Pingtung→Kavalan Whisky Distillery

To take the High Speed Rail (HSR) from Pingtung to Kavalan Whisky Distillery, HSR is quick but pricey and has difficult taxi access. From the earliest departure at 05:50 to the latest at 22:10, there are up to 87 high-speed rail from Zuoying to Nangang each day. Assuming you depart from Hengchun Township, Pingtung County and head to the nearest Zuoying HSR station, a taxi ride would cost about NT$3,600 and take approximately 145 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 105-145-minute (125 min on average) HSR ride from Zuoying Station to Nangang HSR Station. The ticket price is NT$1,530 per person, followed by a 10-minute walk to exit the station, wait for a ride at the taxi stand, and after a trip of about 67 minutes with a fare of NT$1,600, you will arrive at your destination at Kavalan Whisky Distillery (Yuanshan Township, Yilan County). The entire journey, including transfers, takes a total of 6 hours and 6 minutes. Assuming 3 people traveling together, the average cost per person for the HSR and transfers is NT$3,260. However, in Pingtung County, there are only just over 400 licensed taxis. The taxi density is 0.3% of that in the Taipei/New Taipei metro area. In other words, hailing a taxi on the spot is 300 times more difficult than in a major city like Taipei. Even if you are lucky enough to hail a cab, a minority of taxi drivers in Pingtung County may not use the meter, and might overcharge or take detours, especially with passengers who appear to be from out of town. In contrast, if you use Tripool for a door-to-door private car service, the average cost per person is about NT$3,190, and the journey takes 6 hours and 32 minutes. For long-distance travel, the HSR is indeed faster than a car by 26 minutes, but it comes with an extra transportation cost of about NT$210. Therefore, for those who are not in a major hurry, booking with Tripool is the more cost-effective option. If you are traveling with just one other person, 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 10 rental car companies, such as 墾丁金城國際租賃, 瘋南台灣租車, 富群小客車租賃, available in the Hengchun Township, Pingtung County 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 Pingtung (Hengchun Township) and Kavalan Whisky Distillery, the estimated cost for a sedan is NT$5700 or NT$8700 for a 9-seater van. This is, of course, cheaper than taking a taxi. If you plan to sightsee along the way to Kavalan Whisky Distillery, renting a car for the day is certainly convenient and affordable, but it means the driver will not get to relax or fully enjoy the trip. 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 you choose to take a taxi directly, in the Pingtung County area, you can use apps to hail a cab from 55688 Taiwan Taxi and Yoxi. Based on the meter, the estimated fare is between NT$9,590 and 14,400, but you could save up to NT$4,800 by booking with Tripool instead. But if you cannot book in advance or prefer to hail a cab on the spot, be aware that in the whole Pingtung County, there are only about 370 licensed taxis. The taxi density is just 0.3% of that in the Taipei/New Taipei metro area, meaning it is 300 times more difficult to hail a cab on the spot compared to Taipei or New Taipei. If you plan to make a return trip on the same or next day, be aware that taxis in Yuanshan Township, Yilan County are also not easy to find. It is recommended to plan ahead. Furthermore, some taxi drivers in Pingtung County flat-out refuse to use the meter. Nearly 29% of them will try to negotiate the fare on the spot—often asking far above the standard rate. If you’re not familiar with local pricing, you are an easy target. To avoid getting ripped off, it is strongly advised to book online in advance. Considering all factors, Tripool is your best choice for traveling from Pingtung to Kavalan Whisky Distillery in terms of both price and service quality.

Among these options, Uber is the only one with broad and reliable coverage in Taiwan, available in major cities such as Taipei, Taichung, and Kaohsiung. Grab does not operate in Taiwan. Didi previously entered the market but has since exited. Bolt has just launched in Taiwan and is currently limited to Taipei. Lyft is not available in Taiwan. If you are choosing among these five, Uber is by far the most practical and widely used option in Taiwan. However, for longer intercity transfers, airport rides, or day trips, tripool is often a better choice—offering transparent pricing, professional drivers, and coverage across Taiwan.

The quote on the website and the app already include the car rental fee, driver's fare, cost of gasoline, toll fee, insurance, and tips. Passengers don't have to pay for the driver's meals and accommodation fees. There is no other hidden fee. What passengers see on the website is the actual price.

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.

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.

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.