Time is going on, with me or without me. The date of
departure is still August 12th, and I’m getting closer and closer to
it. My nerves are now starting to settle down though, since I have successfully paid
for nearly all the direct traveling expenses, so now I can reflect on what has
happened. The financial stress was enough for me to make this Kickstarter for Hoosier in Taiwan, but even if I arrive
with nothing but my shirt and shorts, I’ll be there…
I just received my official work permit from Taiwan via DHL.
It’s the official document that I need in order to get my Taiwan resident visa.
For anyone interested, it is good to know that if you are staying in Taiwan for
less than 90 days, you aren’t required to get a Visa.
America and Taiwan are on very good terms overall, so use that knowledge to
your advantage, Hoosiers. However, good terms didn’t shield me to much from hidden
pop-up costs as a year–long guest. So now that I am done with my traveling
expenses (hopefully), I want to take a moment to share some of those expenses
with you all so that they don’t catch
you off-guard.
Costs for Traveling to Taiwan
(I get quite specific. To get back to fun talk, scroll down
till you see the heading Sparknotes
Version below.)
1) Plane Ticket
This seems like a no brainer, but definitely take this into
account. The ticket was by far my largest expense and a little plane smarts
will help you save in the long run. Below are some tips some frequent flyers
gave me that helped save some big money.
a) Buy Early: Prices for tickets drop significantly if you buy the tickets
more than a month and a week out. I made
the mistake of assuming not many people would be flying to Taiwan this time of
year, but apparently people are ALWAYS flying to Taiwan. I found that prices
were most reasonable a month and two weeks away from my flight date.
b) Don’t Buy Tickets on Weekends: Apparently the airline
companies know people get paid Fridays and buy tickets on weekends. So they
hike the prices. Know this and buy tickets on Tuesdays or Wednesdays. This only
works if you are buying tickets early though, so plan ahead!
c) Get Long Layovers: If you are traveling to another country,
or you are going to a gargantuan or foreign airport along your way, make sure
that your layovers are long enough for you to find out where you need to be.
Most airports have translators and English signs, but you may not have time to
find them if your layover is a half-hour long. Waiting for an extra hour is
better than missing your flight altogether. When traveling internationally,
recommended layover time is an hour and a half minimum if you are unfamiliar
with the route.
If you have any other Airline Tips, Hoosiers, please list
them in the comment section below!
2) Insurance
While you are going abroad, make sure you are covered for
medical insurance. If something happens while you are abroad, you should be
confident that your medical needs are being taken care of. Uncle Sam may not be
there to help you out, so make sure that you are covered. I know that some
people also get evacuation insurance as well. It covers you in case of an emergency, paying for the cost to get back to the
USA. In sum, your insurance all depends on what you believe you need for your trip.
3) Taxes
Speaking of Uncle Sam, make sure he’s happy before you leave
the country. I can’t offer you advice on your taxes but I can remind you to
tend to them yourself.
4) Visa
If you are planning on staying for longer than 90 days (and
good luck to you), you will have to get a visa from the Republic of China
(R.O.C is the government name of Taiwan). The process if fairly simple and streamlined so I
can easily walk you through it here. There are a few extra costs that pop up
though, to which I will alert you. Also Hoosiers, it would be most convenient
to apply for your visa through the consulate in Chicago at 180
North Steton Ave. Suite 5701; Chicago, Illinois 60601. It’s close, and used
to Hoosiers applying through them.
To get the visa, you will need the following:
a) Visa Application: This
website is hard to find but provides general Visa information. I eventually
had my employer assist me in locating it. You can find it through the
Consulate’s website, but it is hard to confirm that this is the form you need.
So put my efforts to good use. For Resident Visas, go to this
website and click “General Visa” for the application form. Complete it and
print a copy for submission and an extra for your records.
b) Passport: $100. The sooner you get it the better. The faster
you need it, the more it will cost, so get it way ahead of time. (Hoosiers, it's good to have a passport regardless. Don’t eat out for a month and buy one, you’ll be glad you did.)
c) Work Permit: $30. This is the document from your employer in
Taiwan saying that you have permission to work there. Simple enough, though in
order to get my work permit, I was required to do a background check which cost $30. Any
company hiring foreign workers will know what you mean by “Work Permit” and
should provide it willingly.
d) Two Passport Photos: $20. Two passport sized photos. Easily
acquired at a local CVS or Walgreens.
e) Flight Schedule: Print out a copy of your flight schedule.
You will need it for the application.
f) Payment: $160. The visa is $160. Payment should be cashier’s
check or money order. Checks are made payable to: TECO in Chicago
g) Shipping: $20. The Visa shipping is covered by you. The
Consulate of The Republic of China (a.k.a Taiwan) recommends you use FedEx for
your shipping. They don’t tell you that in order to do the return shipping
necessary, you will have to make a FedEx account. However, the people at the
FedEx station on Lafeyette near 38th street are very understanding
and helped get it set up no problem. The estimated cost for shipping is $20.
Basically, put your application, passport, work permit,
flight schedule, $160 check, and passport photos into a FedEx envelope with two
labels; one going and once coming back to you. You pay shipping, send it off to
the TECO in Chicago, 180
North Steton Ave. Suite 5701; Chicago, Illinois 60601 and wait for them to
send it back. If you hold a U.S. Passport, you don’t have any interview or
anything to attend. You’ll be good to go! The process takes about three days
total.
Sparknotes Version:
So overall, my cost of going to Taiwan was roughly $1,500
(one-way ticket), which isn’t too bad considering. The ticket was the majority of it, but there was another $500 in expenses that I didn't prepare for. It is a hefty sum and
took quite a few hours of work to pay it off, but now that it's paid, I feel a bit more able to relax and enjoy Indy before I leave.
Expense-wise, all I have left to pay are clothes, supplies and equipment for the Hoosier in Taiwan Video Journal. Clothes and supplies I can cover, but I don't have the money for equipment like video editing software, cameras, microphones, ect., which severely affect the quality of the blog.
Expense-wise, all I have left to pay are clothes, supplies and equipment for the Hoosier in Taiwan Video Journal. Clothes and supplies I can cover, but I don't have the money for equipment like video editing software, cameras, microphones, ect., which severely affect the quality of the blog.
So I started a Kickstarter! Kickstarter is a place where
people can donate to a project that they want to see come to life. If you think
this blog is providing useful information, or simply want to make this blog
better, please join the kickstarter HERE. (Kickstarter.com is also a cool place in
its own right so check it out!)
The more I get, the better quality equipment I can get. So
if you donate a lot, the video journal will be incredible! I have some pretty
nifty rewards for you, and a donation of any amount will get your name listed
here on the blog as a sponsor!
Regardless, I will continue to provide quality and personal information
here on Hoosier in Taiwan, and update the site weekly (at least). Please
subscribe via e-mail so that you can hear the latest updates and know what I’ll
be up to!
What are your travel experiences? What is one hidden costs
of travelling that popped up on you that you had to make room for? If you were
going to tell one other Hoosier to watch out for something when travelling
internationally, what would you tell them?
Also, I love putting Sparknotes on posts. What is your opinion on them?
Also, I love putting Sparknotes on posts. What is your opinion on them?
As always I wish you the best,
Apelles Johnson
Hoosier in Taiwan
After flying between Europe and US quite a few times, here are more tips I can add to Hoosier's points:
ReplyDeleteClarification about the ticket prices:
According to people who fly a lot and according to articles that many of them write, many airplane companies start posting their discounts on airplane tickets on Monday afternoon and evenings. Other companies, trying to win clients over, put their discounts there too next day - Tuesday. This means that the largest number of all discounts falls on Tuesdays, then Wednesdays and then prices start climbing up at least $50-$100. This is why price ticket on the weekends tends to be more expensive.
I just checked a price for a one-way ticket from Indy (short for Indianapolis) to Taipei, Taiwan, and it's still cheap in comparison to what it was on a weekend a month ago! It's Tuesday afternoon right now, and the price is $932. It was $1052 a month ago on a weekend.
About Importance of Long Layovers
Long= min 1 hour for the domestic flights
= min 3 hours for the intl flights
Most often, I had layovers max 2 hours. Here are some things that happened to me and made me readjust my minimum to 3 hours for the intl flights:
1) Late flights.
My flight arrived late and I had to run to get onto the next plane - happened So. Many. Times! It it especially bad when you land at the time when your next airplane is supposed to take off - sooo scary! It would always work out in the end because I wasn't alone and the airplane was waiting on a dozen other passengers from my flight. But after so many looong tiring flights followed by me running for my next airplane - not worth it.
2) Knowing security check rules.
One time I waited for half an hour at the international airport in the security check only to find out that I was not supposed to have a water bottle with water in it with me. They made me get out of the security check, get rid of water and then I had to go back in line to wait for my turn to be checked again. I ended up spending at least 1 hour standing at the security check.
In addition to that, that airport had trains! to move between gates! You can only imagine how large it is and how much time one needs to find their way from one flight to the next one. GIVE yourself that TIME. Especially if you have never used that airport before and do not know how to navigate in it fast.
Please, read and FOLLOW the rules of your airlines and security guidelines precisely! Plan ahead!
3) READ HANDWRITTEN SIGNS OF THE AIRPLANE STAFF WHEN YOU GET OFF OF YOUR AIRPLANE
One time my flight to Germany was late. I had 30 minutes to find security check, go through it, and then find my gate. I knew I was about to be late on the next flight - not my fault, but had to deal with it.
When I got off my airplane, there was an airport staff member holding a sign to come to her if the next flight is #______. It was my flight. I was about to not pay attention to it, but decided to go back and read it before following the crowd to the security check. Good thing I knew the number of my flight and those numbers and letters on her sigh made sense. The staff member led us through short ways around the airport to get us to a security point that was made specifically for us, and then she led us to our gate. God bless her! and smart airplane people. I was so lucky to read that sign. It appeared that only 4 out of 10 people from my previous flight who were supposed to have the flight with me noticed the sign. I do not if 6 other got on time.
4) Be ready for the flight all packed at least 1 day before! One time my very first flight out of 3 total flights got canceled. The only available time for the flight was 3 hours earlier. This flight also happened to be in 2 hours from the time when airport called me.... It's usually advisable to be IN the airport 2 hours before the international flights.
As you can see, all sorts of troubles can occur during layover times. Plan for those things by giving yourself enough time between the flights.
Good luck!