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Travel
Tips - The Taiwan Basics
Some
of these travel tips may seem very simple
for the experienced veterans in Taiwan but
I think there is something of importance
for everyone here. What I have done is cover
some of the more common problems and questions
that we more regularly encounter with our
customers.
The
Airport
Taiwan has 3 international airports. Because
our readers are mainly in central and northern
Taiwan we will talk about the Taoyuan International
Airport. The Taoyuan International Airport
is located in Taoyuan County approximately
40 kilometers from downtown Taipei. There
is also an International Airport in Taichung
that has a limited amount of flights. Kaohsuing
also has an international airport with more
flights than Taichung but less than Taipei.
Getting
there - Several bus companies provide
a direct service to the Airport. These include
"Free Go Bus" "Tung Lian(United)
Bus Company". These companies have
service to the airport every ½ hour early
in the morning and every 15 minutes later
in the day.
When to leave - Travel time to Taoyuan
International depends on where you are leaving
from; here are some approximate times -
Taipei 50 min., - Hsinchu 1 hr., Taichung
2 hrs. - Tainan 3 ½ hrs. You should plan
to arrive 2 hours prior to your departure
time. Sometimes you can get away with less
than 2 hours if you are traveling with an
airline that has lots of flights out of
Taoyuan International.
Where to get off - Taoyuan International
airport has 2 terminals, make sure you know
which terminal your flight is departing
from. Terminal one is "The old Terminal"
and Terminal 2 is "The New Terminal".
Most bus companies will ask you when you
get on the bus which terminal you want to
go to.
Documents
- Before finalizing any of your travel
plans it's a good idea to check to ensure
that all your documents are in order.
- Passport
- Make sure you have your passport and
it is valid. As a rule of thumb most countries
require that your passport is still valid
for at least 6 months upon entry, so if
you have less time than this on your passport
it's best to check what the laws are for
the country you are traveling to.
-
Visas - Visa requirements vary
for each country depending on your nationality.
Ensure you are aware of what the visas
you need if any before you leave or you
may just end up seeing the airport and
coming right back.
- ARC
- This means "Alien Resident Certificate"
and if you have one of these you must
ensure that you have a re-entry stamp
in your passport before you can leave
Taiwan. This stamp can be obtained at
the nearest foreign Affairs Office.
- Exit
ticket from Taiwan - If have entered Taiwan
on a visitors visas you may be required
to show an exiting ticket out of Taiwan
when you return. Bring your original or
a photocopy of your exiting ticket. If
you don't have one you can contact WHOSE
Travel and we can supply you with what
we call a "Ghost Ticket".
- Airline
ticket - Make sure you have your ticket
with you and you know the time of your
departure. All times on your ticket are
written in military hours so 08:00 means
8 o'clock I the morning not evening. You
should also ensure that you are aware
of all the restrictions on your ticket.
Ask your travel agent at the time you
purchase your ticket because restrictions
can vary considerably from ticket to ticket.
Money
The NTD or "New Taiwan Dollar"
is not a widely accepted currency, if you
just bring NT dollars on your trip you will
probably have trouble finding a place to
cash them and if you do chances are you
won't get a good exchange rate. The best
thing to do is exchange your money while
in Taiwan to the currency of the country
you are traveling to or U.S. dollars. US
currency is widely accepted around Asia
and if you don't spend all you cash you
can always hold onto it for your next trip.
Keep these tips in mind the next time you
travel and chances are you will have a much
smoother trip.
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