The LOT Travel Blog

In a corner of northwestern Taiwan that’s often overlooked by international visitors, a sublime rural retreat faces the mighty Xueshan Mountain Range. Less than an hour’s drive from Taiwan’s main airport, The One Nanyuan is truly one of a kind. Created at the behest of a newspaper magnate and covering an area slightly larger than […]

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Taiwan has never served as a venue for the Olympic Games but it has successfully hosted a number of major international sporting events. In 2009 the southern harbour city of Kaohsiung did a superb job welcoming the 8th World Games (an Olympics-style event featuring sports that aren’t part of the summer or winter Olympics) and the […]

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TripAdvisor’s first ever ‘trendcast’, released on January 31, reveals a number of interesting shifts in tourist preferences, several of which closely align with Taiwan’s strengths as a destination and augur well for the island’s efforts to attract a greater number of visitors.   As of February 2025 Life of Taiwan enjoys a 5.0 out of 5.0 […]

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  In the first week of January, as in previous years, the New York Times announced its list of ‘52 Places to Go in 2025’ — and we’re delighted to report that one of our favourite destinations, the mountain resort of Alishan, ranks 19th on their roster of must-see attractions. Since Life of Taiwan began […]

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The people of Taiwan will soon be celebrating the Lunar New Year. On January 29, 2025 families across the island will usher the Year of the Snake with fireworks and feasting — and maybe a drink or two — before enjoying a well-earned rest lasting several days. During this holiday period, the offices and factories […]

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Advocates of free enterprise often point to Taiwan as a place that should be emulated. Taxes are low and businesses aren’t overburdened by regulations. Because barriers to entry are low, many Taiwanese try their hand at entrepreneurial activity, be it starting a factory, opening a restaurant, or selling goods or services online. This is one […]

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Taroko Gorge, for several decades one of Taiwan’s premier attractions, has been closed to tourists since a powerful earthquake ravaged the region on April 3, 2024. While the section of Highway 8 that goes through the gorge is technically open to private vehicles, it suffered further damage during Typhoon Kong-rey at the end of October. […]

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Even if you sign up for one of our all-inclusive private guided tours of Taiwan, it’s almost certain you’ll step inside one of the island’s many convenience shops. There are more than 13,000 of them or (according to one calculation) one for every 1,562 residents. The two main chains are 7-Eleven and Family Mart, both […]

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Taiwanese are famous for their industriousness. Thanks to their efforts, since World War II the island’s economy has been transformed from one which depended on agriculture to a powerhouse of manufacturing and technology.  Not everyone is obsessed with work and business, however. As Taiwan has grown richer, its people have learned to appreciate the importance […]

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The tenth day of the tenth month, October 10, is one of the oldest established public holidays in Taiwan — yet it celebrates an event that happened outside Taiwan and which didn’t impact the island until decades later. On October 10, 1911 opponents of the Qing Dynasty, China’s last imperial government, launched an uprising at […]

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Temples, mountains, tea plantations, markets… there’s so much to see and do in Taiwan. But even if you’re eager to soak up every experience this amazing destination can throw at you, there’s bound to be a time or two when you just want to sit down and enjoy a good cup of coffee. Taipei: A […]

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Less than four months after Taiwan was rocked by the region’s strongest earthquake in a quarter of a century, the island was soaked by torrential rains accompanying Typhoon Gaemi. Even though life has returned to normal for almost everyone, tourists heading to the Hualien area may have to adjust their plans. All of Taiwan’s counties […]

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