alone in Taiwan

[purejunie]

Hi,

I'm new to Taiwan and is currently living in Taipei. I was wondering if you all could give me any suggestions on places I can visit that is safe/fun/okay for a girl to travel alone... around Taiwan? in Taipei?

Thank you!!!

[Petrichor]

What kind of things do you like doing? Taipei is generally very safe, even at night, although you should always take sensible precautions.

One thing I would caution against doing alone is hiking off the paved trails. Not because it's unsafe for women but because if you got lost you would get into trouble quite quickly in this heat.

[Mucha Man]

If you want outdoor stuff pick up the Lonely Planet and Richard Saunders Taipei Day Trips. More urban stuff get the Rough Guide.

[finley]

Personally I think Taiwan is a great place for solo travelling (m/f unimportant). As long as you're sensible (avoid obviously-dodgy locations, don't flash too much cleavage or money), it's unlikely you'll run into any trouble from other people, especially in Taipei. Little villages will treat you as a curiosity. There's always the occasional career racist who will give you an earful in Taiwanese, but they're few and far between. However, as Petrichor said, if you're off the beaten track and on foot, you could find yourself in major trouble. You wouldn't last more than a couple of days without water in this heat.

[Icon]

Take it from a real coward: Taiwan is a really safe place to travel. The worse dangers are snakes -in trails, mountains- getting lost in the wilderness, and food poisoning -from not fresh places. There are many interesting destinations you can reach by train, which is easy to take even if your Chinese is not that great, cheap and fast. Fulong or any beach on the East coast, Jiufen -take train to Ruifang-, Sanyi or Yingge are one day trips that are really nice, close to Taipei for starters. If you like cats, go to Houtong. take a bus to Yangming Shan, or Daxi or Beipu. Look these places up on the 'net or the books recommended. Bring a camera, take lots of pictures, even by yourself you'll have lots of fun.

As to transportation, to err on the too cautious side, remember to take taxis from reputable companies, like Taiwan Taxi or Metro Taxi. Better avoid independents as they are not that clean -they do not have to adhere to company standards- and older cars too. I usually avoid taxis with any dents.

[Taiwan Luthiers]

Lots of good places to go in Taipei but depends on what you like.

If you like cats in Tianshui Rd, next to those chem shops there's a shop full of cats!

[purejunie]

Thanks everyone for the info!

If I want to Travel around Taiwan, is it better to find a tour to join or can I just travel by myself by public transportation? Would I enjoy the place as much on a tour?

[Taiwan Luthiers]

Thanks everyone for the info!

If I want to Travel around Taiwan, is it better to find a tour to join or can I just travel by myself by public transportation? Would I enjoy the place as much on a tour?

Go by yourself or with a friend... avoid guided tours in Taiwan because they just rush you through it.

[Icon]

No tours. Really. Seriously.

[finley]

If you're in the middle of nowhere (ie., anywhere on the East coast) it's a good idea to have a trustworthy local guide who can drive you around and will know the best places to eat. To make that worthwhile you need at least one other person sharing the cost. But yeah - big tour groups are a bad idea.