This is my series on our 2018 Round the Island Earth Schooling Trip. For more posts, you can check out the index page or subscribe to my Facebook folio. Yous can also subscribe to my Instagram for pics.
I lose newspaper. Seriously. If I get any kind of paper, you tin can bet 5 minutes afterward I'g digging through all my pockets and askingFleurif she remembers where I'd absentmindedly stuffed said newspaper.
For that reason, I really love to plan and live my daily life equally digitally as possible. Here are some apps I have found quite useful while living and traveling in Taiwan the last three times, GYA13, GYA16, and WSA18.
I've ordered the apps by importance, the order you lot might want to download your apps, in example yous're similar me and are downloading apps the dark before y'all go out. You probably want to at least have items in #ane-#iii installed.
Many of these apps have English language setting. I volition specifically mention the Chinese ones Fleurused every bit she much prefer English apps to Chinese.
1. Google－ Bulldoze, Agenda, Maps
Nosotros stored all of our itinerary info online on Google Bulldoze and Google Calendar. Google Agenda worked out super cracking as I could store itinerary, map directions, addresses, notes on specific attractions, URLs, even PDFs. Since I use an iPhone, I configure my iOS Agenda to pull downwards my Google Calendar.
I did notice information technology easier to have ane PDF for each 24-hour interval, stored onGoogle Drive, filled by and large with train tables, attraction info, etc. Both of these apps allowed me to share my itinerary with Fleur, which fabricated trip planning easier.
Google Mapsis similarly indispensable. It is usually very adept nigh giving me the all-time routes either past public transportation, walking, or driving. In that location were simply iii abrasive things with Maps, ane is it likes to take us down roads that are less traveled. Several times it directed us to tiny ane lane route that was non good for my heart, though it thrilled the kids to no end, when we could have just taken the large road right next to it.
The other annoyance is how it displays bus schedules. It cannot tell me what the all-time and shortest route is from point A to indicate B. Rather, it shows me the all-time route for the time I'm searching, and often fails when I specify a deviation time. So most of the time I had to resort back to individual jitney apps or websites for meliorate data.
Lastly,Google Maps displays the language setting of my iPhone. I couldn't make sense of English street names and bus end names, so I had to switch my whole phone interface to Chinese. Even so,Fleur was fine with the English and made do, as many signs are bilingual.
On the route, we would expect at our itinerary the night before or the morning of and could quickly pull up maps or allure info for last minute planning. Fleur used all these apps in English.
2. Train－T-EX 行動購票 & 台鐵e訂通 train apps
Bilingual
If yous're single, you tin can use the TEXpress app to purchase and use your HSR tickets and use your phone equally an e-ticket. Simply whip out the phone for the scanner to scan when going through the gate.
You can also purchase tickets for multiple people, including children, simply volition need to collect and pay for newspaper ticket via convenience stores or for train station upward to xxx min before your train departs.
When you make the buy y'all don't take to specify type of ticket. You will be prompted for that info when you lot collect.
When we were stuck in Hualian, we used the Taiwan Rails app a lot, every bit it has a bill of fare to show you available tickets. Otherwise nosotros tended to use the apps just to check departure times equally it was much easier to purchase tickets last minute at the counter than going to pick up paper tickets.
The apps have a very annoying habit of attempting to put y'all in the same railroad vehicle but not necessarily sequential seats if you don't purchase early enough. Nosotros didn't want to be locked in to specific travel times and then we often bought our tickets concluding minute. I time, we had seats split between the front end and dorsum of the railroad vehicle and since the kids wanted to sit next to the parents, we essentially gave up a purchased seat and squeezed in with each other.
You often run across people swapping tickets on the railroad train due to this issue. So ane nice thing about purchasing at the counter is telling the amanuensis how many seats yous desire together.
Both apps have English setting. Fifty-fiftyFleur used it once to buy her tix.
3. Transportation －台北捷運go, 台北好行, 台中公車, 大台南公車,台灣大車隊
Usually bilingual, except for Taxi app
台北捷運go is indispensable for me while riding the MRT in Taipei. I used it often to pull upward the MRT map, find out fare info, and estimated ride time.
We use the fare info to figure out if information technology was worth it to purchase the day pass (aye, if you're hitting the remote stations at least 5 times). We utilise the estimated travel time to effigy out if it's worth information technology to take MRT vs the bus.
Once I got comfortable with the MRT we realized the jitney is much cheaper and sometimes a better choice when you consider that getting out of an MRT and transferring can take you forever with kids in tow.
Forbuses, you can probably find a bus app for every major city you lot visit. They are indispensable in letting you know jitney arrival in real time. Some even tin do trip planning. At that place aretonsof apps out there when it comes to buses, you can merely search in the app store and option one. I tend to go with the official government version first only sometimes the private versions are meliorate.Fleurand I often downloaded different apps because she wants them in English and I desire them in Chinese. And both our versions gave accurate arrival time.
If y'all use the autobus systems at all you lot will pull up the app multiple times a solar day. Nosotros used Google Maps to give u.s. the coach number just it's the bus apps that requite you better inflow time. Google Maps just doesn't have as dainty an interface. Oft when we're on the coach, we utilise both at the same time just to make sure we know when to become off.
For Taipei, I used台北好行, published by the Taipei government. The Taichung government as well has an official app, 台中公車, which doesn't have a lot of good reviews. I used 台中公車即時資訊.These apps aren't in English. Tainan has a lovely passenger vehicle app chosen 大台南公車 which supports Chinese, Japanese, and English.
We didn't utilise buses in Taidong, Hualian, or Chiayi. The buses in Taidong and Hualian don't run often so it'south not actually worth information technology unless you're taking tourist buses.
For 台灣好行, which is the tourist buses that are bachelor all over the island, you have to go to their website in club to pull down inflow information. There is no app.
台灣大車隊 Taiwan Taxi, or whatever other taxi company's app, comes particularly handy when you're not in Taipei, when taxis aren't equally prevalent. I honey using the app when I don't know the exact address or don't want to speak Chinese. The app uses GPS to specify your location (usually accurate or 1-ii numbers off) and will tell you lot how long information technology takes for the taxi to get in.
To apply these apps, you must tie it to your cell phone. Since the app's but in Chinese, that can be a detractor.
iv. Daily Life Organization – Easy Wallet, 雲端發票
Chinese only
Yous can utilize Easy Walletapp to bank check the balance and history of your 悠遊卡 Easy Card, or as I similar to call information technology, Yoyo Card. In Taipei specially. I utilise this app almost daily.
I input our three Yoyo Cards plus the various backup cards I end upwardly buying because Astroboy loses his quite oftentimes. This allows me, when I'm traveling, to know if I need to put more money onto my cards. It's likewise come in handy when I'yard back in the States and want to know if I still take balances left on the card earlier I leave for Taiwan.
Ane matter to note, information technology takes one-2 days for vendors to upload card activities. If you actually need to know the balance, you can always inquire the clerk at whatever convenience store or at the Taipei MRT machine.
If you utilize Easy Bill of fare to pay for almost things, you lot tin can even use it to store your eReceipts. But I establish the雲端發票 app more powerful.
Fifty-fifty though this is Chinese merely, Fleur was able to input her Easy Menu (you can even associate each card with a personal motion-picture show!) by guessing what the icons mean.
In Sun Moon Lake, Fleur's card was locked because she didn't do a complete swipe when she went on the bus. Nosotros were able to await at our transactions and kind of figure out why it had potentially happened and inquire the correct visitor to unlock it for us.
In Taiwan, to encourage business organization owners to give you a receipt, each receipt has a lottery number that is picked on the 25th of odd months. If you lot like to keep track of your expenses, or participate in the free lottery, or you lot don't desire to kill so many trees, you can inquire for 載具 (zaiju) when you make a buy. The clerk will then not impress out those long ass receipts for you.
The app to store these receipts digitally is雲端發票, or eCloudLife. Well-nigh major vendors (then no dark market), such equally 7-11, allows you to have digital receipts, instead of printing an due east-receipt out with a QR Code and you manually having to scan it into the app.
Brand sure to whip out your phone with the bar code and tell the clerk "我要載具" right as they're ringing you up. They work ultra fast and if you're as well slow, often that receipt is already printed.
I have found, especially during this trip, that it very user-friendly to keep track of expenses this way. We go to 7-11 way too often and I cannot call back what I spend money on. Scan around the app and you tin can pull upwards expenses by day, search for specific ones, or even see what category you spent the most on. (Nutrient for me.).Mollie, the used bookstore,supports it and so it's an easy way for me to go on rails of the books I bought and their prices.
This isn't an app 1 absolutely need to travel around Taiwan. Y'all can just toss every receipt you get immediately. Merely if you want to keep track for any reason and hate manual labor, information technology is the manner to go.
You can even link your cell telephone and Taiwanese bank business relationship to the app (but the application process is hairy). But you don't need it in order to shop the receipts. The bank account is and so you tin can go your lottery money deposited directly.
Fleur was able to install the app and use it even though it's in all Chinese. All you demand to do is download the app and remember to say "我要載具" when you check out, an easy left to correct swipe once you lot open up the app will prove the barcode you need to present to cashier.
5. Others － 兒童新樂園, AirVisual, Weather, Currency, Taiwan Mobile
English/Bilingual except for Children'due south Amusement Park
Here are some other, none-essential apps that I tin't live without while living in Taiwan.
Idearest the兒童新樂園 (Children's Amusement Park) app, though it'south merely in Chinese. Nosotros use it extensively to run into when the MRT connecting bus will get in at the 劍潭 MRT station and reserve etickets for the brawl pit. The ball pit only allows a certain number of people to enter for each time period and a gear up number of tickets are set aside for eTicket holders. The app itself also lists remaining parking spaces and waiting time for rides.
Sadly this app isn't in English language. ButFleurhas used it one time to reserve the ball pit nevertheless.
We utilize AirVisual to run into the pollution level around Taiwan. If the PM2.5 is loftier plenty you may want to stay home or wear a mask when yous get out.
The iPhone comes with a weather app. Simply this time around I installed the Taiwan Fundamental Weather Bureaus app for more than accurate and detailed info. You can change information technology to English interface. Before I left for Taiwan, I added all the cities I volition visit. The app has a lot of detailed info, such as advisories, UV level, tide, etc., that you would not be able to detect on the iOS Weather app or on English websites.
Lastly, the Currency app came in handy when we went to Japan and Korea last fourth dimension. I didn't use it as much this fourth dimension while in Taiwan. I plant it handy when I had to contemplate going to a Taiwanese bank to commutation money.
With Taiwan Mobile'southward 台灣大客服, you can easily add minutes or data, or cheque your usage to your pay as you go programme. Saves yous the trouble of going into a store every time. Yous tin likewise do information technology from their website. I'thou sure every major carrier has their own app.
The best thing is, if you really want to go on your number, yous can add a little money online every six months while in u.s.a.!
Updated one/2020: How could I accept forgotten Line! Unlike countries have unlike messaging apps their citizens like to employ. For Taiwan, it'southward Line. You tin sign up with Line at domicile with your dwelling phone number. Many people and businesses volition have Line accounts and it makes it easier to bulletin them.
The best part is y'all tin call the other person directly through Line. This has come up in quite handy when I have a wifi connection merely no phone number. I only tell people to telephone call my Line acct and it all works.
Information technology even has a taxi function!
Links
I don't put in iOS or Android links if the download link is piece of cake to detect on the vendor's website, just in case the URLs alter.
- Maps,
- Calendar
- Drive
Train
- T-EX 行動購票 Loftier Speed Rail T-Express
- 台鐵e訂通 Taiwan Rail
Transportation
- 台北捷運go Taipei MRT – iOS, Android
- 台北好行 Taipei – English iOS, English Android, Chinese iOS, Chinese Android
- 台中公車 Taichung Bus －iOS, Android
- 台中公車即時資訊 Other Taichung Bus app.
- 大台南公車 Tainan City Jitney – iOS, Android
- Taxi – 台灣大車隊 – iOS, Android
Daily Life Organization
- Like shooting fish in a barrel Bill of fare – iOS, Android
- 雲端發票 eCloudLife
Others
- 兒童新樂園 － iOS, Android
- AirVisual
- Taiwan Central Weather Bureaus – iOS, Android
- Currency
- 台灣大客服 Taiwan Mobile
DOWNLOAD HERE
Posted by: reesemoull1948.blogspot.com
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