Take on the "Iron Rail Coming-of-Age Ritual" and find your own emotional map of travel.

The Monopoly game, where you control property purchases and determine opportunities and fate, is an alternative way to travel and fulfill dreams. This year, the game comes to life in real form. A team of design students from Kunshan University of Technology, called "Pack Up and Go...", splits into five groups to take on a real-life version of Monopoly. Traveling along Taiwan’s dense railway network, they complete an extraordinary journey across the island.

With the theme “Iron Rail Coming-of-Age Ritual,” the Pack Up and Go... team draws inspiration from the classic Monopoly game they loved as children. Using the element of “randomness,” they traverse Taiwan. The game involves traveling in pairs, using trains as their main mode of transport, and covering the entire island as their playground. Along the way, the route to the next stop is determined by dice rolled by a teammate on the other end of the phone. Over 14 days, each member carries a thoughtfully designed railway loop map, hopping between over 200 train stations across Taiwan to uncover the charm of Formosa. Though the next destination is unknown, the spirit of adventure is all the more real.

“Youth Expedition Taiwan” is an initiative by the Youth Development Administration under the Executive Yuan to help young people explore their homeland and traverse Taiwan. It establishes quality youth expedition sites and develops emotional maps of travel across Taiwan. Since its launch, many creative teams have accomplished seemingly impossible missions, such as: a three-boat journey on the Puzi River in Chiayi featuring dragon boats, canoes, and motorized inflatable boats; the opening ceremony of the Atayal Hunter School with a ceremonial gunshot; and the Taichung Mountain Training Expedition Site—each sparking the travel dreams of young students.

Embarking on the expedition journey brings surprises at every step, directly experiencing the heartfelt mutual support among Taiwanese people, as well as discovering hidden culinary gems in streets and alleys... The Pack Up and Go... team's expedition itinerary, themed “Iron Rail Coming-of-Age Ritual,” was selected for the Youth Development Administration’s second “Youth Expedition Taiwan – Finding Your Own Emotional Map” campaign. With the support of a practice grant, they were able to accomplish this feat. The full journey record will be exhibited for two months starting March 20th at Songyuan Detached House in Hualien, sharing the discoveries and emotions from the trip with more people who dream of exploring Taiwan.

To plan a unique travel itinerary and discover different facets of Taiwan, you can join the Youth Development Administration’s “Youth Mid-Term Expedition Program,” which offers travel subsidies. The program is mainly for domestic youths aged 15–30. Alternatively, you can sign up for expedition routes organized by the program’s hosts. For registration details, visit the “Youth Expedition Taiwan” website.

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Further Reading: Try a soy sauce ice cream (provided by Tripass Attractions)