Since my HS friends and I learned about the visa-free grant of Taiwan to Filipinos, we had been eyeing for promo fares in Cebu Pacific. The visa-free entry is for a short visit not exceeding 14days and shall commenced on a trial basis for 9months starting last November 1, 2017 until July 31, 2018.
Thus, when CebuPac had a promo last January 2018, we already grabbed it even if it was not the usual piso fare we'd been waiting for. Taiwan visitor visa usually costs Php2,400. You have to wait for 3 working days and you are still not sure whether your visa application will be granted or not. You can expedite its processing for 1 working day but it will cost you Php3,600. The visa-free grant is a great opportunity for us to skip the visa application, skip paying its visa fee, and skip the hassle of submitting a lot of documents. Hence, we took the chance and booked our roundtrip tickets!
A roundtrip ticket MNL-Taipei-MNL costs us Php3,491.78 each. I did not bother to get any add ons like check-in baggage, meals, and reserved seating so as to save money (haha!). I am used to carry all my things in a small luggage and a backpack. So this setting serves me well.
Thereafter, we checked agoda for cheap accommodations. After deliberations, we decided to go with Starbox Hostel, a 2-star hotel located in Nanjing West Rd, Taipei, Taiwan. Full review of the hostel can be read here.
Since all of us are females, we booked 3 beds in a 10-bed dormitory type room, exclusive for female guests. Our entire stay (4days and 3nights) costs each one of us Php1,728.51 only.
This is a good deal because it already includes a decent breakfast with unli coffee (I assumed it's unli because I managed to ask for another cafe latte when I didn't like their americano). Tip: If you will book this hostel, better bring small sachets of sugar with you coz' their coffees taste too bitter, at least for me.
Another necessity for you to roam around Taipei without the hassle of lining up is to get their Easy Card which costs NT$500 with NT$400 load while the NT$100 is non-refundable. Any balance in the card can be refunded back to you. The sales lady said the card is valid for 20years. Their EasyCard can be used in MRT, Buses, Trains, and in some taxis. Some establishments also accept EasyCard as payment like in TaipeiZoo, Ruifang train station, and in a baked-goods stall in their airport. I don't have a list of where it can be accepted but the ones I mentioned are based on personal experience.
Maybe you're wondering how a limited budget can get you around Taiwan. Well, I have a list of tourist attractions in Taiwan where you can go and enjoy sightseeing without any entrance fees. (If you know any other places in Taiwan with no entrance fee, let us know so we can add it on the list.)
Lastly, as for food allowance, I think one can manage to survive with a NT$100 budget per meal in Taiwan haha! Taiwan has a lot of night markets where you can enjoy food tripping with prices ranging from NT$30-NT$120, depending on the food. Of course, make sure to buy only those within your budget. We have a separate post for the night markets that we'd been through. You can check them out here. Some glimpse of their night market food are as follows:
Here's a summary breakdown of expenses that suit the Php8.8k+ budget for a 4D/3N Taiwan trip. I noted 2meals per day since our hostel already included breakfast. The meal budget was only for 3days because on our 4th day, our flight was in the morning (10.45am). We ate lunch here in the Philippines already.
The sample budget and expenses above are dependent on your spending and eating habits. The exchange rate is based on Php1 = NT$1.83. Hopefully, this will serve as a guide for you if ever you want to travel to Taiwan without breaking the bank.
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