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Not so many Taiwanese people speak English, but very often they make an effort to communicate with the few words they know or even call an English-speaking friend to talk with you on the phone. Nonetheless, it's a good idea learn some basic Chinese or ask a Chinese-speaking friend to create a [[hitchhiking letter]] for you. This is a tremendously good method.
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|hitch = <rating country='tw' />
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'''Taiwan''' is an island off the coast of [[China]], and one of the easiest places in the world hit hitchhike. The UN considers it Taiwan part of China, but its government is completely separate from the Mainland, and almost all Taiwanese people proudly consider it an independent country. People are fond of calling Taiwan a "small island", but don't be fooled into thinking distances are shorter than they are. It takes about 8 hours to drive from one end to the other, and that's assuming you stay on the densely populated plain.
==Attitudes Toward Hitchhiking==
==Language==
Taiwan's official language is Mandarin Chinese, and everyone under about 70 speaks it fluently (Taiwanese, a related language, is widespread but declining in use among young people, especially in the north and major cities). English is mandatory in schools, and most Taiwanese people under 40 will know some, but only a minority of them speak it confidently and well. If you are an English speaker you will find that many people are eager to practice while they drive you around. On the other hand, many locals others are embarrassed unable or reluctant to use their broken English (young people) or don't speak English at all (people over about 40)try speaking it , so knowing some Mandarin helps a lot. Very often people will make an effort to communicate with the few English words they know, or even call an English-speaking friend to talk with you on the phone. Nonetheless, it's a good idea learn some basic Chinese or ask a Chinese-speaking friend to create a [[hitchhiking letter]] for you. This is a tremendously good method.
The next best thing is to have a smartphone on you to translate whatever you search into chinese characters and for the use of google maps. You can buy a SIM card (fareastone e.g.) for NT$350 giving you a credit of 150 for calling plus 1GB of mobile internet. The whole country offers excellent wifi services (restaurants, 7-11, Metro and bus stations). Free registration is often required. Search help for that.
Taiwanese people sometimes don't believe hitchhiking will work for longer distances (or they are maybe not familiar with the concept), so they might try to drive you to a train- or bus-station.
