a declining trend since 2016.

Favorite Thailand

The Danes love Thailand – and we can easily understand why. A welcoming local population, fantastic food, paradise beaches, clear and warm water, tropical nature and lovely warm. When the winter is at its worst here at home, thousands of Danes fly to paradise in Thailand year after year.

See our trips to Thailand

Laidback atmosphere in Bali

Right on the equator lies the paradise island of Bali, which is one of the most beautiful Indonesian islands. Here the landscape is lush, the flowers colorful, vast rice fields, welcoming people, culinary food and fascinating culture! Yes, we could go on – a true paradise. With Apollo you can e.g. travel to the beach paradise of Nusa Dua, child-friendly Sanur, the tourist town of Kuta, cultural Ubud or luxurious Tanjung Benoa.

See our trips to Bali

Fascinating Vietnam

The Vietnamese culture is exciting, and the country’s dramatic history shows itself in the many fascinating sights. But Vietnam also offers some of Asia’s most beautiful white beaches, edged by clear water and swaying palm trees. Can you ask for more?

See our trips to Vietnam

Idyllic Mauritius

Mark Twain said these words about Mauritius “You get the idea that Mauritius was created first and then the Kingdom of Heaven was modeled after Mauritius” – and we couldn’t agree more. This is where you travel if you love quiet beach days in a true paradise with chalk-white beaches, crystal clear and turquoise water.

See our trips to Mauritius 

Colorful Cuba

Cuba has an amazing indefinable magic. Here you are trapped in another time and will experience a fascinating story, and you must always expect the unexpected. Cuba is a prince in a pauper’s shirt – behind the worn facades the gold glitters. Here it is colourful, lively and beautiful. A classic. Hurry before it’s too late.

See our trips to Cuba

Adventurous Dominican Republic

When Columbus discovered the Dominican Republic in 1492, he described the island as “the most beautiful place on the face of the earth”. Few would disagree, and the Caribbean holiday paradise contains much more than “just” picture-postcard beaches and azure waters. Here is a diverse landscape, where you will find everything from tropical rainforest to savannah and desert – and everything in between. A true adventure for active travelers.

Here are some areas in Tokyo that you can explore while shopping. Each place has its own uniqueness! Let’s see below!

1. Asakusa

Asakusa is sort of like the old city of Tokyo. Some of the buildings here are even from the Edo period!

On the road to Senso-ji Temple called Nakamise-dori,  you can find lots of shops selling cute Japanese gifts and souvenirs . Starting from key chains, fridge magnets, to traditional Japanese decorations.

Lots of street food vendors here. Most of them are in the form of snacks such as taiyaki and mochi . Food vendors will not hesitate to scold you if you eat while walking. They will ask you to eat in a special area beside the shop.

2. Ginza

Ginza is a shopping district that has many international brand shops. Many department stores are lined up here.

Starting from Uniqlo, Mitsukoshi, Dover Street Market Ginza, to Ginza Six will satisfy fashionistas from all walks of life.

For those who like art, don’t forget to visit Takumi’s fine craft shop or Itoya’s shop for art supplies . There’s also a pretty big and pretty Apple store in Ginza!

In the photo above, I was in the middle of Ginza street because it was car free day. So, if you’re in Tokyo on Sunday morning, try going to Ginza. When else can you walk and take pictures in the middle of the streets of Tokyo!

3. Akihabara

Akihabara is an electronics shopping center in Tokyo. Apart from electronics, there are also many shops selling various items related to games, anime, Jpop culture, and the like

For fans of the JKT48 group, Akihabara is the place where the band came from. Who else if not AKB48. Their biggest theater is here if you want to watch the performance of this band of beautiful girls.

For me who is a photography fan, there are lots of camera shops in Akihabara. I could spend hours walking around this place. My favorite shop is Yodobashi Camera. In this place there are hundreds of cameras, lenses, and photography equipment that we can try right away!

Oh yes, there are many ‘maid cafes’ in Akihabara that you can try. The cafe is like a regular cafe, but the maids at the maid cafe are cute girls wearing anime-style maid costumes!

4. Harajuku

This place is home to young people who look ‘Japanese hipster’ or more popularly known as harajuku style . Shopping centers here are centered on Takeshita-dori and Omote-sando.

Shopping here you will find many items that are quite unique. For clothes you can start from Laforet, 6% Doki Doki, and Sou-Sou.

There are also some vintage fashion shops like Gallery Kawano, or RagTag for preloved items.

If you are observant, you can get good second hand clothes. Because usually people in Tokyo are very happy to change fashion modes, but their storage cabinets are very limited due to limited residential space. So they sell a lot of their old clothes.

5. Narita/Haneda airport

Narita or Haneda Airport could be your last shopping place before flying home.

You can find souvenirs and gifts such as tokyo banana, tokyo milk cheese factory, and other popular souvenirs here. So you don’t have to worry if you forget something. Although the price is a little more expensive than you buy in the city.

After shopping at Narita Airport, I prefer to wait for the plane at the Sakura Lounge. Because it is located directly facing the aircraft parking lot so we can enjoy passing planes.

If you are a digibank Travel credit card user , you will have access to DragonPass Airport Lounge and even 850+ airport lounges worldwide . Not only that, when I was waiting for the plane at the airport in Indonesia, I was given complimentary food and beverages from Starbucks Airport Indonesia!

Every time I buy a ticket with a digibank Travel Signature credit card , I get Travel Protection of up to 1 billion rupiah , so I don’t get too carried away with the issue of airlines that like to suddenly delay or lose luggage.

6. Shinjuku

Shinjuku is very crowded. Especially when night falls, the lights from the building’s billboards seem to clash with each other.

In Shinjuku you can shop at Isetan, one of the most popular department stores in Japan. Or go to Don Quijote, a convenience store that has items that are ‘very Japanese’ because of their uniqueness and idiosyncrasies.

For those who want to shop for electronics in Shinjuku, you can too, if you are not interested in coming to Akihabara.

7. Shibuya

Besides being famous for the super busy Shibuya Crossing, you can also make Shibuya a pretty interesting shopping place. Cheap music shops are scattered here. For those who like hipster fashion, you can check Shibuya 109 or Fake Tokyo.

For those who like coffee, you can try Starbucks at one corner of this Shibuya intersection. Because the view from here is quite interesting to watch the people crossing!

As of 31 December 2021, Etsy had over 120 million items in its marketplace, and the online marketplace for handmade and vintage goods connected 7.5 million sellers with 96.3 million buyers. At the end of 2021, Etsy had 2,402 employees. In 2021, Etsy had total sales, or Gross Merchandise Sales (GMS), of US$13.5 billion on the platform. In 2021, Etsy garnered a revenue of US$2.3 billion and registered a net income of US$493.5 million. The platform generates revenue primarily from three streams: its Marketplace revenue includes a fee of 6.5% of final sale value, which an Etsy seller pays for each completed transaction, on top of a listing fee of 20 cents per item; Seller Services, Etsy’s fastest growing revenue stream, includes fees for services such as “Promoted Listings”, payment processing, and purchases of shipping labels through the platform; while Other revenue includes fees received from third-party payment processors.

General

Selling

Creating a shop on Etsy requires creating and posting at least one listing in the shop which costs $0.20. Each listing will remain on the shop’s page for a maximum of 4 months, or until someone buys the product. The prices of products are set by the shop owner, but Etsy claims 6.5% of the final sale price of listing and 5% of postal fee. Shop owners are sent a bill at the end of every month detailing the fees Etsy has charged them, and they have until the 15th of the following month to pay the fees.Sellers can choose which payment options to offer buyers, including credit cards, debit cards, and PayPal, among others.

Buying

On the Etsy homepage, potential buyers can type a “product description” into the search bar, or, alternatively, they can “browse” through a list of options on the left side of the homepage, which includes Art, Home & Living, Jewelry, Women, Men, Kids, Vintage, Weddings, Craft Supplies, Trending Items, Gift Ideas, Mobile Accessories, and more. Furthermore, buyers may choose from a list of categories by clicking on the “categories” link under “More Ways to Shop”. This will bring the user to a page of over 30 categories, each containing subcategories.

When a buyer views a product, they can choose to view the positive percentage feedback of each seller to determine the reliability of the shop. Once a buyer finds a product they would like to buy, they click “Add to Cart”, and that product is added to their virtual “Shopping Cart”. The buyer may then either continue shopping, or purchase the selected item. In order to purchase items, buyers do not have to have an account with Etsy, and can instead register with a Facebook or Google account.

Etsy has received criticism for its handling of customer data and privacy as of 2016, according to the “Privacy Policy” section on the website: “By using Etsy, you authorise Etsy to use your information in the United States, Ireland and any other country where Etsy operates”.

Operations

Etsy is popular as a side-business, as well as a place to buy goods made from recycled and upcycled materials, along with less expensive or more unusual versions of mass-produced items. The unique nature of many of the items for sale is part of their appeal to some shoppers. Product photos on Etsy tend to be editorial or artistic instead of commercial catalog style. Sellers can add 13 tags to their products to help buyers find them, and buyers can choose to search for items available locally. Etsy staffers publish lists of featured items.

Most sellers are women, who tend to be college-educated and in their twenties and thirties. Individual Etsy sellers decide which payment options to offer buyers; these options may include credit card, cheque, money order, PayPal, bank transfer, and Etsy gift card.

Etsy sellers range from hobbyists to professional artists who use the site to make a living. According to artists who have developed their Etsy stores into their primary jobs, scaling up production of handmade items can require more than full-time work, especially during the holiday shopping season.

Etsy’s main office is in Dumbo, Brooklyn, and it has hosted open crafting classes in the “Etsy Labs”.The site’s technology, customer support, marketing, PR, business, and communications teams operate out of this office. Etsy Labs has a workspace that provides equipment and donated materials, where members gather to make items, take and teach workshops, and attend special events. Etsy also has an office in Berlin.In April 2012, Etsy announced that it was taking steps to hire more women engineers to improve the gender balance of its team, as a website with majority women users but few women engineers. By 2019, 30 percent of Etsy’s engineers identified as “women or non-binary”, and over 30 percent were people of color.

Etsy was one of the main members of the Handmade Consortium, a 2007 effort to encourage buying handmade holiday gifts. Etsy has partnered with the retail chain West Elm to sell some Etsy products in its stores. In December 2012, Etsy opened a temporary holiday storefront in SoHo, New York City. In 2019, the UK’s first Etsy store was opened in Didcot, Oxfordshire. The store features over 50 local makers & small businesses and an eco refill station, selling packaging free groceries including dry foods, toiletries, and cleaning products.

History

2005–2014

Etsy staff at work, July 2010

Art in the Etsy office in Brooklyn

Etsy office in Dublin

The site was launched in 2005by iospace, a small company composed of Robert Kalin, Chris Maguire, and Haim Schoppik. The initial version had taken two and a half months to build. Later Jared Tarbell joined the team. Former NPR executive Maria Thomas joined as COO in 2008, was promoted to CEO and left Etsy in December 2009. Robert Kalin resumed his role as CEO from December 2009 until July 2011. Investors include Sean Meenan, Albert Wenger, Spencer and Judson Ain, Union Square Ventures, and founders of Flickr and Delicious.

Kalin said that he named the site Etsy because he “wanted a nonsense word because I wanted to build the brand from scratch. I was watching Fellini’s 8 ½ and writing down what I was hearing. In Italian, you say etsi a lot. It means ‘oh, yes’ (actually it’s “eh, si“). And in Latin and French, it means ‘what if’.” In Greek, Etsy means “just because”.

In Etsy’s first year, it attracted attention for frequently adding new tools and functionality to the site to help sellers gain exposure and traffic, including Adobe Flash-based visualizations and a taxonomy of categories with tags.Etsy passed $1.7 million in sales in May 2007.On July 29, Etsy had its one-millionth sale and anticipated its two-millionth sale would occur mid-December 2007. In November 2007, buyers spent $4.3 million purchasing 300,000 items for sale on Etsy, an increase of 43 percent from October 2007.In June 2007, it expected to be profitable by the fall,but in December 2007 it was not a profitable company. In January 2008, Etsy received an additional $27 million in funding from Union Square Ventures, Hubert Burda Media, and Jim Breyer.

In February 2008, trouble at eBay, including a strike by some dissatisfied sellers, brought speculation that Etsy could be an increasing competitor. At the same time, however, some Etsy sellers expressed discontentment with how Etsy was handling complaints about stores At the time, a comparison of the two websites included complaints that on Etsy, items are difficult to find, the interface “feels slow”, and the buying and selling process is United States-centric. Other reviewers enjoyed using Etsy’s specialized search options, including the “Shop Local” tool.

In July 2008, Rob Kalin ceded the position of CEO to Maria Thomas. Some longtime Etsy employees left the company in August 2008, including founders Haim Schoppik and Chris Maguire. In September 2008, Etsy hired Chad Dickerson, who formerly worked at Yahoo!, as Chief Technology Officer. The company acknowledged concerns about vendors selling other people’s work as their own.

In April 2009, users organized an “etsyday” promotion on Twitter that brought extra attention to the site. As of May 2009, it had approximately 60 employees and sales of $10 to 13 million per month, possibly boosted by consumer interest in cheaper and more personalized goods due to the United States recession.

In March 2010, Kalin said that the company is profitable and “plans to go public, though not until at least next year”.Financial statements required to be filed by Etsy in order to go public show that due to reinvestment of annually increasing gross profits in marketing, product development, and management, the company has not reported a net profit as of 2015.

In December 2010, Etsy said it had seven million registered users, and that it would continue to focus on a personal community feel as it grows larger, as that is part of what distinguishes it from eBay.

In March 2011, Etsy “introduced a Facebook-style social networking system called People Search…to help buyers and sellers connect with each other and become friends”. By doing so, Etsy made any past purchase with feedback easily searchable, which caused many complaints. Etsy then made changes to the site to better guard information regarding users’ purchases.

In July 2011, Chad Dickerson, CTO since September 2008, became CEO, upon the firing of Rob Kalin. Later CTOs were Kellan Elliot-McCrea and John Allspaw.

In April 2012, a newspaper article about Etsy covered its fraud detection efforts; Etsy had been criticized in the past for inconsistently applying its rules about items having to be handmade. Later in April 2012, the writer of Regretsy, a popular blog, did independent research into a specific featured vendor, Ecologica Malibu, and found evidence to accuse the vendor of being a reseller, which would be against the Etsy Terms of Service.The vendor asserted that it was in line with the Terms of Service, stating that the shop had simply failed to identify itself as a “collective” that included the work of several individuals, and many Etsy community members posted on the Etsy forum expressing unhappiness with the action (or lack of action) taken by Etsy. As of June 2012, the vendor’s account is no longer active on Etsy.

In May 2012, Etsy raised $40 million in Series F funding, and announced the company had become a B Corp. This B Lab certification lapsed in 2017. Etsy’s 2012 funds went towards expanding Etsy in international markets, including France, Germany, and Australia.

On October 1, 2013, Dickerson held an online Town Hall Meeting to announce that Etsy would now permit factory-made goods and drop shipping, provided the seller either designed or hired designers of the items, disclosed to Etsy their factory, disclosed that they used factories and took “ownership” of the process. In that meeting and afterward, Etsy claimed the meaning of the word “handmade” should be redefined to encompass factory made.

In June 2014, Etsy purchased A Little Market, a French e-commerce site for handmade goods, foods, and wine, for a mix of cash and stock valued at less than $100 million. At the time the acquisition was the company’s largest.

2015: IPO and investor lawsuit

On March 3, 2015, Etsy announced that it had filed for a $100 million IPO. As of 2015, Etsy generated transactions worth US$1.93 billion on its platform, which has 54 million members Etsy went public on April 16, 2015, selling 13.3 million shares, while other stockholders including venture capital firms such as Accel and Acton Capital Partners were selling the rest. The company’s valuation was $1.8 billion and raised $237 million in IPO proceeds. Less than a month later, Etsy stock dropped more than 8%. The stock closed at $30 on its first day of trading on April 16 and dropped down to $20.32 as of May 11.

Shortly after the IPO in 2015, a group of investors filed a class action lawsuit against Etsy claiming fraud. The suit claimed that Etsy’s CEO and officers failed to disclose numerous problems with the site which could affect the stock price, among them that “more than 5 percent of all merchandise for sale on Etsy’s website may be either counterfeit or constitute trademark or copyright infringement” and that “brands are increasingly pursuing sellers on Etsy for trademark or copyright infringement, jeopardizing listing fees and commissions”. The suit also claimed that Etsy management knew of the rampant trademark and copyright infringement but did little to stop it, and in fact worked to hide this information from potential investors.

2016–present

In November 2016, Etsy disclosed that it paid US$32.5 million to purchase Blackbird Technologies, a startup that developed AI software used for shopping context/search applications. After experiencing a first-quarter loss in May 2017, Etsy replaced its chief executive and cut 8% of its workforce. In May 2017, Board member Josh Silverman was appointed CEO over Chad Dickerson, citing pressure from shareholders and poor profits.

In July 2019, Etsy acquired the music based marketplace Reverb for $275 million.

In April 2020, Etsy issues a call to all sellers on the site to start making cloth face masks to combat COVID-19. Masks accounted for around 11% of gross-merchandise sales in the third quarter, selling roughly 24 million. During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, shares in Etsy more than quadrupled, with the company’s forward multiple going up around 90 times what analysts had expected from forward earning. Equity analyst at D.A. Davidson Tom Forte stated the pandemic gave customers incentive to return to the website multiple times, rather than the usual occasional purchase of a unique product.

On June 2, 2021, Etsy announced that it had agreed to acquire shopping app Depop, the global fashion resell marketplace for $1.63 billion.

In most locations where Etsy Payments is not available, new shops are unable to onboard to Etsy. As of April 26, 2021, most sellers opening new shops on Etsy are required to onboard with Etsy Payments, which brings limitations on creating new shops in some countries.

Privacy

In 2011, in an effort to add social networking features to Etsy, the company implemented features that allowed users to search other users’ buying histories and to trace their purchasing transactions. Etsy thought this feature would allow Etsy users to connect to individuals with similar buying and/or selling histories and an automatic opt-in was applied to all users without the attainment of prior permission. Users of the service raised concerns over the feature’s violation of privacy rights, but an official response was not released by the company.

Type	Public
Traded as	Nasdaq: ETSY S&P 500 component
Industry	E-commerce
Founded	June 18, 2005; 17 years ago
Founders	Robert Kalin Chris Maguire Haim Schoppik Jared Tarbell
Headquarters	Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
Key people	Josh Silverman (CEO)
Revenue	US$2.33 billion (2021)
Operating income	US$465.7 million (2021)
Net income	US$493.5 million (2021)
Total assets	US$3.83 billion (2021)
Total equity	US$628.6 million (2021)
Number of employees	2,402 (December 2021)
Subsidiaries	Depop
Website	etsy.com

Popular Etsy Promo Codes & Sales

Get Fabulous Etsy coupons

best known for its coupons and deals in India’s online shopping market. The company helped millions of online shoppers save big on their purchases. It also has a wide collection of deals on Etsy, the global marketplace for unique goods. You can browse through the marvelous Etsy coupons listed on this page to buy your most-liked product from the platform without spending a fortune!

About Etsy

These days, people get easily bored of out-dated products. Everyone needs some unique product to make their lives look colourful and different! And, to help you get such quirky products, Etsy was born. Etsy is a large marketplace where sellers and buyers can directly interact with each other. Sellers, who want to make their business idea a success, can list their unique goods on the platform and sell them directly to consumers. Whereas, buyers who really love unconventional products, can find a plethora of such goods on this platform.

Popular Product Categories at Etsy

Want to satisfy your shopping cravings? Etsy can help you out! It can be your go-to buddy in buying unique and trendy goods. From wall decor to self care, from craft kits to jewelry, from clothing to home decor, you can choose from a vast range of product categories. The company also offers many exquisite products be it bath & beauty gifts, sustainability products, wallets, vintage collections, bags and other gift ideas.

Why Esty?

Etsy has made it possible for small sellers to make it big through its platform. It has become a home to unique and extraordinary products. The platform has become a special page for all those who love unconventional, quirky and vintage products. The sellers and the products will go through a strict inspection before being onboarded so you don’t have to worry about anything! Just shop your heart out at Etsy and buy your unique yet beautiful products at an affordable price!

Kobe

Many people have been here, but at most they only eat the famous Kobe beef . Whereas Kobe is more than just food because there are many interesting places to visit.

A walk in downtown Kobe is a pleasure because the city is dotted with beaches on one side and mountains on the other. Start walking in the Sannomiya area which is a shopping and culinary center. From there, visit Ikuta Shrine . This beautiful shrine which is one of the oldest in Japan is believed by local people to bring a soul mate when praying there.

Not far from there we can visit the Kobe Mosque . The mosque, which was built in 1935, is the first mosque in Japan. The surrounding area is indeed inhabited by Muslim residents, so it is not surprising that there are many shops and restaurants that serve halal food.

If you want to buy souvenirs or snacks, you can go to Kitano Meister Garden . Although the name is “garden”, it is not a park, but a retro-styled former school building. On the second floor, I tried to learn to make food samples (made from wax that we often see in the window) in the form of macarons . It turns out that it’s really hard to decorate small things like that, my eyes are leaking!

What’s fun, visit Kobe Animal Kingdom . It’s actually a zoo, but what makes it different is that many of the animals aren’t kept in cages so visitors can pet them right away! It was there that I first saw and petted a capybara , the world’s largest type of rat weighing about 50 kg! Other unique animals include the alpaca , kangaroo and red panda (the Master Shifu in the Kung Fu Panda film). Don’t forget to have lunch at the Flower Forest restaurant, which serves delicious all-you-can-eat food.

If you’re in Kobe in early December, head to Kobe East Park to see Kobe Luminarie . This festival is held every year to commemorate the victims of the Henshin earthquake in 1995. The lamp installation as large as a building made by Italian craftsmen is simply gorgeous! Another unique place to visit at night is Nankinmachi or Kobe’s Chinatown which was built in 1868. Along the way there are shopping centers and cheap foodies.

Recommendation
– From Kansai Airport (KIX) the fastest to Kobe by taking the high-speed ferry . From the airport, just take the shuttle bus to the Airport Pier. In half an hour’s ferry ride to Kobe. Much faster than the road which takes 1.5 hours.
– To save on the train ride in Osaka-Kobe, use the Hanshin tourist pass for 500 yen for 1 day unlimited , or if in Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto use the Hankyu tourist pass for 700 yen for 1 day unlimited .
– Hotel: Kobe Portopia Hotel – cool architecture, spacious rooms for Japan.

Tokushima

Tokushima is located on Shikoku Island, but is easily accessible by train or bus from Kobe or Osaka which is connected by a bridge. The landscape of Tokushima is really spectacular because it is a mountain with a green water river. It is the center of Japanese agriculture. Perfect for nature lovers like me!

At Oboke Gorge, join the Oboke Pleasure Cruise trip . By riding a motorized boat containing about 20 passengers, we are taken along the turquoise Yoshino River surrounded by large white rocks and forest on a cliff whose leaves are yellow-orange-purple in autumn.

Not far from there is Kazurabashi Bridge , an ancient suspension bridge made of vine branches. Walking on this 45-meter-long and 14-meter-high bridge makes your guts cringe because of the rocking and the infrequent distance between your feet! But the surrounding scenery is amazingly beautiful. The area around the bridge is also fun to explore on foot. You can relax while sitting on the rocks by the river or contemplating at the Biwa waterfall while eating grilled Ayu fish caught from the river and seasoned with salt.

Recommendation
– Lunch: Rest House Ueno – Gyudon (rice with beef) there is super delicious!
– Hotel: Obokekyo Mannaka. This is a ryokan -style inn or traditional Japanese inn where you sleep on tatami , has its own onsen , and guests are required to wear a yukata .

Tottori

Didn’t think there were Sand Dunes in Japan ! Japan’s largest desert is located along 16 km of beach in Tottori and up to 50 meters high that was formed over 30,000 years. The sand is very fine yellowish color, the desert is wide, the beach is beautiful, so it’s really spectacular!

Opposite is the Sand Museum or the sand art museum which contains various sculptures and sculptures made of sand! Every year the theme is different, this year the theme is South Asia. The statues of Mahatma Gandhi and Buddha, to Patan Durbar Square and Varanasi are made large and very detailed with the activities of people in the background.

What’s unique is the Nijisseiki Pear Museum in Kurayoshi. This museum contains all sorts of things about pears in the world, especially the Nijisseiki pears that are widely produced in this area. We can see the history of pears, how to cultivate pears, to   pear tasting and eating pear ice cream.

Recommendation
– Dinner: Izakaya Gyoen – the food at this traditional Japanese bar is delicious, especially the fried variety.
– Hotel: St Palace Kurayoshi – the hotel is basic but strategically located opposite the train station.

Osaka

The biggest city in Kansai is Osaka, so definitely stop by here. Outside of Namba and Dotonbori for shopping and dining, there are still many interesting places to visit.

As a fan of looking up at the city from above, I love Abeno Harukas . This 300 meter high skyscraper has an observation deck on the 60th floor which can see Osaka 360°. During winter , there is an illumination of light that is shot at the walls.

Did you know that near Osaka, in Sakai , there are sites that are included in the UNESCO World Heritage List? In Sakai there are k ofun or ancient tombs of Japanese kings from the 3-7th century AD. Uniquely, this tomb looks like a keyhole from above, but it is very wide and surrounded by a lake – up to 486 meters wide! There are a lot of kofun around Sakai, it’s going to be very noisy if you go around all of them. The easiest way to learn it is to go to the Mozu and Furuichi Tumuli clusters , enter the Sakai City Museum, then watch Virtual Reality .

In the afternoon, drink matcha tea at Machiya Café é Sacay , while learning how to make a Japanese cake called wagashi (a kind of mochi made in cute shapes). Before returning to Indonesia, don’t forget to shop at MEGA Don Quijote . There are several convenience stores and cheap ones in Osaka, but the one in Shinsekai is the largest so it’s a pleasure to choose.

From Prague, again I took the bus to Paris. It’s a long 12 hour journey. However, because this is a night bus and quite comfortable, it doesn’t really matter.

Arriving in Paris, to be precise at the Porte Maillot bus terminal, I immediately looked for transportation to the center of the city. Luckily the subway station is not too far from the terminal.

But just entering the station, I was almost fooled by ticket brokers. Scams plus scammers too.

He used a fake ID card and claimed to be an information officer. I was suspicious because he was not wearing a uniform and after showing the ID card, he immediately put it back in his jacket pocket.

The scalper offered to help buy a travel pass for transportation in Paris for almost double the price. Luckily I was able to google it (luckily I have a portable modem that I rented from Jakarta) and made sure to return it to the clerk at the counter.

The condition of the station which is very full makes it easy to act. Failing to outsmart me, he headed straight for his next target. I also only bought a single ticket at the direct counter because it was only one night here.

I arrived in Paris still around 8 in the morning. The streets are very quiet, there is no meaningful activity. It was raining in Paris that morning. From the Montparnasse train station, I had to walk about a kilometer.

After dropping my suitcase at the hostel, I rushed to my main destination: the Eiffel Tower!

The metro (subway) in Paris for a single ticket is 1.9 euros. Far near. Quite expensive if we only want to walk only 2-3 stations. So I decided to take a walk while looking for breakfast.

What I like about Europe is that although there are not many street food vendors, many cafes have outdoor seating on the side of the road. It looks good, but when it’s cold, like me, when it’s winter to spring, it won’t last long outside.

It rained. Luckily I was inside the cafe while enjoying a warm croissant and cappuccino for 5 euros. It’s been raining for a long time. Some people are already busy reading books and writing with notebooks. I’m the only one who messes with playing with a cellphone that’s plugged into a powerbank.

One of the things I love about Paris is that the pastries are delicious! Just pick a random shop on the street, most of them will taste great imho!

After relaxing for a while at the cafe, it was still drizzling. But I continued my journey to Eiffel. I also accidentally passed the Flame of Liberty, which accidentally became a memorial to Lady Diana, the British princess who died in a car accident in 1997 in the tunnel just below this monument.

From here, it was increasingly clear that Eiffel was on the other side of the Seine. Unfortunately, it was still drizzling and the sky was still covered with gray clouds.

The closer to the Eiffel, the more crowded people became. After arriving in front of the eiffel, it is more like a market under the Sutet tower.

Many hawkers offer typical eiffel merchandise such as key chains and miniatures. This merchant every time he saw us would scream, “Cheap, cheap, cheap, come on, cheap, cheap….!”

In fact, I hear the words “Ni hao Ni hao…” more often, coming out of the mouths of sellers than “Bonjour…”. There are so many tourists from all over the world here. Be careful with the sellers here. If you really don’t want to buy, don’t even try. Bracelets, for example. They will force you to pay for it

For me, there is nothing so special about the Eiffel Tower. During the day he looks just like a giant scrap metal. If it’s night and seen from a distance, I admit it’s charming.

Here you have to be careful. Lots of scams and pickpockets. Make sure your belongings are safe in your bag, especially important items like your passport. Around the Eiffel also many people play to guess the position of the ball that is randomized in several glasses. Of course in the form of a bet that you will definitely lose because he will cheat!

In the afternoon, I visited another famous Paris icon, namely the Louvre Museum, which became a lot of shooting locations for these famous films.

Well anyway, maybe because it’s been more than two weeks walking in Europe I’m quite tired and not doing much in Paris. Although some of the posts above I have a little italics about Paris, this city is still fun. Depends from which angle you look at it. But there’s nothing wrong with being careful. Especially in other countries.

From Paris I went to Amsterdam to return to Jakarta. See you soon Europe!

Hong Kong classic breakfast! Bolo Bau is a very dense sweet bread. In the middle there is butter which is quite large and creates a savory taste to complement the sweet taste. The texture of the top is crunchy but the inside is very soft.

After that, we splashed our tongues with Hong Kong milk tea which was very bitter but smooth . Our morning in Hong Kong is complete!

Many cafes open only for breakfast in Hong Kong! Usually open from 6 am to 10 or 11 pm only.

Oh yeah, even though the English translation is pineapple bun, this bun doesn’t contain pineapple at all. But this crunchy top texture, which is similar to pineapple, has made Bo Lo Bau’s name Pineapple Bun!

The place I eat in the photo above and also my recommendation to try this Bo Lo Bun is Kam Wah Cafe ( 47 Bute Street, Mongkok , Hong Kong).

2. Shopping like Syahrini and Mother Maia at Tsim Sha Tsui, so that you can be like a socialite even though it’s BPJS (Socialite’s Mediocre Budget)

Tsim Sha Tsui is the shopping center of Hong Kong. There is a really big mall called Harbor City. That line of Louis Vuitton, Gucci, and the like is still in the Harbor City mall.

But even if you don’t have the budget to shop for bags like Syahrini, Tsim Sha Tsui is still fun for sightseeing! The streets are photogenic. Moreover, at the end of the road there is Victoria Harbor which is pretty cool at night. At least I can pretend to be shopping while holding the bag I bought at the Temple Street market haha!

If you go to Hong Kong, your goal is to shop at Tsim Sha Tsui, stay in this area so that it’s easy to carry groceries in those suitcases. I stayed at the Getaway hotel (Marco Polo) , still inside Harbor City. Just steps from Louis Vuitton. The rooms are very nice and get tea time in the afternoon!

4. Eat DIM SUM! There is halal dim sum you know in Hong Kong!

Dim Sum is enough to be one reason for me to return to Hong Kong. Very delicious! I eat baskets like I’m not full hehe!

For those whose diet is halal food, in Hong Kong there is a halal dim sum place at Osman Ramju Sadick Islamic Center Canteen in the Wan Chai area. In this five-story mosque building, there is a small canteen on the fifth floor. They have a lot of typical Cantonese menu including this dim sum!

Where’s the hakau…

5. Shop at Temple Street Market. Bid until satisfied!

Now, those who want to shop for things such as bags, clothes, and accessories such as cell phone cases can here. You can bid too. It’s just that, be mentally prepared if you are yelled at by the old merchants here if you make a sadistic offer.

So the story goes that my sister was bidding on a bag at Temple Street Market with my grandmother. It cost HK$140, bargained for $80. After a lot of bargaining, we decided to go find another bag. The grandmother immediately said in a cantonese accent, “You’re my first customer, I’ll give you $50. You are happy, I am happy.”

But we still go. After playing around, it turns out that the grandmother’s price was indeed the cheapest. When I got back there, my grandmother didn’t want to give me another $50. “I told you, I have the best price. No more fivty. Now it’s $100,” said the old woman hoarsely. I keep buying it with my sister, I should be able to get two of those, haha!

6. Ladies, don’t forget to shop for beauty products at LADIES MARKET

For ladies who are crazy about cosmetics or cheap masks, you can shop here. I don’t know haha!

But it’s pretty good for those who open open POs and deposit services. Uhm.

7. If you’re feeling low, try taking the TRAM Around Hong Kong City!

This tram has been around since 1904 in Hong Kong. Even though they already have a subway (MTR), this tram is still maintained.

Try going to the 2nd floor of the tram to get a slow experience around the city of Hong Kong. The road is not fast, but it passes many interesting spots in the Western district, causeway bay, happy valley, and north point. Once up the fare is HKD 2.3. You can use an Octopus card or pay cash directly.

8. See the old apartment building in Quarry Bay

Land is an expensive item in Hong Kong. The average person lives in an apartment. In the Causeway Bay area there are all apartment complexes that are very close to each other between the buildings. One of them is this Fok Cheung building. Because of its unique shape, this place is a tourist favorite if you want to go to Hong Kong. Just because this is a residential area, please respect the people who live there. At least don’t be noisy when you’re taking pictures.

9. Shopping (again) in Times Square

Not to be outdone by New York, Hong Kong also has Times Square in Causeway Bay. There are lots of random shops nearby, from cosmetics to apple stores. But what’s cool here is the mall. The series of elevators and stairs are photogenic!

10. Ride to Victoria Peak on the Peak Tram from 1906!

Victoria Peak is one of the highest points in Hong Kong. There are several ways to get there, you can take a bus for 40 minutes. Or take this tram which is only 7 minutes away!

If you can, don’t come here on the weekend. Queuing for the tram, which has been around since 1888, can take up to two hours! Then in the afternoon, the possibility for fog is even greater.

From the top of Victoria Peak (or more popularly as “The Peak”), you can see the view of Hong Kong city from above!

11. Relax while taking Korean-style photos at Kowloon Park

Hong Kong has many parks that you can enjoy having fun. One of them is this kowloon park. Near this park there is also the Kowloon Mosque for those who want to worship.

12. Go to Apple Store

Before Singapore, Hong Kong was the closest country to Indonesia to have an official Apple Store. In Hong Kong there are several Apple Stores. Everything is majestic. Made of full clear glass. It’s like the clarity of these apple sales cici-cici that made me err in exchanging cc friction with an ipon…

13. Sunday hangout with Indonesian workers in Hong Kong!

If you go to Victoria Park on a Sunday, you will feel like you are at Monas, not in Hong Kong. Because for some reason, these Indonesian workers in Hong Kong are all relaxing. Even when I was there, there was a recitation for mothers….They usually had a picnic while bringing Indonesian food. Gather with comrades in arms, while recharging energy for Monday tomorrow 🙂

14. Enjoy the Hong Kong Skyscrapper from Central Plaza

If you want to enjoy Hong Kong buildings for free, try going up to Central Plaza on the 45th floor. This is an office building that has a 360-degree view of Hong Kong. Usually the employees here unwind while drinking a cup of coffee. The Peak Hill is also visible from this building.

15. Cross from Victoria Harbor to Kowloon by Ferry!

In addition to taking cars, trains, and trams, Hong Kong also has ferry transportation for those who want to go to places near ports that are not accessible by other means of transportation. When crossing, we can enjoy the skyscrapers of Hong Kong. Especially if you spread the afternoon until the evening. Very romantic.

17. Watch the Symphony of the Light Show 

This show is next to Victoria Harbour, still in the Tsim Sha Tsui Waterfront area. Every day at 8 pm this show is always there. There is music and narration that will accompany the laser light in the buildings across from victoria harbour.

In short, an eSIM is an updated version of the famous SIM card that we use to connect to the internet from our smartphone every day. However, this new version, so to speak, has many details that we recommend you know if you are interested in purchasing one.

In this article, in addition to delving into the concept of eSIM, we will also show you how you can obtain one, where you can do it, what requirements you will have to meet to do so and most importantly, what are the advantages, disadvantages and differences with respect to the SIM card. Without further ado, let’s start this eSIM vs SIM duel!

What is an eSIM?

Before starting the comparisons between the eSIM and the SIM card, it is important that you have a clear and concise concept of what an eSIM is. As we mentioned before, we can say that the eSIM is the new digitized version of the traditional SIM Card, but what does this mean? What this means is that with the new eSIM you will be able to connect to the internet just like you do with your eSIM, but instead of inserting a plastic card into your smartphone you will have to scan a QR code with your smartphone’s camera. For more details, we have a post dedicated to the eSIM.

eSIM vs SIM requirements

One of the main aspects that we must take into account before purchasing any of these products are the requirements that they ask of us to be able to use or buy them. As you can see, one of these two options has more requirements than the other, this is mainly due to the fact that the eSIM is a more recent product; However, will it be worth it?

eSIM requirements

As this is a fairly recent product, there are some requirements that you will have to meet in order to use this product. Therefore, we recommend that before you purchase an eSIM with your mobile operator or with an international eSIM provider, you take a look at this series of requirements, so that you do not waste your money or your time:

• The first and most important requirement is to have a smartphone that has integrated eSIM technology.
• If you purchase an eSIM from an international provider, make sure that the eSIM they offer is compatible with your phone. Most of these international providers sell eSIMs compatible with iPhone XS and above.
• If you are going to get an eSIM with your local operator such as Vodafone, Orange or Movistar, you will have to first purchase a postpaid or prepaid data plan that includes said eSIM.
• To make your purchase with international suppliers you will have to fill out a purchase form which includes an email from which the eSIM, your cell phone number, among other information, will be sent to you.
• In some cases, providers will ask you to install their mobile application to manage or purchase the eSIM.

SIM card requirements

On the other hand, the requirements to acquire and use a SIM card are practically non-existent, since all smartphones are capable of using this product. However, it should be noted that there are several types of SIM Card: Nano SIM, MicroSIM and SIM. Depending on the launch date of your mobile, it will accept one or more types of SIM. Recent smartphones use Nano SIMs, while older ones use SIM or MicroSIM.

What are the benefits of eSIM vs SIM?

Is the eSIM better than the SIM card? To answer this question, it is necessary to take a look at the advantages and disadvantages that each of these products offers us. On the one hand, we must take into account that, although the Nano SIMs currently used seem quite small, the reality is that they measure three times more than an eSIM. This implies additional space for more components or perhaps a larger battery. However, the technical benefits are not the only ones that exist between the eSIM vs SIM, since, for users, there are also multiple benefits.

The first of them is that, since there is no SIM card to insert into your smartphone, we will not have to worry about looking for a key to open the SIM tray of our mobile phone nor will we have to worry about the possible loss of the card. In addition to this, portability with the new eSIM is much simpler , since it will be enough to download the operator’s profile using the QR code without having to wait for the physical SIM card and we can even have up to 10 numbers on the same smartphone

On the other hand, if you are a travel lover and love to enjoy a good connection during your vacation, eSIMs can also help you in this regard. Thanks to international eSIMs for travel that will allow you to connect to the internet at any time and anywhere in the world without having to leave your home or hotel to look for a SIM card and without having to wait for an address. Well, since it is a totally virtual product, the shipping time and cost is completely zero.

Disadvantages of eSIM vs SIM

The main disadvantage of the eSIM is that, since it is a fairly recent product, there are not enough smartphones with this technology , which makes it difficult both to use it and to be able to change smartphones without the fear of losing our contacts and numbers. Since we cannot simply transfer your eSIM to a device that does not have this technology. It also makes it more difficult to check for errors, since in the case of SIM cards, if they do not connect to the internet correctly, it is easy to take it out and try it on another smartphone to see if the problem persists. This, however, cannot be done with the eSIM.

Finally, there is the fact that, as always, new technologies take time to become widespread, so the support and availability of eSIMs vs SIMs is quite limited.

How to set up an eSIM vs SIM

Setting up an eSIM is as easy as taking a photo. However, it is important that you know that the configuration process will vary depending on the operating system your smartphone uses. In order to save you some time, below are the two ways to configure your eSIM.

• iOS: First you will have to go to your mobile settings > cell phone or mobile data > Add data plan, after this you will only have to point your mobile camera at the QR code of your eSIM.
• Android: To configure your eSIM you will have to go to Settings > Network and Internet > Add > follow the steps shown > Choose “Use two numbers” when prompted > Scan the QR code.

On the other hand, to configure SIM cards all you have to do is insert the plastic card into your smartphone and follow the steps indicated by your provider or mobile operator. Usually, these steps are to call a number like *111# and select a series of options to activate the SIM card .

How and where to get an eSIM

If after seeing this comparison between the eSIM vs SIM you are interested in acquiring an eSIM, but you don’t know how or where, don’t worry, since here we will show you the two ways to acquire an eSIM so that you can connect to the internet. Before starting, you must keep in mind that there are two types of eSIM, local eSIMs and travel eSIMs. For both types you must have a compatible smartphone and meet the above requirements.

eSIM for travel

To acquire an eSIM for travel you must buy it in virtual stores that offer this type of products. Among these virtual stores, which offers us eSIM for any destination at a fairly affordable price and with additional advantages. Within these additional advantages we can get customer service available 24 hours a day, every day and completely in Spanish.

local eSIM

On the other hand, if you want to purchase a local eSIM you will have to go to one of the branches of any of the mobile operators that offers this product in your country and request a postpaid or prepaid plan that includes an eSIM. In the case of Spain we can acquire a local eSIM with Vodafone. For this we will have to go to your branch and request a data plan that includes this product.

Final recommendation

Finally, we can conclude that, despite still having a long way to go, the eSIM is currently the best option to connect to the internet both in our country of origin and if we want to connect during our vacations abroad. This is mainly due to the advantages that we mentioned above.