Taiwan for Regular Tourists: My Expensive Screw-ups, Your Ultimate Survival Guide!

[Bonnie Beatty]

I've been helping people get into Taiwan for essential travel. If it's for business trips, meeting the parents, seeing your idols, visiting friends, and so on, I can assist.

[Andrea Hand]

Taiwan simply hasn't opened up work opportunities for people from mainland China, so don't even bother thinking about it.

[Misty Anderson DDS]

It was never an option, haha.

[Ellis Sauer DVM]

I'm dying to visit mainland China, and here you guys are wanting to come to Taiwan. How boring is that? You'd be better off going to Harbin or somewhere similar on your own.

[Jermaine Satterfield]

The main reason is I have friends in Taiwan and want to get together with them.

[Elaine Boyle PhD]

Seriously, don't waste money trying to get a Taiwanese work visa. Taiwan simply hasn't opened up general work visas to mainland China. Anyone who claims they can arrange one is scamming you.

[Jeannie Parisian]

That kind of thing doesn't exist.

[Bonnie Beatty]

Accommodation in Taiwan is pretty pricey, you know. But then you have people complaining it's all 'old, run-down, and small'—they might say that, but their actions (still visiting) speak louder than words.

[Wesley Parisian-Kerluke IV]

Well, I actually want to experience that 'old, run-down, and small' vibe.

[Terrence Beer]

Wanting to go to Mayday's New Year's Eve concert – surely that counts as essential, right?

[Robyn Monahan]

Actually, towards the end of the year, most visitors are here for their idols – Jay Chou, A-Mei, Mayday. It really depends on personal preference. A trip to Taiwan is much pricier than other destinations; you really need to be ready to splash some cash.

[Dr. Guadalupe Homenick]

Seriously, don't come if you don't have to. You'll just end up wanting to come back all the time, and that's a real pain.

[Kelley Balistreri]

Hahahaha

[Dexter Cummerata]

When I had the chance to go, I had no money. Now that I have a little bit of cash, I can't go.

[Sally Breitenberg]

If you find a reliable contact and have the funds, you can still make it happen, haha.

[Leticia Ritchie]

So, does that mean you have to be an international student? Or have a foreign green card? Can it be processed from mainland China? What kind of documents do they mainly check? What about for a study tour or as a visiting scholar – would that count as being an international student?

[Christina Altenwerth]

No, that doesn't count.

[Katrina Sporer]

OP, are you Taiwanese?

[Israel Koss]

I'm Minnanese.