Top 10 Recommendations for a Trip to Taipei

My recommendations for planning a trip to Taipei...

1. Stop studying Mandarin
...In other words, you don't need to speak Mandarin to get around in Taipei. Almost everything you need is written in English: MRT stops, maps, etc. And if you get stuck, ask. Most younger people know some English, and using hand motions will usually help get your point across. Out of politeness, I would recommend learning how to say 'hello' and 'thank you' in Mandarin. 'Hello' is Nǐ hǎo (pronounced knee-how), and 'thank you' is Xièxiè (prounced shay-shay). Get ready for some laughs from locals hearing you attempt their language.

2. Bring your rain coat and umbrella
It rains a lot, especially in December. But it's not the "ruin your day kind of rain"... more like on-and-off drizzling. Another tip - do not bring a wet umbrella inside. Either A) use an umbrella bag (provided at most hotels and museums) or B) leave it on an umbrella rack outside. No one will steal it. My cute one was safe all week!

3. Pack some TP
So you know those little "Charmin-to-go" toilet paper rolls in the travel toiletry aisle at Target? The ones you look at and think "Who would buy this stuff?" Well, YOU will buy this stuff...on your next trip to Taipei. Oddly enough, a lot of public restrooms don't have toilet paper. And it's not like they were just out of it...sometimes there wouldn't even be a place for a roll to go. I started bringing some from the hotel, but that Charmin-to-go sure would've been nice.

4. Pack light
You are going to want to buy things. Especially clothes and shoes. Don't make the same mistake I did and over pack. Thankfully, I had Tyler, who brought some things home for me. The clothes you intend on bringing probably aren't in style over in Taiwan anyway (unless you wear a lot of Hello Kitty), so don't worry about looking super cute. And while clothes and shoes are plentiful and cheap, don't get your hopes up for inexpensive designer purses. You're not in China (completely).

On a slightly related note, to condense my electronics, I left my computer at home and blogged from my iPad. To transfer pictures from my camera, I picked up a Wi-Fi SD card from Amazon (here). It creates a Wi-Fi hotspot (so you don't need internet) from your camera to your computer or tablet, and immediately transfers pictures when you're in close range. It is a faster and cord-free substitute to the traditional method, and would also be cool for photographers wanting to show off their pictures right away. (They're not paying me for advertising, I promise.)

5. Get a phone
Another way of fighting the language barrier in Taiwan is having access to a phone with data. This can get a little complicated. Hopefully, you are lucky and your phone takes a SIM card and can operate globally. If you're not lucky like me (thank you Verizon iPhone...), find a cheap phone that does. Tyler bought one for me off a girl in Taiwan for $30. You could also try borrowing an old phone from a friend. Anyway, once you have your phone, grab your passport and U.S. driver's license (you will need both) and find a mobile phone store along the street (they are plentiful and easy to identify). You'll be able to communicate in broken English to explain that you would like a SIM card and data for your phone. A SIM card costs about $10 (and you can reuse it for your next trip!) and 10-days of data and some phone minutes costs another $10. So, $20 and you're all set. Now, you'll have 3G data wherever you go.

6. Exchange money at the airport
Unlike Mexico, the airport in Taipei has one of the best exchange rates, about 30NT per $1. You'll need your passport to exchange money. Although I spent all of my money and didn't need to exchange any back, the return rate to USD isn't bad either.

7. Always carry your hotel's business card
...and make sure it's in Mandarin. Why? How else do you tell your cab driver where to drop you off? How do you get directions from someone who doesn't speak much English if you get lost? It's always safe to carry multiple business cards with you. The alternative is learning Mandarin.

8. Get yourself an Easy Card and the MRT app
Hopefully you've read my previous post about how much I love the MRT and Taipei public transportation. To make getting around even easier, buy yourself an Easy Card, which is a pre-paid card that you wave across a reader device when you travel. This will save you the hassle of waiting in line for tickets and rummaging through your purse for change. You can use it at the MRT and Maokong Gondola, and also for train and bus fares, parking, boat rides, bicycle rentals, and even at 7-11.

It gets better. The Easy Card gives users a 20% discount on MRT fares. Also, if you use your Easy Card on the MRT and then again on a bus within two hours (or vice versa), the bus ride is 50% off. You can purchase an Easy Card from machines at MRT stations for a preset amount. I think mine had $25 on it (750 NT) which was more than enough for the week. The reader will tell you how much value you have left after each scan, and you can always add money to it, too.

Finally, download the MRT map. It's free and will help you determine where the closest station is located, as well as what lines to transfer to and from to get to your destination.

9. Skip the theme restaurants
BuzzFeed and Huffington Post are going to tell you about all of the amazing themed restaurants in Taipei. My advice: they are worth a picture and nothing more. From talking with locals to looking up reviews, all of these restaurants are overpriced and have awful food. Pop in for a picture of the Hello Kitty Sweet Cafe, the Barbie Restaurant, and maybe even Modern Toilet (your food comes in mini toilets), but save your time and money and eat elsewhere.

10. Taipei is safe
I spent a lot of time by myself during the trip, and never once did I feel in danger or uncomfortable. Not to say that the city is crime-free, but don't be afraid to venture off alone and soak up the culture. It's exhilarating, stress-free, and will really teach you a lot about yourself.

Enjoy!

Top 10 Recommendations For a Trip to PDC

'Lessons Learned' are very important at work. So, in similar fashion, I thought it would be beneficial to compile a short list of advice, recommendations, and dos and donts after each one of my trips. This particular list is by no means comprehensive, but I hope it helps any of you looking to plan a trip to Playa Del Carmen or the Riviera Maya region of Mexico.

1. Do your research

The map in our travel booklet

Plan out your trip before you go. Remember, the Internet is not widely accessible and you also won't want to sacrifice the sun for a computer screen. At the very least, make a rough outline of the days you will be there, and then pencil in areas for possible activities, dinners, etc. This isn't set in stone obviously. I also recommend looking up popular excursions, restaurants, and other points of interest you want to check out. TripAdvisor and travel blogs are great places to start. 
One of our most helpful planning items (even though Sydne made fun of me for it) was a small travel booklet I made. It had a large picture of a map of Downtown PDC that was invaluable when we were trying to navigate our way around the 5th Avenue area. Also in the booklet were addresses of restaurants and sites we wanted to see. How do you think we got to Ah Cacao? :) For those not as over-ambitious as myself, a small pad of your notes will do just fine. But trust me, the map was useful. 

2. Book your tours online
Yes, it sort of nails you down into a time and date, but you will be able to shop around for the best prices and compare reviews. Most places will let you pay using your bank account to avoid international credit card fees. I'm still kicking myself for not booking the snorkel tour online...

3. Make dinner reservations by e-mail
At most resorts, you receive a limited number of specialty dinner reservations. These are reservations to different sit-down, plated restaurants (Japanese and Mediterranean were our 2). From past trips I've learned that booking these reservations should be the first thing you do when you get to the resort. But even then sometimes you're too late. There are usually only 1-2 seatings per nights and they fill up quick. Trying e-mailing your resort and seeing if you can book early. An Iberostar rep sent us some information about each restaurant and quickly processed our reservations via e-mail. She did say "we usually don't do this," but I'm not sure if that was true, and it's always worth a try! Do print out an e-mail confirmation from the resort and double-check your reservations when you arrive.

4. Buy some biodegradable sunscreen
...And buy it in the US where it will be much cheaper. Especially if you have fair skin, this will be an essential for snorkeling in the preserved reefs.

5. Inquire about resort transportation downtown
Taxis can be expensive, and I have a suspicion they are even more so for tourists. Unless your Spanish is great and you can figure out public transportation, talk to your resort about what options they have for going into Downtown PDC. We were about ~25-30 minutes from 5th Avenue, which was a $25 cab ride each way. The resort option was only $5. 

6. Life is cheaper in pesos
A few pieces of advice here. PDC can be touristy, and a lot of places take USD. But paying in pesos is cheaper because most places do an easy 10 for 1 conversion (instead of the 12.9 for 1). For example, the one way cab ride was either $25 or 250 pesos. Well, 250 pesos is currently right around $19-20, so save a few bucks and pay in pesos. 
On that note, look up the exchange rate before your trip, and make sure you are getting a good deal. Our resort had a terrible exchange rate. We saw rates way higher at the airport and in little shops downtown. When you exchange money, don't exchange too much. Sydne ended up losing some money when exchanging from pesos back to USD at the airport. If you make sure you have enough cash on you (remember credit cards/ATMs charge international fees), you can always exchange more later if you run out.
Finally, have small pesos for tips. It is not required, but strongly suggested that you tip for bus transportation, tours, and excursions. 

7. Barter, barter, barter!
This goes without saying. Negotiate a good price whenever your buying something from a vendor. Most speak English, but it may help to learn basic phrases like "Cuanto cuesta?" (How much?) and to have a basic understanding of Spanish numbers. A bartering example...I loved this glittery calavera I saw downtown one night. The saleslady was asking 350 pesos. No way. As I walked away she got all the way down to less than 100 pesos. I didn't end up buying it, but that just goes to show how places can try to rip you off.

8. Don't be fooled by duty-free airport goods
The Cancun airport looks like a beautiful mall. Don't be fooled. The "duty-free" alcohol is not super discounted. You'll find way better prices buying in a convenient store or a Walmart (seriously). Just make sure to cushion it properly in your suitcase since you won't be able to carry it on the plane.

9. Cutoff the technology
...Or try to at least. At our resort, there wasn't free WiFi. At first I thought this was a pain, but it ended up being really nice to get away from e-mails, texts, etc. for a week. If your resort doesn't have WiFi, it's going to be expensive to purchase. Instead, utilize free WiFi where you can find it. We brought our phones with us both times we went downtown, and stopped in a Starbucks to catch up on things and FaceTime with our parents.

10. Break out of your comfort zone
Make it a point to venture out of the resort. Yes, everything there is "paid for," but there is so much to see in Mexico! And you don't have to head all the way out to Chichen Itza. The Maya ruins in Tulum, snorkeling with sea turtles in Akumal, and riding bikes in Cozumel are all nearby trips.
Finally, get involved with the activities at the resort. Make new friends! The Star Friends kept telling everybody, "Don't be shy! No one knows you!" Even though I'm pretty sure everyone knew Sydne and I by the second day of the trip, you get the point...

Next stop, Taipei! If any of you have ever been, advice would be appreciated :)