Finding a Hostel or Hotel in Taipei
Taipei has a fairly wide array of lodging options, from dirt-cheap hostels all the way up to luxury hotels. Your best bet is to pick up a Taipei City Hotel Map available at the airport, tourist offices and some MRT stations. This useful map includes nearly two hundred hotels ranging from less than 1,500 NT all the way up to 6,000 per night. The coolest part of this map is that it lists running tracks and hiking trails around the city. There is no better cure for jet-lag than exercise! Here are a few of my suggested places to lay your head, arranged from cheapest to most expensive.
Read MoreHow to Become a Legal Alien in Taiwan
This section covers everything you need to know—and more importantly do—to legally work study in Taiwan (the keyword here being legally). There are plenty of fly-by-night schools that are more than happy to break the rules and pay you under the table, tax free. But they also won't be able to provide you a visa and you will then have to leave the country every two months. You also won't be able to receive an ARC (Alien Registration Certificate) and therefore won't benefit from national healthcare, one of the best perks of working in Taiwan. The following process is not all the bad though, especially if you follow these tips.
Read MoreBanking, ATMs and Transferring Money to and from Taiwan
Unless you want to store you money in the freezer or carry a briefcase handcuffed to your wrist, you'll want to set up a bank account in Taiwan. It not only gives you a safe place to store your hard earned mula, but also makes it easier to transfer funds to and from Taiwan. Most employers will help you set up a bank account once you have signed a contract and received your ARC. They will then automatically transfer your salary each month on a given day (usually the last day of the month.) Otherwise, they will probably pay you in cash until your account is set up (or perhaps indefinitely if you prefer). Here's what you need to do to set up an account.
Read MoreTaiwan Living Expenses, Budgeting, and Tips on Saving Money
The average living cost in Taiwan is significantly lower than that of most Western countries and even many of Taiwan’s neighbors. As a frame of reference, my salary in Japan was twice what I receive in Taiwan, yet my money here goes twice as far! You could of course burn through just as much money in Taipei as any other major city, but unlike Tokyo or New York, you have the option here to do things on the cheap if you wish. And even more attractive than the low cost of goods and services is Taiwan’s EXTREMELY inexspensive medical care. When using National Healthcare benefits, most visits to the doctor cost less than dinner! Here now is a sample budget to give you a rough idea of what your monthly expenses might look like in Taiwan, and then I'll discuss some easy ways to save money in Taiwan; some are exactly the opposite of what you would do in your home country to save mula...
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