Questions about Taiwan for Senior travellers
Escorted small group tours for mature and senior travellers to Taiwan. Designed for couples and solo travellers who like to explore and enjoy learning as they travel.
A small group tour for senior couples and solo travellers to Taiwan. Held annually on the first full moon of the lunar calendar, the Lantern Festival is one of the most fascinating festivities around the globe. The Pingxi Sky Lantern Festival is part of this spectacular Festival. Our Taiwan Lantern Festival program includes Taipei and its Sky Lantern Festival and its impressive Taipei 101 Tower.
Escorted small group tours for mature and senior travellers to Taiwan. Designed for couples and solo travellers who like to explore and enjoy learning as they travel.
Odyssey travels by coach and occasionally uses local transport, including trains and ferries. Specifics are always outlined in your tour itinerary. The Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA) runs an extensive rail network, with an efficient system of train services running across the country. Bus services are also widely available, and are reasonably priced.
In major cities, Odyssey stays in centrally located 3-4 star hotels, with easy access to public transport. In smaller towns or rural areas, we usually stay in family-run hotels or guesthouses. On our longstay tours, during which you spend the length of the tour in a single location, we use serviced apartments.
Odyssey always engages local guides with regional knowledge to ensure an authentic experience during which you can learn as much as possible about the history and culture of places you visit.
The island of Taiwan covers a total area of 36,104 square km, and has a coastline of 1,139 km. Much of Taiwan is mountainous, with two thirds of the country dominated by mountain ranges. The terrrain levels out towards the western coast, with most of the country’s population living on the flatlands in the west of the country.
Taiwan has both subtropical and tropical climates, with warm year-round temperatures and heavy precipitation during monsoonal periods. Depending on when you intend to travel, check the weather reports and dress accordingly.
Due to Taiwan’s current diplomatic status, UNESCO does not presently include any sites in Taiwan on its World Heritage Sites list.
Numerous festivals and events dot the calendar in Taiwan. Many of the Taiwan’s biggest annual festivals reflect the island’s Chinese cultural heritage, including Chinese New Year and the Chinese Lantern Festival. One of the more visually striking events of the year is the Taiwan International Balloon Festival. Taking place between July and early August, the festival features an eye-catching array of hot air balloons, including balloons in the shape of animals, vehicles, fictional characters, and religious figures. Traditional crafts and art forms are preserved through events such as the Yunlin International Puppet Arts Festival, which showcases puppetry, shadow puppetry and marionette performances.
Formosan Odyssey, by John Grant Ross
Taiwan Tales, by J.J Green
Heaven Lake, by John Dalton
Accidental State, by Hsiao-ting Lin
Taiwanese cuisine has been shaped by the culinary influences of neighbouring China, as well as the local produce and unique flavours of the island. Noodles and soups feature prominently in Taiwanese cooking, with beef noodle soup one of the most popular dishes in the country. Steamed buns are widely consumed, and are found at nearly every night market, food court and street stall, while soup dumplings are also very popular. Taiwanese cooking has some rather innovative uses for some of the produce of the island – for example, oysters have been used as the key ingredient in noodle dishes (oyster vermicelli) and is even cooked with eggs to make an oyster omelet.
To keep cool in Taiwan’s often stifling heat, a refreshing pearl milk tea may come in handy. Featuring milk tea filled with chewy tapioca balls, pearl milk tea can commonly be seen in the hands of locals on hot summer days. Tea itself is something that Taiwan greatly treasures, with Taiwanese oolong tea held in particularly high regard.
Taiwan is generally a safe country to travel in, although always exercise common sense while travelling. The monsoon season between May and November can bring flooding and mudslides, while Taiwan is also prone to earthquakes.
Whenever you travel overseas, it’s always wise to take an appropriate travel adaptor. The standard voltage in Taiwan is 110V, while the standard frequency is 60Hz. Taiwan uses both Type A and Type B electrical plugs, so make sure that you are carrying the right travel adaptor with you.
Taiwan has a single time zone, Taiwan Time (UTC+8). Taiwan does not observe Daylight Savings.
If you’re on an Odyssey tour, we take care of tipping so you don’t need to give it a second thought. However, in your free time, or if travelling independently, it’s essential that you tip an appropriate amount for services. Tipping is not particularly common in Taiwan, with a few exceptions. Bellhops in hotels may expect a tip of around $1 per bag, while tour guides should be tipped around 10% of the tour cost.
Internet access is easily accessible, and most hotels and many cafes will be able to offer it.
Check with your cell phone provider to see whether you’re able to make calls and use data while in Taiwan. Many providers will allow you to pay a daily fee that allows you to make calls and check the internet while only being charged your regular rates. However, be certain to inform your provider that you’re heading overseas, because just like a bank they can turn off your service as a result of unusual activity.
For all the articles Odyssey Traveller has published for mature aged and senior travellers, click through on this link.
The Telegraph: 15 reasons why Taiwan should be your next adventure.
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