Although I have written separate blog posts of my recent Taiwan trip, I still want to share my itinerary with budgeted and actual expenses. When I was researching for the perfect sites, I have read a number of blogs which became really helpful for me and I consider this as my contribution to all future travelers out there..
This time, I will share with you some tips and tricks on how to save money and avoid the hassle while you are on a vacation in Taiwan.
Tip No. 1: Take note of the schedules of your desired locations. Check if those sites are open on a Monday!
There were a lot of changes in the itinerary during our stay especially when we traveled on a Monday as we were not aware that most of the Parks all over Taiwan are closed during this day. Also, we tried to cancel other locations located in Taipei as we were tired already and we just want to chill on our last day.
Tip No. 2: Book ahead tour packages online to avoid conversion losses and accumulate savings!
I always do this whenever I travel and this time, I booked via Klook. Apart from it avoids the hassle of commuting and falling in line, it is way much cheaper than purchasing actual tickets on-site. The biggest savings we actually made is by booking the 3 Day THSR Tourist Pass which we used in traveling to Northern part of Taiwan and even on our way back to the Airport. Imagine, 1 way for Kaoshiung is almost Php 2500 already but we purchased the pass for only Php 3651.
Another reason to book these things ahead is that you can avoid conversion losses. Let's look at it this way. The current exchange rate is 1.65 but when we exchange our Philippine Peso in Taipei Airport, it became 1.85. That's already Php .20 loss per NTD. (Accountant mode! Every peso counts! hahaha)
Tip 3: Not all night markets are the same! If you want to buy it, buy it NOW!
I think the best night market for me is Raohe Night Market as it is a food haven! As for shopping for clothes, Wufenpu is the place to be. The clothes here ranges from $100-$800 NTD for really good quality clothes. The designs are just like those in Korea but cheaper and its easier to convert. I wrote a separate blog for my clothing haul. Check it out! Avoid Shilin Night Market as I think this is so overrated. I hated it! Anyway, Jiufen is a food mecca for me however, I got full already because I tried to eat everything that I see and missed some for the thought that these are still available elsewhere. Unfortunately, some of the foods available here , I was not able to see in Raohe such as that Ice Cream with cilantro. huhu.. Tip 4: Use Google Maps and Google Translate. These are going to be your travel BFF's! Okay, let me just say this, not all Taiwanese can speak english but almost all of them use Google translate and google maps. We used google translate when riding taxis or asking for direction from locals. Just make sure you have your pocket wifi with you and you're good to go! Tip 5: Buy Pasalubong in Grocery/Supermarkets! Taiwan is famous for delicious food and therefore, food is always a great option as pasalubong(gifts) to your loved ones back home. We stayed at Ximending area and there was a big supermarket there called Carrefour. I bought most of my pasalubong there. I have a separate post for my food haul so wait for it. I will link it here once done. Tip 6: Don't miss 7 Eleven's super yummy treats! Although there are a lot of street foods in Taiwan, there are also a lot of 7 Elevens in every corner. Try their instant meals and you'll never go wrong..plus they are really cheap. I tried their rice meals and carbonara, it was AWESOME!!! When we went there, they have a promo and we won $35 NTD discount! wooott!! Tip 7: Rent a driver in Taichung I can finally say that so far, taichung is my favorite place in all of Taiwan! We hired Mr. Liu to take us everywhere in taichung for a rate. I left his contact number below as reference. When you contact him via Whatsapp, he will give you package options. Unfortunately due to limited time, we missed the Carton King but that's okay, it's all worth it! But he gave us free snacks in Mushroom Garden and free drinks at the Flower Market! Tip 8: Exchange your money at the airport! For Filipinos, the money changer that offers that best rate was that located at the ground floor of NAIA Terminal 3, in front of Burger King. The exchange rate is 1.73 while at Taiwan's airport, it was 1.80. If you are an international traveler, I suggest you exchange at the airport because there is not a lot of money changers in the city. Tip 9: When riding the bus, check which route the bus is headed for! We got lost on our way to Lotus Pond. Google Maps said we need to take Bus 105, however, we were not aware that buses have the same number to and from its destination. We were surprised that the driver dropped us off the Bus terminal which is obviously not the Lotus Pond yet. We had to wait for another 20 minutes for the next bus to drive us back to Lotus Pond. Such as hassle! Tip 10: Spend all your money in the City and leave a few when you go back to the airport! We were scheduled to leave Taoyuan at 1:00 am. Not a single shop is open and even vending machines don't have any drinks or snacks on them. I suggest you spend most of your money and leave a little on your way back to this airport. It's the most boring and worst airport I've ever been.
I hope this post has been helpful to you, co-nomads! | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| xoxo, Krish | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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