How easy/hard is it to backpack to Taiwan knowing only English?

1. Can you get by with English in Taiwan?
2. Is English common in Taiwan?
3. Are Taiwanese good at English?
4. Is Taipei English friendly?
5. Can you live in Taiwan without knowing Chinese?
6. Can I work in Taiwan without knowing Chinese?
7. Is Taiwanese a dying language?
8. Are people from Taiwan Chinese?
9. Can you use US dollars in Taiwan?
10. Is Taipei safe?

Can you get by with English in Taiwan?

Although you can get by in Taiwan using English, as I mentioned already, I still highly recommend learning Chinese. A great resource to speak Chinese faster and better is Glossika.

Is English common in Taiwan?

English is Most Common in Taipei and the North. People who visit Taiwan do tend to report that English is most prevalent in the capital Taipei, up in the North. ... “I rode my bicycle around the whole of Taiwan. English is spoken a bit more in Taipei than other places, but it's hit-or-miss everywhere.

Are Taiwanese good at English?

If you are going to stay in Taipei, most do speak some level of English. However other cities such as Taichung, Hsinchu and Kaoshiung is much fewer. You could of course get the odd place where everyone speaks English. Taiwanese are really nice and it is not just white people to whom they might try to speak in English.

Is Taipei English friendly?

Very few problems in Taipei; there's usually someone around who can speak some English, and failing that, hand signals and waving and pointing goes a long way. In addition, many of the signs are in English as well. Even in the markets, you could point, or some friendly person would take you where you wanted to go.

Can you live in Taiwan without knowing Chinese?

Living in Taiwan without speaking Mandarin…

For the non-Mandarin speaker it's close to impossible. Your best bet is to have someone that you trust who speaks Chinese help you out — that might be your new employer or it might be someone at Chinese school.

Can I work in Taiwan without knowing Chinese?

Yes it is possible to find a job in Taiwan without Mandarin. Your choice will probably be very limited to the higher education sector, the government, foreign government representatives and mega corporations. Though all citizens in Taiwan learn English in high school.

Is Taiwanese a dying language?

No, Taiwanese(Southern Min) is not a dying language. In fact, with almost 50 million users, it is more widely used than Polish, Dutch, Swedish, Ukrainian and just a little less spoken than Italian.

Are people from Taiwan Chinese?

According to government figures, over 95% of Taiwan's population of 23.4 million consists of Han Chinese, while 2.3% are Austronesian Taiwanese indigenous peoples. Among others originally from the Mainland, two main groups were the Hoklo and the Hakka.

Can you use US dollars in Taiwan?

Taiwan uses the local currency exclusively. The most widely accepted currency for foreign exchange is US dollars.

Is Taipei safe?

Taipei is relatively safe to visit. Though the rates of violent crime are low by world standards, you are recommended to remain vigilant at all times. Petty crime rates are low as well, but pickpocketing and bag-snatching do occur, especially in locations frequented by tourists.