gearbox

They have to pay me to live in Canada. Life is too short to spend it in a freezer.

Thailand is fun, like most of SE Asia. Don't torture yourself thinking every minute whether you are getting value or not. Enjoy life, Carpe Diem. If you don't enjoy it here the world is big enough.

You can't get urinary tract infection just by talking to people, no matter how close they are, unless you were both naked and rubbing against each other.

I was lucky to get Citibank Premier Card fee free for life many years ago, it is a tier 1 card which provides 6 months free insurance up to 81 years old. However the business was acquired by NAB so removal or reduction of benefits is likely in the years ahead.

I wish...61 now. Another thing I get with this card is 10 MasterCard Dragonpass airport lounges per year, which I fully use so far.

A duffel bag is cumbersome to carry on if you travel only with a cabin bag. I travelled in the past for a month or two in Asia only with a cabin backpack. If your final destination is home anything can do, I travelled a few times with a plastic bag, can't get any lighter than this.

Definitely use a backpack..they are lighter than the hard cases. I don't travel with Ryanair often, but I noticed the airlines in Asia are less stricter and often not checking travellers with backpacks, as long as the backpack looks reasonably within the size limits. I use Osprey Farpoint 40 as a cabin bag, many regard it as the gold standard, but unfortunately the price has increased a lot on the last couple of years.

That's anything but ultralight with 2.04 kg weight. It is is nearly 30% of the 7kg usual cabin allowance.

I'm not married...I doubt my gf can just open a CBA bank account from Thailand and then manage it without permanent address in Australia and phone number. I need type of investment that she can handle if I die or I'm not her bf anymore. Need to be self sufficient.

Judging from the past credit card changes the conditions and the cover can only get worse. But I'll use it while it lasts. In the end it costs me $345 to get good 9 months coverage with approval for a pre-existing condition and written policy certificate with my name on it. One very good thing about the credit card travel insurance policies is they don't increase with age - they only have cut off age. Most have cut off age around 80. The policies are free for both 25 and 80 years old with the same cover.

I have travel insurance via my credit card, it has 6 months free insurance and I purchased extra 3 months. I also travel to more countries, not only Thailand. I was 2 months in Indonesia, now staying 2 months in Europe. Going back to Oz for 7 months next year. This credit card travel insurance was the only one I could find without resident eligibility criteria. This is from the PDS: Am I eligible for Complimentary Overseas Travel Insurance ? Cardholders If you have an eligible credit card, you’re eligible for Complimentary Overseas Travel Insurance when you: a. travel to an overseas destination from Australia, and b. hold an eligible credit card at the time of loss that has been activated and is not cancelled or suspended. eligible credit card means, unless otherwise specified, one of the following issued by Bankwest: – a current and valid Bankwest Platinum Mastercard credit card, excluding Bankwest Platinum Zero Mastercard – a current and valid Bankwest World Mastercard credit card An eligible credit card that is not activated or that is currently cancelled or suspended is not current and valid.

I have Medibank private health cover as if I don't have it I need to pay tax surcharge. I'm not sure if I'm going to keep it if I don't have to pay the surcharge. The public health system seems adequate for non-elective treatments. For Thailand I have travel insurance with unlimited medical cover and evacuation, the current one is 9 months.

The outlook for the Aussie is not that good, but the currency is still backed with tangible assets like resources and agricultural products, not by some hot air like a "service economy".

This may be true in your case, but my gf has higher net worth than the average Aussie. She definitely knows how to make money with her business, but no knowledge how to generate passive income.

How a Thai national can open an account in Australia without having an Australian residency and address?

I don't know about whether it is a "world class" place, but it is known worldwide. Sex always sells well.

Sorry I missed "home" from the post. They bought expensive property to remove assessable assets and get full pension. Their children are having their inheritance funded by the taxpayers.

Ain't gonna work unless the super withdrawal rules are changed and the lump sum withdrawals are banned. I know people who moved to $4 million to lower their assets and get a pension. The US has much better structured pension system, you have to work and save in order to have money in retirement.

Even the communists don't have a pension system where everyone gets the same amount, irrespectively how many years they have worked and how much contribution they have made. Sooner or later the OAP in its current form will be abolished, I hope sooner than later.

The gubement should do what is right and abolish the OAP...or make it proportional to the total taxes paid. Too many parasites.

I use only my yellow book in Samui, no pink card, that should be enough. Have a look at the Samui forum here, there is a pinned post with plenty of info.

Russia and Ukraine are some of the most corrupt countries in the world, corruption is how the business is getting done there. They landed in good places, Samui and Phuket, guess which colour of envelope is the most loved here. From time to time a local files a complaint, the most likely outcome is an increase of the envelope size. Soon it will start looking like pre-Chinese Sihanoukville here, until they step on a big enough toe.

Any amount between $100k and $3m depending how you want to live.

I have 8 credit cards but they are always paid in full and I live well below my means. Having credit and debit cards could be quite useful if people use them wisely.

The normal tourist needs to pay $25 for Vietnamese visa, only a few countries are visa exempt. Overall Thailand has better beaches than Vietnam, especially the islands in the Andaman sea.