Discover what to do in Taiwan through the eyes of other volunteers who’ve visited, lived, and worked with the local communities. We asked our program coordinator at ICYE Taiwan to share a little bit about the volunteers’ experiences. We guarantee you’d want to visit yourself! Here’s a list of what the volunteers from around the world have to say after visiting Taiwan!
Credit: Mihaly Koles by Unsplash
1. Get to know Taiwan’s culture
One volunteer explained that “Taiwan is a multicultural society comprising of diverse Han subgroups, 16 officially recognized indigenous tribes, and immigrants from all over the world. The history of the island of Taiwan dates back tens of thousands of years to the earliest known evidence of human habitation. Taiwan was colonized by the Dutch in the south in the 17th century and the Spanish in the north for a brief period. From 1895 to 1945, Taiwan was ruled by Japan for 50 years. Therefore, Taiwan’s culture is similar to Japan’s culture but more easy-going.”
One way to immerse yourself in the culture is to join the Harvest Festival or join the Lantern Festival to learn more about the traditions and culture!
“I think the cultural aspects volunteers will enjoy most are food and traditions. Lots of delicious dishes are directly associated with holidays. These holidays in turn have very interesting stories. I am sure volunteers love to hear about them and try all those tasty snacks.”
Volunteer Abroad in Taiwan from 4-16 Weeks!
2. To eat delicious local food!
Top favorites from volunteers:
- Beef Noodles, Raised Pork Rice, and Egg Pancake Roll.
- “I will definitely recommend volunteers to try stinky tofu and pig blood cake!”
Stinky tofu! Photo by Andrew Haimerl by Unsplash
- “My personal favorite is hotpot I guess. The best way for the volunteers to get a first impression of the varieties of Taiwan’s cuisine would be to walk through a night market and buy lots of snacks there.”
Photo by Clement Souchet by Unsplash
3. Explore the hidden gems which are the outlying islands of Lanyu or Kinmen.
Lanyu. Photo Credit: Robson Hatsukami Morgan by Unsplash
No matter what volunteers expect, Taiwan will always surprise you.
4. Exciting Outdoor Activities!
- Diving or Surfing. Explore under the waters and you’d be amazed by the very rich marine ecology!
- Mountain Climbing. With over 200 mountains that are more than 3,000 meters high.
Jade Mountain (Yushan): A peak of 3,952 meters (12,966 ft) and one of the easier hikes to the peak
Take a break, take a Gap Year, Or a 6-month Volunteer Abroad to Taiwan!
5. Meeting the locals!
The volunteers who’ve been to Taiwan shared that future volunteers will “be welcomed to a beautiful country with open-minded and passionate people. They (volunteers) will be treated well and enjoy their time there. They will most probably gain weight too!”
Bonus!
Experience meeting friends for KTV (Karaoke Television).
Start your journey now!
We’re so excited to have Taiwan as one of our Quest countries! You can start planning your Volunteer Abroad Quest to Taiwan at any time and if you’d like to find out more, you can email us at quest@unitedplanet.org or fill up a Contact Form.
Project options range from education to social work.
- Volunteers get the opportunity to support teachers by designing lesson plans and cultural activities to help children expand their cultural perspective of the world.
- Work closely with children, youth, and young adults with developmental disabilities by supporting professional staff members at a therapy and educational center.
ABOUT UNITED PLANET
United Planet is a non-profit organization with a mission to create a global community, one relationship at a time. Established in 2001, United Planet offers volunteer abroad, virtual internships, internships abroad, gap year volunteering, and global virtual exchange in more than 40 countries.
