Kaohsiung→Hsinchu Sheraton Hotel Taiwan

To take the High Speed Rail (HSR) from downtown Kaohsiung to Hsinchu Sheraton Hotel Taiwan, HSR is comfortable and quick but pricey. From the earliest departure at 06:15 to the latest at 21:54, there are up to 47 high-speed rail from Zuoying to Hsinchu each day. Assuming you depart from Sanmin District, Kaohsiung City and head to the nearest Zuoying HSR station, a taxi ride would cost about NT$200 and take approximately 25 minutes. After arriving at the HSR station, the time to walk in, purchase tickets, and wait on the platform is about 20 minutes. Then, take a 81-102-minute (89 min on average) HSR ride from Zuoying Station to Hsinchu HSR Station. The ticket price is NT$1,200 per person, followed by a 5-minute walk to exit the station. Depending on the area, you may take a short walk or catch a bus (if available) to reach your final destination. The entire journey, including transfers, takes a total of 2 hours and 15 minutes. Assuming 4 people traveling together, the average cost per person for the HSR and transfers is NT$1,250. In contrast, if you use Tripool for a door-to-door private car service, the average cost per person is about NT$1,240, and the journey takes 3 hours and 48 minutes. For long-distance travel, the HSR is indeed faster, but it comes with an extra transportation cost of about NT$40. Therefore, for those who are not in a major hurry, you may consider a cheaper and door-to-door private transfer option, like Tripool. If you are traveling in a group of three or less, you can also consider Tripool's carpooling service to save up to an additional 50% on transportation costs.

If you have a driver's license, do not mind driving yourself, and you do not need to use the travel time to rest in the car, there are about 25 rental car companies, such as 經典小客車租賃, 頌喜商貿, 德馬租賃, available in the Sanmin District, Kaohsiung City area. Typically, car rentals are billed by the day. A small sedan like a Toyota Corolla or Ford Fiesta costs around NT$1500 per day, while a 9-seater van like a Hyundai Staria or Volkswagen Caravelle starts at NT$4500 per day. Extra costs such as fuel (approx. NT$3/km), eTag tolls (approx. NT$1/km), roadside parking (approx. NT$40/hour), insurance, and potential fines are not included. Most rental agreements specify a daily mileage limit of 200-400 km, with surcharges ranging from NT$100 to NT$2,000 for exceeding it. Since the vast majority of rental companies do not offer one-way rentals, assuming you make a same-day round trip between Kaohsiung (Sanmin District) and Hsinchu Sheraton Hotel Taiwan, the estimated cost for a sedan is NT$4000 or NT$7000 for a 9-seater van. This is, of course, cheaper than taking a taxi. However, if Hsinchu Sheraton Hotel Taiwan has extensive indoor facilities or the attractions you want to visit are nearby, renting a car for the entire day seems wasteful. Moreover, the rental location may be some distance from your home/office/starting point, and you must adhere to their business hours for pickup and return. The rental process itself is tedious, often taking an extra 30 minutes for contracts and vehicle inspection. You may even need to refuel the car yourself before returning. If you encounter a dishonest operator, you risk being hit with various unjustified charges upon return. If your group has more than four people or has large luggage, renting a 9-seater van will be too expensive. It would be better to book a chauffeured service to avoid the hassle of unfamiliar roads or driving a large vehicle. A Tripool ride from Kaohsiung (Sanmin District) to Hsinchu Sheraton Hotel Taiwan costs only NT$6,619 for a van!

If you choose to take a taxi directly, in the Kaohsiung City area, you can use apps to hail a cab from 55688 Taiwan Taxi, Uber, Line Go, Yoxi, etc., and if you cannot hail a cab on the street, you can also consider calling taxi fleets, such as 有限責任高雄市大高雄計程車, 享順交通, 有限責任高雄市大昌計程車 to try to book a ride. Based on the meter, the estimated fare is between NT$5,675 and 6,800, but you could save up to NT$1,800 by booking with Tripool instead. However, when considering the return trip, in Hsinchu County there are only about 730 licensed taxis. This is about 10% of the number of taxis in Kaohsiung City, and its density is just 1.3% of the Taipei/New Taipei metro area, making it 80 times more difficult to hail a cab there. Considering all factors, Tripool is your best choice for traveling from Kaohsiung to Hsinchu Sheraton Hotel Taiwan in terms of both price and service quality.

Once the booking process is completed and getting an order ID, the reservation is confirmed. Tripool promises a private car will pick passengers up on time. All the essential information, such as the driver's name, mobile number, car model, and car plate number, will be sent via SMS and email. If the driver is not at the pick-up location, passengers can contact the driver via mobile phone. The driver may be away due to a lack of parking space and waiting nearby. Suppose there is some serious emergency or traffic jam to delay the trip. In that case, tripool will rearrange a driver to reduce passengers' waiting time.

According to the law in Taiwan, all passengers have to fasten seat belts, no matter what ages they are. For a baby below 4-year-old or a young child who cannot comfortably be on the seat with a seat belt, it is necessary to use a car seat or a safety booster. There is a check box for renting a baby car seat or a child safety booster on the check-out page. Each rental fee is NT$300. If you need multiple car seats/boosters or you need an infant car seat, please check with our online customer service first. Tripool encourages parents to bring their car seats and boosters, and, of course, it is free of charge.

Tripool will send a receipt through the third-party system one week after the ride. If passengers need to claim reimbursement for travel expenses, there is a blank to fill with the company's title and tax ID. It's legal, and there is no extra 5% for the receipt. Once the receipt is received via email, it can be printed out for reimbursement or saved as a PDF.

There are many gypsy cabs or illegal taxis in Line and Facebook groups. Their fares are cheap but with many risks. If the cabs are pulled over by polices, passengers cannot continue the trip. If there is an accident, none of the insurance companies will settle a claim. Worst of all, illegal drivers may conduct crimes without any trace. Don't put your life at risk for just saving a few bucks. On the other hand, tripool contracts with legal drivers without any criminal record. All vehicles provide up to $5 million in insurance. The easiest way to distinguish a legal vehicle is the car plate number. Unless the initial character of the car plate number is either T or R, the car is 100% illegal for taxi service.

Fewer travelers book hotels through traditional travel agents, and most go through OTAs (online travel agents). It is easy to filter areas, prices, types of rooms, special needs on OTAs' websites. Still, customers can also get a 20~40% discount compared to hotels' official websites. The most popular OTAs in Taiwan are Booking.com, Agoda.com, Hotels.com, Expedia.com, and Trip.com. In general, travelers can make reservations on websites or apps. Once finishing the online payment, everything is set, and there is not necessary to double-check the reservation by phone. However, some hotels may oversell their rooms on multiple platforms. To avoid being rejected by hotels once you arrive, choose high-rated hotels with more reviews online or make a phone call to hotels to confirm again. For B&Bs (also called minsus), locals prefer to book rooms through B&Bs' websites or contact the hosts directly. Sometimes, the price is better than OTAs. The downside is that their websites don't accept foreign credit cards or guests have to do wire transfers. If you want to save all these troubles and find decent B&Bs, Airbnb and AsiaYo (a local brand) are the best alternatives.