“Does Taiwan give children the courage to travel far?” An Italian woman sleeps on a couch in Taiwan

Text & photos /European Travel Observation Diaryby Tsai F-da

“My first trip was when I was 12. On my birthday, my dad booked me a one-way ticket to the UK and signed me up for a seven-day summer camp, telling me I couldn’t come home for two weeks… What happened after those seven days? I had no idea at all…………”

Arianna, an Italian, met me for the first time at a couchsurfing gathering in Da’an Forest Park. I remember she always confidently exchanged travel stories with fellow travelers from around the world.

What’s surprising is how fluently Arianna switches between languages. She speaks French with the French, Korean with Koreans, English and Spanish with Westerners, and instantly switches to Chinese when talking to Taiwanese people at the couchsurfing meet-up who aren’t as comfortable in English. At just 22, how many flight hours has she accumulated and how many amazing experiences has she had?!

“Hey Jerry, can I come visit you in Hualien? I heard it’s beautiful there, with mountains and the sea—you must have lots of surprises in store for me, right? How about next week?” And just like that, she became the first Italian couchsurfer I hosted.

In our short four days together, she taught me more than I could ever teach her. “Since I was little, my parents would take us on outdoor activities—surfing, diving, hiking, rock climbing—and they’d also take us traveling. They always wanted us to see more of the world. I grew up in a small town in southern Italy, and my parents said if we stayed here our whole lives, how boring would that be? The world is huge, and when you get the chance, you should go out and see it—preferably as far from home as possible,” Arianna said, taking a sip of beer.

“No way, that’s so cool. In Asia, it’s safest for kids to stay close to their parents. Families worry if you travel far.” I said in surprise. “I know, when I first came to Asia and found out that so many people in their twenties still live with their parents, I was shocked. In my country, parents always say they’ll only support you until you’re an adult, then it’s time to go out and be independent, because they want to live their second life. Among peers, if you’re still living with your family at that age, people will tease you, and you might even have trouble getting a girlfriend, haha.”

Oubeilai: “That really shows a huge cultural difference.”

Arianna: “I did a high school exchange year in Korea, and went to university in France. My school required that credits for junior and senior years be earned through study abroad programs at foreign universities. So I went to Spain and China, and now I’m in Taiwan. At first, it was hard to adjust, but after going through that, I’ve become like a nomad—I can feel at home anywhere. That experience also helped me reflect on my own life, seeing how many people live differently, and gave me a lot of time to think while traveling. I really love the surprises that travel brings.”

I still remember my sociology teacher once said that you can observe clear differences from the little details of life in the East and West.

When Easterners eat, most use big round tables where everyone crowds together, sharing family-style dishes, staying closely connected; Westerners mostly use square tables, each with their own space, with set meals where everyone eats their own food and is responsible for their own plate. After eating, Easterners scramble to pay the bill, eager to show hospitality to visiting friends and take on responsibilities for others, while Westerners usually split the bill because they believe it’s their own business and they should be responsible for themselves.

From this simple thing, you can see the stark differences.

The important stage of personality development is childhood. Often, the kind of influence one receives in childhood becomes an indicator of future development. This culture isn’t about right or wrong, but there’s always something worth reflecting on and learning from. When we repeatedly emphasize that youth lack international competitiveness, what causes the seed of “fear” to be deeply planted in children’s hearts?

Family education—that’s something that affects you for life.