Budget Travel: $160 in Taiwan for 26 Days

roxannetamayo (42)in #travel • 6 years ago

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Who would have thought that I made it to Taiwan for 26 days with just $160? Yes, it's 8,000 in Philippine Peso which I took the risk of going there the 4th time around. Of all the countries I've been to, this is the craziest I've ever done in my life. But for sure, it was all worth it.

How This Happened?

I was in Manila that time which I thought at first, I could stay there for a month. But, I was so anxious and got stressed out already. I could not take the heat and the traffic. Every time I go out, I felt like I always spent money. Staying in Manila made me feel poor and always running out of money.

I was so lucky that Google Adsense sent an email that I could claim my earnings. It helped me to survive. But I was thinking what to do here in Manila. I thought of looking for a job there but I got scared at the same time. Flying back to Cebu was expensive and stood firm of the idea not to go back there for a while.

I remember the time when I met a Taiwanese guy in Taipei and told me about doing volunteer work in Taiwan. He added me to a certain Facebook group. There I saw some posts that some hostels were in need of a little helper. So I sent an email of my interest in the volunteer work together with my CV.

I got an answer right away that they needed someone for that month. I checked the airline for a trip to Taipei from Manila. Luckily, I found a round-trip ticket for $60 to $65 which is good for 26 days. I booked it right away and told the host about my flight confirmation. From Taipei, I have to take a train going down to Taitung.

Why US$160 or PHP 8,000 to Taiwan?

A small amount of money to Taiwan seems impossible and scary at the same time but yes I made it. It is the only money I have inside my bank account and I have to be thrifty for a month. I was so sure that I could not survive in Manila.

The host offered NTD 1,000 (New Taiwan Dollar) for my weekly allowance. The reason why I was so confident to survive in Taitung for three weeks. The host also provided me a bike for me to get around the city.

My friend in Hsinchu also offered to pick me up at Taoyuan Airport so I had no problem with the transportation. He promised to take me to Yilan before going to Taitung. I was able to spend three days but not able to visit Hualien due to a bad weather. It was raining hard. To make it fair, I also paid for our meals which is at least NTD 200, not bad.

Train to Taitung

From Yilan, I took the train to Taitung for around NTD 700. I forgot the exact amount but the amount was not bad. It was a comfortable train ride. I brought some food with me inside the train, thanks to 7-11. Since I am from the Philippines, we never have that kind of comfortable transportation. I even enjoyed the sceneries of the east coast of Taiwan.

From the buzzing city of Taipei to the rural parts of the east coast of Taiwan, obviously, there's a huge difference. With the simplicity of the rural east coast, it's the train that brings the modernization. I felt so bad for the Philippines.

I arrived 7 PM at Taitung station and my family host met me and picked me up by car. We arrived in this quiet hostel slash co-working space. I was happy I got my own room so I have my privacy. The internet connection was working fine as well.

Volunteer Work in Taitung

As a volunteer in the hostel, the things I did were cleaning the rooms, changing the bed sheets, cleaning the toilet/bathroom, and the front yard and backyard. Everything was an easy job. I was required to do 4 hours of work every day but I can finish everything in less than 4 hours so I got the chance to work on my laptop and make money.