- Flights
Eva Airlines has direct flights from both Chicago and Seattle to/from Taipei. Average price from Chicago during peak season (May-September) is about $1500-$2000, and $1000-$1300 off-peak.
If you have United Miles you may be able to find a cheap flight if you book far enough in advance: <40k miles one-way and use it to book a direct flight on Eva, or at least through United with a connection through Tokyo. If you don’t have United Miles, you can earn United Miles by using a travel credit card like Chase Sapphire Preferred ($95 annual fee) or Chase Sapphire Reserve ($550 annual fee – $300 in travel credits per year).
If flying from Taipei to Chicago, try not to book a connection in California because you have to pick up your luggage and go through customs and then re-check.
In November 2023 I was able to book a flight travelling in June 2024 from ORD-HND for 35k miles and then a NRT-TPE-ORD flight for about $750. This may have been due to the weakness in the Japanese Yen vs. the US Dollar.
- Cash
You should NOT need much cash. Most places take credit cards (Visa), and if you need cash, you should get a Fidelity ATM Debit Card or Charles Schwab ATM Debit Card. These cards automatically reimburse you for any ATM fees. You can use this ATM card to get cash from a local ATM (any Seven Elevent, Family Mart, MRT station, or bank) in Taiwan – that way you are paying a fair exchange rate (set by VISA). Remember there is a $500 or $1000 withdrawal limit per day (check your account to make sure). In Taiwan the maximum withdrawal per transaction is generally 20,000 NT. You would need cash at places like nightmarkets or gifting red envelopes.
- Lodging
In Taipei, try to stay close to a train station for easy access to anywhere in Taipei. We stayed a great AirBnB at the Taipei Main Station, so we didn’t have to be walking in the hot humid weather in June. This is a link to where we stayed (probably all booked)
https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/23084840?source_impression_id=p3_1723691088_P33OHrZxmw1jv-JZ
Search for places close to the above: Taipei station, Zhongzheng District.
In Kaohsiung we stayed near the Kaohsiung Train Station at a hotel called “Just Sleep”. They have free breakfast, but is about a 20 minute Uber ride from the THSR station in Zuoying. If you book directly with the website you can also book THSR (Taiwan High Speed Rail) tickets for 30% off, which is great deal!
https://www.justsleephotels.com/kaohsiungStation/en
- Ground Transportation
Use Uber in Kaohsiung. It’s really cheap – we didn’t spend more than $10 USD on any trip and no one expects a tip.
In Taipei – use the MRT (subway). There is a reloadable card called EasyCard. You can buy this at any MRT station or Seven Eleven. It should cost $100 NT (~$3.33 US). Each rider needs one. Cash is actually the fastest way to reload the card at Kiosk, but they take credit card as well. If you plan to ride the MRT a ton (like more than 6-7 trips in a day you can consider getting an unlimited ride card).
To get from Taipei to Kaohsiung take the THSR, you can book tickets from their website (or just book it with Just Sleep hotel) – and you can pick up the tickets at any Seven Eleven Kiosk (ask the cashier for help) or at the THSR station. There are some express trains that only stop once at Taichung and the trip is only 1.5 hours.
- Places to Visit in Taipei
- Jiufen (Mountain Town – book a private tour to get here)
- Yeliu (balanced rock – not as impressive as Utah)
- Taipei 101
- Shilin Nightmarket
- Guanghua Digital Plaza (electronics) – Zhongxiao Xinsheng MRT stop
- 24lb Cafe (Badminton supply store) – Chiang Kaishek MRT stop