About Me

My name is Nick Kembel and I’ve got a confession: I’ve been obsessed with Taiwan for 15 years!

After completing a BA in Cultural Anthropology and backpacking to over 50 countries, I came to Taiwan in 2008 as an English teacher. My plan was to stay for a year then move somewhere else. At the end of that year, I met my now wife on the Taipei MRT, and I just never left!

Over the years I transitioned from teaching to editing work for local publishers to travel writing, my true passion. I regularly contributed to local magazines such as Travel in Taiwan, Centered on Taipei, and Discover Taipei, as well as major networks like CNN and National Geographic.

Finally, I decided to focus solely on my personal websites, including my main travel site nickkembel.com and now this dedicated Taiwan travel blog, Taiwan Obsessed.

I’ve written two books about Taiwan: Taiwan in the Eyes of a Foreigner (2011) and Nick’s Taiwan Travel Guide (2025). I’ve also done presentations for Taiwan tourism and guest hosted a CNN documentary about Taipei.

My goal is to make this website the best resource available about traveling in Taiwan and Taiwanese culture. Besides working on this site, I also spend a lot of time answering questions from my readers in my Taiwan Travel Planning group on Facebook.

If you found this website particularly useful and want to say thanks, you can buy me a coffee here. I’m not super active on social media (besides my Facebook group), but you can find me here:
Nick Kembel in Taipei
The cover of the book "Taiwan in the Eyes of a Foreigner" by Nick Kembel
Nick Kembel traveling in Taiwan
The cover of an ebook, with the words "Nick's Taiwan Travel Guide (2025)" and "By Nick Kembel of TaiwanObsessed" on a background image of tea plantations with mountains in the distance.

Some photos of me in Taiwan: