Landing visas are automatically granted on entry at no cost for holders of valid Australian/British/New Zealand or USA Passports. South African nationals require a visa for travel to Taiwan.
But please check with your country’s Foreign Affairs office to confirm current information, prior to traveling to Taiwan.
The best advice when packing for a surf trip is to pack as light as possible.
The weather is generally warm so t-shirts and shorts are fine for most of the year. Board shorts and rash vests are all you’ll need to surf in, bar maybe a spring suit in Dec/Jan.
Most people bring two boards. For the majority of days in Taiwan whatever you ride at home is fine. We also have a range of hire boards available to our clients too.
No, not at all. Malaria is non-existent in Taiwan.
Basically if you can’t afford travel insurance you shouldn’t be traveling. A decent travel insurance package will provide coverage for the following: trip cancellation and interruption, baggage delay, baggage coverage, travel delay, emergency medical and dental, medical transport and travel accident insurance.
Taiwan’s health care system is ranked #1 in the world (second year in a row) by world data site Numbeo (Australia is ranked 7th, UK at 16th and the USA at 33rd) see here – https://www.numbeo.com/health-care/rankings_by_country.jsp – Numbeo correlates all worldwide data for cost of living, world education standards, etc. In short, the healthcare system is remarkable; professional, well funded, efficient and cheap.
Taiwan operates on the USA 2 flat pin outlets (110V 60Hz). You’ll need an US/Nth America plug adaptor if you wish to recharge any batteries or computers. Please note that if you travel to Taiwan with a device that does not accept 110 Volts at 60 Hertz, you will need a voltage converter.
You can exchange foreign currency at the airport. Some larger banks accept US$ for currency exchange. There are plenty of ATM’s though which accept credit and savings account cards, providing they are linked to Visa, Mastercard, American Express, JCB or Cirrus.
Tipping is not customary, although if offered it will be usually be politely declined. Taiwan’s a very honest and fair country.