Preparing for a short trip to Taiwan I did some research on potential peer-to-peer tours and activities, with a focus on food options because this is one of my favorite countries for delicious eating. I came up with a number of services that do have some good choices in Taipei and the surrounding area, though Taiwan is still not particularly well served by sharing economy travel services. Here’s a list of what I found:
TravelingSpoon – 1 in home cooking/meal experience
PlateCulture – 2 home cooked meals (1 not Taiwanese)
BonAppetour – 1 home cooked meal (not Taiwanese)
VizEat – 3 home cooked meals (1 not Taiwanese)
The three above are interesting in that they have people offering home cooked meals that aren’t local cuisine. I tried this out in Sweeden, enjoying an Indian meal through BonAppetour. But in a country where I’m so excited about the cuisine I’m not likely to pay for chefs offering non-Taiwanese meals.
Triip – 8 tours (some food some other Taiwan experiences). A majority of these are free. Triip launched in 2012 so I’m not sure why the guides are offering free tours and activities but I was excited to see some food tours that looked quite fun so I signed up for one. The platform worked nicely and my guide reached out quickly to confirm and ask me a bit about myself.
UrbanAdventures – 5 tours
Vayable – 18 tours. As the bigwig and one of the oldest of the peer to peer tour and activities websites, it’s no surprise Vayable has the most offerings. As I’ve found with this site in the past, some of their activities are clearly offered by commercial tour companies. For instance, they have the “free walking tour” listed that has become iconic in most cities, run for backpackers and funded with tips which are legitimately compulsory if you stay for the whole tour as it’s the way the tour guides make money. But they also have some individual activities like a young Taiwanese guy who offers to teach you how to make traditional beef noodles.
I’m sure there are a few other sites that I didn’t try that also have listings in Taiwan so please add any others you’re aware of in the comments below.