The Taiwannabe's Starter Guide: Everything I wish I knew before I moved to Taiwan

Moving to Taiwan is one of the best decisions you can make. Getting there unprepared is unnecessarily painful. I know — because I did it the hard way.

Overwhelmed. Confused. Scared. I moved to rural Miaoli County — where even most Taiwanese people don't go — as the first foreigner my team had ever had. Work permits versus visas. Accommodation hunting without the language. Bank accounts, SIM cards, cultural landmines I didn't know existed. Did I mention learning Mandarin? I made mistakes — some easily fixed, some that cost me hundreds of dollars.

Taiwan still became my second home. I made friends for life. It genuinely changed me.

But most foreigners who move there end up stuck in a foreigner bubble for years - not by choice, but by default. Nobody gave them the tools to break out of it: the Mandarin, the cultural confidence, the local connections that make life in Taiwan extraordinary instead of just manageable.

This is the guide I wish I had. You don't need to struggle like I did.

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Jamie Bolam

Wildlife Conservationist, Taiwanese Tarzan, Oxford Grad

Who am I?

Hi! I'm Jamie. I moved to Taiwan from the UK to protect & research their moon bears, leopard cats & other amazing wildlife.

I struggled when I was moving to Taiwan. A lot. From lifestyle questions like where to get good food or how the markets worked, to nice places to travel and how to get there. There was little information to help.

Yeah, I tried Lonely Planet. There was barely anything for the entire county I lived in. I felt scared. I was walking into a black box.

What I found in Taiwan changed my life. Let me help you find your own Taiwan Adventure!

What's inside?

A comprehensive 40+ page guide covering:

Visas, work permits & practical logistics - what's what and in what order
Learning Mandarin as a foreigner: the techniques that actually worked for me, built for minimal time and maximal results
Finding accommodation: what to look for, what to avoid
Banking, SIM cards, driving, and local laws worth knowing
Cultural do's and don'ts - and what they reveal about Taiwanese life
Nature, hiking and outdoor life in one of Asia's most biodiverse countries
Building real community as a foreigner - beyond the expat bubble