Top Ten Helpful Things

1. Travel Information
   

   1. Visa: Make sure to start working on your Taiwan Visa as soon as you have your acceptance letter from your Taiwan university. Contact the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Honolulu for more information.
      

2. Cash is King
   

   1. Taiwan is a cash-based society, and most establishments are cash only, so you will always need a good amount on hand. Make sure to bring a good amount of USD or bring your debit card to withdraw cash from ATMs. ATMs are readily accessible everywhere including convenience stores. I personally had a Charles Schwab Debit Card which doesn’t have foreign transaction fees and withdrew $5000 NTD at a time.

3. Internet Connection
   

   1. I got an e-sim with Chunghwa Telecom under a student program. Data has been reliable, and it was quite affordable.

4. Transportation

   1. MRT (Metro) was my most used form of transportation. It is convenient as there are stations everywhere and reliable. Use Google Maps to look for arrival times and to get around the country.

   2. Buses were not as reliable as MRTs but are still decent in Taiwan. Make sure to hail the buses when you are at the station, otherwise they will not stop!

   3. Purchase an Easy Card which is the transportation card used in Taiwan. You can reload your card at all metro stations or convenience stores.

   4. Biking was super convenient as there are bike docks everywhere. Taiwan has a biking system like Biki in Hawaii and biking culture is so prevalent in the country.

   5. Uber was what I used at night since public transportation stops from 12:30AM – 1:30AM. It is cheaper compared to back at home, but I definitely prefer these over taxis to ensure rate transparency.

5. Packing

   1. Pack light! Things are quite affordable compared to home so buy your toiletries here. You will be shopping a lot so pack light so you can bring more home. If you are particular about your toiletry items and know they are only something you can get from home, pack those.

6. Housing

   1. Student housing is good if you can get dorms near the school campus. I stayed at Yuantong Dormitory which was farther, but still a decent option for the short semester I had.
      

7. Weather
   

   1. February to mid-April weather is really good. It is actually colder than I imagined, so pack some jackets and long-sleeves. May to June gets humid and there is no wind here, so pack summer clothes.
      

8. Places to Go
   

   1. Some popular districts to walk around are Ximending, Xinyi, Yongkang, Daan, Tamsui, and Zhongshan.

   2. If you want to travel a little outside of the main city, visit Beitou, Yangmingshan, Jiufen, and Shifen.

   3. If you want to visit another city, take the HSR to Taichung, Tainan, Chiayi, and Kaohsiung to enjoy more sights and eats!

9. Food

   1. Night markets are super popular in Taiwan. My go-to places are Shilin, Ningxia, and Raohe. Make sure to do research beforehand as every night market is better at certain food items.

   2. Some foods to try are beef noodle soup, hot pot, seafood (sushi), braised pork rice, scallion pancakes, oyster omelet, and more!

   3. Some drinks to try are boba, fruit tea, lemon aiyu drink, papaya milk, and soy milk.

   4. Some desserts to try are shave ice, tofu dessert, pineapple cake, and peanut roll ice cream.
      

10. Safety
    

    1. Taiwan is generally quite safe, so you don’t need to worry about pickpockets or theft.

    2. Earthquakes are a frequent occurrence, but you generally do not feel the impacts.

    3. Bug bites are huge here so definitely always have bug spray on hand, especially during the summertime.