HTLondon

This is my first time in Asia.

I'm staying in Taipei for about 2 months early next year for a short course. Most importantly, I'm on a career break (after serious work-stress burnout) and therefore am looking for some ideas for stress-free, hassle-free, non-rushed, relaxing breaks during that time.

What places would you recommend, both in and outside Taiwan?

A few ideas I thought about:
- 2-3 days in Tainan
- 2-3 days in Alishan
- 5 days in Japan (Kyoto, Tokyo)

I'm unsure about Mainland China because getting a visa appears to be a hassle, especially if I don't know the exact dates of my travel there yet. But if I go there using the transit visa I could do:
- 2 days in Hong Kong, 3 days in Xian

My preferences:
- I'm in my late 20s, prefer traveling slow, flexible, and laid back, without being in a rush, and immersing myself well into a place instead of just ticking boxes.
- I enjoy museums, history, art, nature, as well as just relaxing and enjoying the view,
- Because of health reasons I'm very sensitive about hygiene, safety and being able to reach a good doctor/hospital in case of emergency.
- I can be very fussy about large crowds hence I might prefer spending most time in smaller or less crowded cities (I didn't like the pictures of India and Thailand for example!).

I don't have an income right now so I'm not looking for luxury Spa resorts, but simply for places that don't require too much thinking and planning, and where I can sit back and enjoy. However, if there are some good value Spa-type places, meditation, etc. that might be helpful too.

Thank you

thursdaysd

I would add Taroko Gorge in country. There are also a number of good day trips out of Taipei - pick up a guidebook.

Consider South Korea as well as Japan.

Southeast Asia will be cheaper.

HTLondon

Thank you!

Just to clarify one small thing: I know there are many guidebooks, but it's really important to me to know I can travel somewhat "carefree" as far as safety and cleanliness are concerned - this is a bit hard to find out without first-hand accounts...

The point of my break is to recover a bit. I'm a single young woman traveling alone with a few health problems (heart and breathing, I sometimes have blackouts).

Note I'm avoiding places like Beijing, Shanghai purely because I read of the uncleanliness and smog. I have also heard the same of most South East Asian major cities, in addition to them having more petty crime as well.

But if you know of any smaller cities, or more developed areas minus the smog, dirt and petty crime, I would appreciate that.

thursdaysd

I am a solo woman traveler, and really, there is nowhere on Taiwan where I would have concerns. Nor anywhere in SEA, for that matter, aside from some easily avoided scams in Bangkok. With your issues I would certainly avoid the polluted cities in China. I found Chengdu and Kunming and the areas around them to be fine, but that was over 10 years ago. Suggest a separate post for China.

BTW, if you are looking for smaller, less hectic cities, it makes NO sense to go to Tokyo.

Kathie

Given your health concerns, I'd eliminate all places in China. Places in Japan are a good bet. But given your interests, I'd suggest Kyoto over Tokyo - or, at the very least two different trips. Five days (which requires 6 nights) would be a great first trip to Kyoto.

Plenty of places in SE Asia would be good options for you. When you talk about crowds, Thailand and India are in entirely different classes! The cleanest place in SE Asia is Singapore, but a place I really love (where you don't have to worry about hygiene) is Georgetown, Penang in Malaysia. These would be longer flights from Taiwan than flights to Japan.

CanadaChinaTraveller

I found the air in Taipei much worst than Beijing and Shanghai due to the fact that you have all these scooters. They are powered by fuel while in China they are electric. The result is a very strong fuel smell. Different kind of pollution.

kja

I agree that you should cross Beijing – and anywhere in northern China – off your list for now, as the pollution is just too frequently at a very dangerous level.

As for Japan, I agree with Kathie that 5 days in Kyoto / Nara would be a delightful break. With 5 days, I personally wouldn’t try to combine Kyoto and Tokyo – but if Tokyo is a high priority for you, you could also visit there – it may be one of the largest and most densely packed cities in the world, but it has some interesting sites and you could also do various day trips from there.

And I agree with thursdaysd that Seoul is also worth considering – and IMO, 5 days would make sense there if you include a day trip or two. Although Seoul (like Tokyo) is one of the most densely populated cities on earth, I found it surprisingly clean and manageable. That said, during spring it can suffer from high levels of pollution, in part because of winds bearing particulate matter from northern China. So consider your timing, and as an alternative, consider other parts of South Korea, such as Busan and (if you want) a few other nearby locations. More than enough for a 5-day trip there!

I’m sure you know to make sure you have good medical coverage while traveling. My personal strategy is to make sure I know what coverage, if any, I have for medical treatment abroad through my policy and then supplement it as necessary. Specifically, I look for emergency evacuation coverage (if I MUST be moved to hospitalize me for emergency treatment) and non-emergency medical evaculation (so I can be moved to a hospital near my home or of my own choosing, if I need to be hospitalized for a non-emergency condition). And then I decide on other medical insurance options once I know what it will cost to cover those options.

I’ll second Kathie’s suggestion of Singapore – another city with an extremely high population density, but extraordinarily clean and easy to navigate and with enough of interest to me to easily fill 5 days.

As for guidebooks – several of the ones I use have sections on health and safety issues. I would urge you to consult some, even if you supplement what you learn with comments on Fodor’s or other online travel forums. You might find more information than you suspect!

And of course – check the CDC websites for any place you consider!

Hope that helps!

HTLondon

Thanks everyone for all the advice and suggestions!

A few more questions...

Japan:
- I just realized that Okinawa is just an hour flight from Taiwan. I know it from some karate films and all the healthy diet literature. Is it worth (and hassle-free) visiting Okinawa?

Russia's East Asian side:
- I own a valid multiple entry business visa for the country and speak the language + have often been to the European side for work. Has anyone here visited the East Asian side and is a short trip there worth/doable? I thought since I have the documents, might as well use them...

thursdaysd

Haven't made it to Okinawa yet, didn't get further south than Nagasaki. Lots to see on Kyushu, too.

I took the Trans Mongolian across Russia back in 2004. Would recommend Irkutsk and Lake Baikal. I also found Ulan Ude interesting. The Kamchatka Peninsula is supposed to be very interesting if you're into geology and less visited places - very much les visited.

MmePerdu

For short breaks I suggest you simply narrow down the possibilities by seeing where the local airlines, like Air Asia have direct flights to make it easy.

For instance:
http://www.airasia.com/ot/en/where-w...route-map.page
Click on the dot for Taipei and then "show destinations". You'll then see a list of both non-stop & connecting flights to explore. Read up on what you find.

HTLondon

Thanks everyone Really appreciate all your advice.

flowerpurple

Have you thought about Guam? Very tropical water paradise. US territory. Close enough to Taiwan and Japan.

In Taiwan, you can try take a scooter around the country trip.. slow and steady. Many friendly folks and cheap food along the highway (not the mega freeway). Or take a leisurely old style train, not the fast ones.. and travel from small city to city around the whole island.

Kavey

Do save one of your slots for Taroko Gorge, just visited last week and it's beautiful. Stayed in Silks Place, one of very few pages right inside the national park (permitted because it was built never the park was ever established).