Taking a Gap Year in Taiwan was the Best Decision I’ve Ever Made
I wasn’t sure where I’d end up or for how long, but starting with that mindset let me find the best ending.
I Surprised Myself
A year ago, in the weeks leading up to graduation, when I would tell friends I was planning on taking a gap year, it was more out of convenience in conversation than something I truly believed in. Saying that I was planning a gap year was a quick way to alleviate concerned relatives that I didn’t have a job while simultaneously sparking a cheap buzz in the conversation.
Behind the curtains, I didn’t actually think I would be gone for a year, jobless for so long. As it turned out, I would spend 12 months without the structure of school or work for the first time in my life. And boyyy am I glad I did it.
Leading up to the Trip
The plans started as a month or two in China. My brother had done something similar when he graduated from the University of Texas at Austin 4 years prior, which made me realize that that side of the world was more than something I had read about or seen in movies growing up.
I had studied Chinese since my first semester at the University of Virginia (UVA) and I initially had planned on studying abroad there. However, after a variety of factors changed that, chiefly COVID-19, I decided a post-grad trip could make up for my dashed hopes. I began planning the two-month journey with one of my long-time buddies from high school, who happened to study Chinese at UVA as well.
U-Turn
In the months leading up to our trip, we had developed a packed itinerary that involved us getting lost in most of China’s biggest cities and struggling to understand the dialects in many of its smaller villages. We had hostels booked, and activities lined up nearly every day. Excited as we were for the trip, we kept a watchful eye on the geo-political tensions and did our best to remain cautiously optimistic as the departure date drew closer.
Ultimately, around two to three months before the trip, alongside some urging from our families, we made the difficult decision to change course. Despite the initial disappointment, I’ve never looked back.
Plan B
To retain hopes of demonstrating our extremely impressive, intermediate-low-level Mandarin prowess, we replaced one of the two planned months in China with a month in Taiwan. The other would be spent in the Philippines—it was close to Taiwan, and all 1,744 of my friend’s family members who were living there would be more than happy to show us around.
Philippines
While there, we did some amazing things like canyoning, cruising through an underground river, and swimming alongside whale sharks, but most of the highlights came from time spent with the family. Naturally, we hit the ground running on arrival with a night of karaoke, which ended up being a daily occurrence. Of the remaining time, we probably spent 60% playing basketball and another 39% eating.
加油! (Add Gas!)
It was about this time that I started to realize I wasn’t going to be in Asia for just two months: there was too much left to do and I had no idea when I would be on this side of the world again. It also helped that I didn’t need to pay $15 for a plate of dumplings.
Fortunately, I had already mentally compiled several itineraries for nearby countries, derived from countless hours of research (deep down 4 am social media rabbit holes) in anticipation of the trip. On top of that, other friends had started to hear about my plans and had suggested joining me at some point if I was traveling long enough.
Thus, I decided to base myself in Taiwan for a bit longer and periodically make short trips to other nearby countries. After all, I had enough saved up to last at least a few more months before having to play Monopoly IRL.
Not a Full Tank Though
The plans I had for extending my travels were certainly appealing to a senior in college who was ready to relax and enjoy the fruits of labor from 16 semesters and 4 summers of work. However, as the trip made its baby steps towards becoming a gap year, I began to realize I needed something more to balance all of the leisure.
Finding a Rhythm
As one burns out from work, I was sure I would tire out from the constant travel. Not that this was a bad problem to have, but we are all creatures of habit, and sooner or later we crave some structure. I also needed something to show for my extra few (9) months off of work if I wanted to make myself marketable to companies upon return. I figured a “Karaoke Songs I Kill At” section wouldn’t cut it on my resume.
Workaway
All of these factors and a little budgeting ultimately led me to search for a workaway opportunity. There, I could save money on rent by working instead of paying for it and would only lose a few hours a day to such work, so I could spend any remaining time building up my resume. I like to call activities falling under this umbrella, or any type of self-improvement/maintenance, “life admin.”
Those taking gap years may have any number of things to keep them busy and stay productive. For me, the life admin consisted of reading, making music, developing websites, and practicing Mandarin.
Dulan and Wagaligong
When searching for work away opportunities I scoured many different sites, but ultimately came down to two possible options: a travelers hostel in the heart of Taipei, or a surf hostel in Dulan (a small village in Southeast Taiwan). After weighing several important factors, like staff perks and nearby boba tea shops, I settled on the hostel in Dulan, Wagaligong. I was truly split on that decision and easily could’ve gone either way, but now I can’t imagine an experience in Taiwan nearly as fulfilling had I taken the other path.
In those next 6 weeks, outside of hostel projects and life admin, I met international travelers and Taiwanese from a wide spectrum of backgrounds, spoke more Mandarin than the previous four years combined, and even surfed enough to help teach lessons. It was a one-of-a-kind experience that will leave a lasting impact on who I am. By the end of my time there, I had no doubt that I wanted to return to Dulan, but first, I had another few weeks of travel planned…
Exploring Southeast Asia
Rewinding to when I was still planning this trip in the US, many friends said they would do their best to make it out and visit me at some point along the way. Only four ended up following through (which was four more than I predicted), but each made sure their trips across the globe weren’t wasted. The first visitor ended up coming for around a month and a half.
Starting in Thailand
The two of us began traveling with another friend for two weeks in central and south Thailand, bouncing around big cities and small islands, charitably boosting local economies through generous investments in Thai cuisine. Given the tourist off-season, we often seemed to have places to ourselves, adding to the feel of paradise.
The following month of travel involved motorbiking through north Thailand (where we managed to only crash 3 times, each), exploring the ruins of Angkor Wat, and spelunking through some of Asia’s biggest caves in Vietnam. We ended with a more relaxing week split between Bali and Singapore. From there, my friend headed out and my girlfriend swapped in.
Back to the East
With my girlfriend, I spent around a month split between Japan and Taiwan. In Japan, we strolled the swarming streets of Tokyo, hiked to temples around Mt. Fuji, visited her Family in Osaka, and were treated to a revitalizing Japanese Onsen experience in Shirahama. She ended her trip in Taiwan, where we enjoyed Taipei 101’s New Year’s fireworks, hiked through Taroko Gorge, and surfed in Dulan.
The Importance of Travel Buddies
It’s one thing being able to enjoy all of these places and activities on my own, but what I’ve especially come to appreciate through these few months of exploring is that travel is best when shared, whether with old friends or new acquaintances.
One can always tell stories about their adventures, but the spoken word will never live up to a memory shared, nor will those listening — if there are any — be nearly as interested as the ones who were there to experience it with you.
I can’t imagine anyone would truly care to know about the time my buddy and I got dinner with our Tuk Tuk driver in Cambodia. Case in point, that is one of the year's most memorable parts. Be it with one of my visiting friends, my girlfriend, or the countless new friends I made along the way, the shared experiences were what made this journey unforgettable.
Settling in Taiwan
By the time my girlfriend left, I was looking forward to settling down and building up a schedule so I could refocus on being productive. First, however, I had to revisit Dulan to make sure I didn’t forget how to surf and the boba shop owner didn’t forget me.
Afterward, I rented an apartment in Taipei and developed a thorough routine. Even though I didn’t have a job in the city, I never seemed to have enough time in the day to get to everything I wanted. In addition to the previously mentioned life admin, the day-to-day included studying for the GMAT, working out, applying to jobs, and writing, I also made sure to continue exploring and learning about Taiwan when opportunities arose.
Core Hobbies
Another phrase I like to use is “core hobbies.” I strongly believe there is a certain hobby that each individual either already has or needs to find. If passionate enough about an activity, one wouldn’t mind being locked up for a month if it was all they could do. You become a magician with core hobbies by making time itself disappear.
For me, there were two: making music and coding (with the former being decidedly more exciting). They ended up being where a majority of my free time went this past year and ultimately turned the gap year into a gap second. I dive deeper into my thoughts on core hobbies in the piece below.
Getting Out and Trying New Things
Without a job to force me out of the apartment, I was starting to reflect the light from my desk lamp a bit too intensely. Although such skin tones are sought after in Taiwan, my pastiness certainly wasn’t due to a rigorous skin-care routine. For the sake of my mental health (and my roommates’ eyesight), I needed to get outside.
Beyond my life admin and core hobbies, I made sure to always allow time for socializing and trying new things. Although I couldn’t continue surfing in Taipei, I picked up another sport in rock climbing, where I also found a new friend group.
With them, I went to comedy shows, sang KTV, tried shrimp fishing, explored festivals, and attempted to converse with the cashiers at 7-Eleven. Upon failure, we always had the opportunity to try again at the 7-Eleven across the street.
A New Balance
Maintaining this duality of routine and new experience kept me productive when working and my mind healthy. I found it particularly important to ensure there was a social aspect involved when possible, given how isolated my daily routine left me.
This consideration was a new development in my life since school had always ensured I had a healthy dose of socializing. With that gone, however, I had to adjust and have now realized that this is a balance I will need to actively strive to uphold for the rest of my life.
Rounding it Out
Some other brief events since moving to Taipei include a visit from two U.S. friends, a short trip to India, a return to Dulan, and a mind-bending 10-day silent retreat.
Outside of that, I stuck to the routine mentioned above pretty consistently, which kept me busy enough to make the latter part of the trip fly by. Now in my last week here, I’m thrilled to return to the US…to see my friends and family, enjoy some parmesan cheese that’s less than $10, and be back at the pop cultural center of the world.
At the same time, I don’t want to leave Taiwan. I’ll miss the food, the affordability, the unique festivals, the extremely convenient transportation, the Mandarin practice, the beautiful mix of nature and city, and the digital peace between noon and 8 pm when everyone on the other side of the world is sleeping.
The People
Cliche as it may be, I’ll miss the people in Taiwan the most, which can in large part be thanks to the culture the country has nurtured. Through both friends made and strangers met daily — Taiwanese, Expats, and travelers alike — the way I interact with others will never be the same.
I’ll Be Back
When traveling elsewhere in the past, there were many times when I declared to myself that I would certainly return. Although this is likely quite impractical for most locations, I have never felt it to be truer than with Taiwan.
I admittedly have a bias since it is the longest I have lived anywhere outside of the U.S. — the only other place where I have been able to develop lasting relationships. Regardless, I truly believe Taiwan is unique. It is easily the most affordable first-world country I’ve ever visited and it maintains one of the only remaining pervasively respectful cultures in the world.
The cherry on top is that it does these two things at the same time, all the while offering anything and everything else an ideal destination might have, from food and nature to exciting events and traditions. Although my gap year was limited to…a year, I plan on spending a lifetime coming back.
