Landing in a foreign country can be scary, but here is what I did when I arrived in Taiwan.
Important Documents
First and foremost, make sure to prepare all your important documents at home. I made sure to have the documents downloaded on my phone and have hard copies of certain documents that are essential. These documents consisted of photocopies of my passport, visa, and ID. I also made sure to print my acceptance letter to National Taiwan University and my insurance for my stay in Taiwan.
Immigration
Depending on when you arrive, immigration may take a while, but make sure to stop here right after you get out of the plane. I arrived at around 6 AM in the morning, and immigration didn't take too long, but if you land at night, that might be a different story. Make sure to have your visa or passport ready when you get to the line.
Cellular Data
I recommend going to Chunghwa Telecom to get cellular data. While there are other stores, Chunghwa's network is the most reliable in Taiwan. Depending on how long you stay in Taiwan, I would recommend different plans. If you are only staying for the short term, then get enough data for your entire trip. If you are studying abroad, I would only get enough for a couple days, or at least until you make it to another storefront in Chunghwa outside of the airport. Or if your home plan has international plans, I would use that for the first day or two. Later on, I would go to a storefront and ask about their student plans. I personally got the student plan with unlimited 4G data for 135 days. This plan was 2600 NTD. Be sure to bring your acceptance letter and your passport & ID when you are purchasing the plan. You also do need to pay upfront in cash for your entire phone plan.
Transportation
There are many ways to get out of the airport. You can take the metro, or in Taiwan, they call it the MRT. However, I was coming in with two large bags, so I took a taxi out of the airport. You can just walk out of the airport, and there should be an area where taxis are lined up. Make sure you have the address in Chinese to show them where you want to go. I paid a little less than $50 USD to go from there to my dormitory in Zhonghe District. The MRT is definitely a lot cheaper, and you can get an Easy Card at the airport. Easy cards usually cost around 100 NTD. You do have to load money into the card, but that can be done at any convenience store.
Currency
Taiwan is a cash-based society, and it's good to have a decent amount of cash on hand. There are tellers or self-exchange stations to exchange your cash. You can also go to any convenience store to get to an ATM if you have your bank card. The main thing is to make sure to have cash on hand.
Have fun!
Now get out and explore! Taiwan is such a fun country with so many things to do, see, and eat. You could get airport food if you are really hungry, but there is so much more outside. Happy and safe traveling!
Comments