Taiwan Survival Guide - Tips For You to Live and Thrive

No matter if you travel to Taiwan by choice, or just happen to find yourself here due to business needs, here is a survival guide for you to live and thrive!

A Taiwanese saying states “食衣住行” as life’s essential aspects, which are “Eating, Clothing, Living, and Transporting”. Here MyProGuide will present to you some Taiwanese tips and tidbits on eating, living, and transporting.

【Survival Guide】 Eating

• Legal drinking age:

18. This is both for purchase and for drinking in restaurants. So if you’re a 17 years old French then bad for you, if you’re a 20 years old Californian then congratulations!

• Drinking tap water:

Not okay. As a Taiwanese we never tried it ourselves. Neither should you.

• Tipping:

Not expected. Unless it’s for hotel rooms or for stewards parking your car, tipping is not expected in restaurants. There might be a tipping box at American-styled diners, but otherwise, don’t startle your waiter!

• “Jia La?”(加辣？):

When buying food in night markets you will be asked “Jia la?” (加辣), which means spicy or not.

• How sweet (幾分糖？):

When you order beverages such as bubble milk tea at franchise tea shops, you can request the amount of sugar you’d like in your drink! 100% is the normal amount, so respond by 30%、50%、or 70%. This is a great excuse for someone on a diet to grab a treat.

【Survival Guide】 Living

• Classical music:

If you hear Beethoven’s Für Elise ringing out on the streets, that doesn’t mean you’re at a concert, but rather the garbage truck is coming. They come every day to collect waste from the residents.

• So convenient:

Convenience stores are everywhere. They can actually stand side by side and survive pretty well. Other than the usual groceries, you can also pay bills, buy tickets, pick up laundry, collect packages, microwave food and buy fresh tea eggs. The list goes on and on.

• After nightfall:

There are plenty of stores that open 24-hour. Convenience stores and fast food restaurants are staples, others include book stores, massage parlor, karaoke, and pharmacies.

• Win a fortune:

Taiwanese love stashing receipts since each of them is eligible for a government-run lottery (統一發票), drawn every two months. So don’t be surprised if you see a fellow Taiwanese bring up a whole stack of receipts. These days most receipts are e-invoices: at the checkout you may be asked whether you have a “carrier” (載具, a mobile barcode) to store the receipt digitally instead of printing it. Either way, the receipt still goes into the draw.

【Survival Guide】 Transporting

(Transporting simply represents everyday traffic and transportation.)

• Stay right:

Stand on the right side of the escalator. People generally leave left side for commuters in a rush.

• Better not drink that:

Eating and drinking are not allowed on metros. Not even chewing gum. This is especially easy to forget if you have a drink in your hand. Look out, because accidentally sipping that drink (even water) can bring a fine of NT$1,500 to NT$7,500. In our experience taking the metro though I never saw anyone break that rule.

• Beware of motorcycles:

They are everywhere in Taiwan. One advantage for riding a motorcycle is that you can weave in and out of a traffic jam. The downside is you better watch for motorcycles weaving in and out when you cross the road!

• Back to where you started:

Even though Taiwan is small compared to other countries, Taiwan Railways provide well-built routes. You can have a round trip around Taiwan by train.

• Cycle your way through an urban maze:

You can find public bicycle systems, most notable Ubike, in many major cities. They are foreigner friendly and easy to register.

Ready to live and thrive now? Check out more and have the best journey in Taiwan: 

＊ Related Topic: Basic information about Taiwan

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