Don’t Worry! 7 Sane Tips You Can Take If You Plan To Tour Taiwan Affected By Disasters

⋅ Health Safety Tips ⋅ , , , , , , , , , , , , , ⋅ 0 Comments

News: Suhua Highway linking Yilan and Hualien Taiwan has been damaged after Typhoon Megi.

Are you traveling to Yilan or Hualien, Taiwan counties which may be affected by this disaster?

I have an associate on her first tour to Taiwan with a travel agency. The evening before her departure flight, the news of the Suao disaster came on Singapore television.

Fear your Taiwan travel plans may be disrupted by disasters?

In the TripAdvisor.com travel forum topic I volunteer in advising visitors to Taiwan, many were expressing concern and seeking help in amending their itineraries.

I saw the needs, and decided to share some advice here..

Suhua Highway rockslides devastation, as we recalled with heavy hearts

Typhoon Megi devastated northeastern Taiwan on Oct 21 and 22, 2010.
Suhua Highway along coast of Suao city linking Yilan and Hualien was destroyed by heavy rockslides after heavy rain. Hitting vehicles, buildings, burying them and their occupants or knocking them into the seas.

    • All-out land, air and sea rescue efforts after Megi..
    • Latest news on Suhua rockslide search efforts..

In this wildly-changing global weather, catastrophic climatic events like these will happen and may threaten to disrupt your meticulously-dreamed up travel plans.

In confusion, travelers may be fearful, perceiving their Taiwan destinations to be too risky for travel.

Are you re-thinking, even re-planning your Taiwan tour because of the devastation? What can you do – beside biting the nails of your fingers crossed?

Take deep breaths, calm down. Try these 7 tips.

1. Check Taiwan weather before you go.

See how fast and easy to get your Taiwan weather forecast here via Taiwan’s Central Weather Bureau English web site. When there’s a typhoon, earthquake or other major environmental occurence, CWB tracks it here too.

2. Keep tabs on Taiwan news before you travel.

Weeks to days before your trip, pay attention to news of Taiwan in the media.

With knowledge and updates of the current situation of Taipei, Taiwan, you will be travel-savvy and informed visitors. Even if this is your very first visit.

3. Traveling Taiwan with tour agency? That made things easier.

Large parts of your Taiwan travel are already being managed and taken care of by travel agency. So check your concerns, your fears with them.

Your travel agents know the locations, and have resources to manage their presence – and most importantly, your time there in Taiwan.

4. Touring Taiwan in do-it-yourself, free and easy style?

• Forgo affected areas. Tour other places. Or tour it on another trip.
Unsure of Taroko Gorge? Then go marvel in Hehuan mountain. How about Kenting, instead of Hualien coast?

• Work on other ways of transport or travel.
If an area becomes inaccessible, can you use other alternative modes of transport or another travel route – to get to and from where you planned to tour?

• Get in touch with your Taiwan service providers like cab tour guides, hotels, minsu (homestay) owners.

They want your business and keep you happy as their customer. Call them on the phone. They would be best to advise you: Help you avoid the damaged areas, suggest best accessible routes and transport arrangements to keep your planned tour as intact as possible.

5. Adjust your itinerary accordingly.

So, don’t fret. Don’t be afraid, to re-work on your Taiwan travel planning.

Our travel planning, however much we had sweated over them – are but plans. At best, we fulfill them and delight ourselves in touring Taiwan. At worst, we throw them aside and dive into traveling Taiwan in true free and easy style.

6. Take new precautions as needed.

If a place you’re visiting has met calamity, take good precautions to stay safe and sane in view of the new situation and environment.

Recently, I have sounded the alert against dengue fever in Taiwan. Keep yourself safe with these tips.

Also, like I have always advised in the travel forums I volunteer in, may I share this piece of advice here now:

Travel power tip: Always travel with a personal “survival” kit.

I showed you how easy to make your Ultra Travel Kit here.

7. Still feeling uncertain and uneasy?

You may be reading these tips casually now. I’m glad you’ve read this far. :-)

Yet imagine this: When you got the news that the wonderful place you have been planning so carefully to enjoy has in a moment of unforeseen catastrophe, turned into ruins. Or near ruins, a place inaccessible for visitors.

You may just break out in cold sweat. And in an instant, all touring fantasy can turn into uncertainty. All trip planning into chaos!

If you’re still feeling strongly apprehensive about touring Taiwan in view of a calamity that you fear will be affecting your trip, then stop the nightmares – do the final thing:

Travel Taiwan another time.

It’s just a tour. No matter how long you have pined or planned – or how much you’ve paid – for it, the reality is that it will be but a trip.

Escape to travel Taiwan. Now or later.

Adjust, amend, abandon, re-work your Taiwan travel plans.

Besides giving you travel inspiration here, I do not profit from you visiting Taiwan. I care most – for your safety.

Here is where I hope these tips will help you. Happy travel planning!