DIY Travel in Taiwan 10 Tips To Make it Easy

DIY travel in Taiwan is convenient and fun because of its accessible transport system. Travelers can go around Taiwan hassle free and fast. They have metro trains, local trains and even a high speed rail that can take you to the farthest point of Taiwan. They also have taxis, buses and even bikes to tour you around the city. And also, some popular destinations in Taiwan can be easily reached via trains, making it fast and easy to go from one place to another. But before you start your day one, you may want to know some tips that make your DIY travel in Taiwan a lot easier.

There are many things to consider when travelling abroad especially when you are a solo traveler. It includes a thorough planning, budget, itinerary, accommodation and all. Aside from this, passing through the immigration is always a big question. There are a lot of questions that they may ask, so better if you prepare everything ahead of time.

Here are some tips that will help you successfully pass the immigration screening:

1. Be at the airport 3 hours before your flight. With the influx of travelers and overseas Filipino workers (OFW), the line may be too long at the immigration. So, it is better to be there early, rather than to miss your flight.
2. Bring all the necessary documents of your flight. Of course, you should have a valid passport, visa, hotel bookings, round trip ticket of your flight, boarding pass, valid id and a certificate of employment. This is to further prove that you have a capacity to travel and you will be coming back to the Philippines in the specified date. Immigration is very strict because they have to carefully filter out all the Filipinos going abroad for their own safety. Be courteous to the Immigration Officer, you should only answer what is being asked. Please answer it truthfully and straight to the point in a polite manner.
3. Organize your things. It will be easy if you have all your documents in one place where you can get it easily. You should have all the hard copy of the documents needed to be presented.
4. Fill out the Departure Card. Before queuing in the immigration, make sure you have already filled out the departure card. So this time, you should always have your ball pen with you. It’s a big no to borrow ball pen from the immigration officer. This might actually lessen your chance of passing through their screening.
5. Pay your Travel Tax. Every Filipino traveler going out of the country is required to pay Php 1,620.00 for the travel tax. It is better if you can pay it along with the airline booking to avoid queuing in a long lines. This might cause you delay in boarding your flight.
6. Dress appropriately. How you dress is a reflection of your personality. Make sure to wear decent attire so you will not catch the attention of the Immigration Officer. Wearing revealing clothes can trigger that you might work as a prostitute or being a victim of human trafficking, so better avoid this.
7. Just relax. When you are in the line, do not make unnecessary move that may catch the attention of the Immigration Officer. Do not be nervous and be ready when you are called.

After all this nerve wracking moment in the immigration, you are now ready to board your flight.

10 Tips For Your DIY Travel in Taiwan

Here are the tips for your DIY Travel in Taiwan to make it easy going around the city.

1. Have your Peso exchanged to US dollars in the Philippines. If you have US dollars it can be easily change in any money changer in any country, unlike Peso which sometimes other money changers do not accept. Upon arriving in Taoyuan International airport, there you can change your US dollars to NT$ (New Taiwan Dollar).
2. Buy a Sim card with unlimited data. Aside from this, you can also rent a pocket WiFi in the airport, but I think it is more convenient if you just buy a sim card with unlimited data to make you stay connected in the internet. Having a pocket WiFi means another gadget that will fill up the space of your bag, and also, another device that will require charging. While if you have your sim card, you don’t have additional device that will eat up the space and consume your power bank. Being connected is a must if you’re doing a DIY travel in Taiwan.
3. Get an Easy Card. This is a very helpful card in which you can use in transportation in a train, bus and even in buying stuffs in different stores. You can buy it in any 7 Eleven and Family Mart stores. The have different designs that you can choose from. The Easy Card is worth 100 NT$ and you have to reload it before you can use it.There are also other cards with the same features but this one is the most commonly used around Taiwan. Every trains and buses accepts Easy Card and it is very easy to use. Just tap it in their system before and after the ride. Be sure to use it correctly because missing one transaction (if you forgot to tap your card before leaving the bus) might end up blocking your card and the remaining balance will not be refunded. It is a very convenient way of paying because it saves you time and effort, just tap it and you’re good to go.
4. Get a copy of the train map. Like what I said, Taiwan has a very good transport system because of its train. Having a train map with will help you travel faster and will help you not to miss your destination. The train map is available in every hotel lobby and you can also see it printed in every station, so be sure to take a photo of it.
5. Download a translator app. Language barrier is a common problem of any traveler especially if English is not widely spoken in that place. Though there are some who can actually speak English fluently like the millennial, some locals cannot speak English at all, so you end up using a sign language to communicate. Luckily, there’s a technology that can fill this gap. Using Google Translate App and Way Go App is a very helpful tool in translating Mandarin to English. They have features like voice recognition in which they will translate what you said into your desired language and also the camera that you can use by simply scanning the Chinese character and instantly translate it to English. Awesome, right?
6. Rent a U-Bike. Aside from walking tour, you can also tour the city using a bicycle. Taiwan has a large network of bicycle rental kiosks around Taipei. For a more guided instructions in using U bike you can click here. You can find the U bike rates here.
7. Check the weather. Before heading out to your first destination of the day, be sure to check the weather first. Knowing the weather forecast on that day will help you prepare what to bring and what to do, so you will not end up stranded in one place.
8. Be friendly with the hotel staff. Being a solo traveler has a greater chance of meeting new friends, so why not start making friends with your hotel staff? If they see you nice and friendly, they will give you tips and guides in your stay in Taiwan to make it more memorable. In my experience at Flip-Flop Hostel, they help find different tourist attractions that are not in my itinerary because on that day, the weather is inviting me to stay at home. With their help, I still managed to tour around and make an alternative for my original itinerary.
9. Socialize with other hotel guests. Travelling means meeting new places and new faces. You can find another solo traveler along the way, in the trains or bus stations and sometimes in the same hotel that you’re staying. If there’s a chance that you can talk to them, approach them and see what it is like to meet the same person with common interests. This will help you learn something about them and gain different perspective in life.
10. Mingle with the locals and try to learn their language. Blending yourself in the crowd makes you see what it feels like to be like them. Mingling with the locals is something that will change your perspective in that place. With this, you can get a different experience, a genuine involvement that you can share to others. Learning their language may be hard, but it always good to try. Learning is still a learning no matter how small it is.

You can also click here for a clearer version of the map.

I hope these tips can help you in your future DIY travel in Taiwan. There are lot more to discover in this country, so pack your bags and be ready to be amazed in Taiwan, the heart of Asia.

The world is beautiful outside your comfort zone. Go travel and have fun!