MarkyM3

I take Russians at face value. Some are friendly and I'll reciprocate but plenty are miserable and ill-mannered ime. They've also let Putin turn their country into a pariah state. He still enjoys plenty of support as well. Whaever people may think of wars the West is involved with, I'd rather be living in a liberal democracy than a state that deals with its opponents by poisoning them or disposal via other means. And the guy who mentioned on the positive aspects of Russia having "no LGBTs" - charming (and no I'm not LGBT). WAC.

Is the option of paying 400 baht per month open to any expat or those on certain visas? Because I see a lot of posts from people on here who can't get medical insurance. I'm genuinely interested because I plan to semi-retire to Thailand for some of the year in future. Regards the NHS, plenty of faults but I've had good experiences with it for serious issues. Had brain surgery done and it was performed quickly by a class-leading surgeon. Great after-care as well. Sounds like you have had good experiences with the Thai system but I've heard complaints from Thai friends who have had to go queue early morning and wait a long time to be seen.

I'm not clear if he had a licence to ride a motorcycle. Insurance wouldn't pay out, helmet or not, if he didn't. Certainly, the travel insurance policies I've had made it clear that no license = no insurance if hiring a bike. Not sure if the bike rental supplied their own insurance as part of the deal but it would unlikely to be extensive.

I first pitched up in Thailand in my early 30s to backpack (now in my early 50s) but had travelled around Europe on my own in my early 20s and knew I had to be careful. I think a lot of it comes down to personal attitude and upbringing. I tend to think Western society has become too much like a nanny state and that's reflected in parenting approach. People are more wrapped in alternate reality driven by social media imo.

Why would the British government have anything to do with insuring its citizens overseas? No country does that afaik, the potential expense would be huge and encourage laissez-faire risk taking. I feel really sorry for this guy and his family but you have to be insured and follow the rules. He's 24yo, not a kid. To begin with, anyone hiring a motorbike in Thailand who doesn't have the UK license is asking for problems if they have an accident, thought most seem to ignore it. And even if they are licensed, if they are not wearing a helmet, as required by the policy conditions, then a payout will inevitably be refused. Insurance companies aren't benevolent funds.

Saw a long TV interview in English with her when I was in Thailand recently. Definitely good looking (so was Yingluck for that matter lol) but intellectually unimpressive. Thaksin et al will be back seat drivers for sure. Top Silpa-Archa was also interviewed and came across a lot better imo. Excellent command of English language due to overseas education in UK and US.

Thanks for background. I l just found 2 weeks wasn't enough. Hence my original point about visa duration. Regards pensions, the UK state pension doesn't kick in until 66 for men. But that isn't intended to be the primary source of retirement income for most people, it is nowhere near enough. Most professionals will retire at age 60 with private pensions. Those working for the police, fire service etc. can retire age 50 or earlier on very good pensions. Other sources of income like property investment, private investments have become somewhat more significant now than just the traditional pension route. I am officially due to retire age 60 (I've just turned 52), but could retire at age 55 on a reduced pension if I want to. My plan is to semi-retire in next 12-24 months and only work 3 or 4 months per year on contract until perhaps 60 and dip into other income sources. Once my company and state pensions are both active later in life my savings drawdown will slow right up. By sounds of it, if you've worked for govt. for a long stint you'll be on a very good pension arrangement sheltered from inflation, which is great. Private arrangements just aren't going to live up to that unfortunately Cheers ????

Well...the US has a population of approximately 5 times that of the UK yet the 2 countries are near enough level on that graph so..... Most of the Americans I come across in Thailand are either retirees/near retirees or college aged kids. I don't tend to see lots of people in between that age group. If you've only got 2 or 3 weeks' vacation in total for a year then a holiday from US to Thailand seems a stretch....longer than flying from Europe and there aren't any direct flights at all now.

Yes....in fact it's illegal afaik to offer less than 20 days paid vacation in the UK, even at day 1. Plus you have 8 days public holidays on top. I'm a frequent visitor to the US so I'm aware of the big difference in the working culture between US and Europe. I'm in early 50s now but can say I've been getting 28-30 days of paid vacation since my early 30s or earlier (I didn't start work until mid 20s due to college). Plus 8 days public hols. And I buy a n extra week of vacation from my salary as well. So this year, I'm on 7 weeks plus public hols. I can say that it would be very rare for any employer in the UK to offer less than 25 days at outset for a professional job (I'm in IT working for a bank, nothing special). Plus the public hols on top. I have also taken 2 career breaks during my working life, each of 6 months. Spent 5 months last year in Thailand on break #2. They were unpaid, of course, though I got my pension contributions paid 1st time around. Where the US definitely pulls ahead of Europe is on raw salary. But things like vacation and healthcare, the attitudes are much different. As you are probably aware, health schemes in Europe are funded by taxation generally. Higher level jobs offer private medical insurance as part of the package which can get you quick treatment but public health means you won't risk being uninsurable if you have serious medical issues. I had a brain tumour removed in 2019 - the entire treatment was done quickly and involved no direct cost to me. The issue with public health comes with waiting times for less urgent stuff. My sister is a US citizen and I visit often so see both sides of the coin ????

US leave patterns do not reflect the rest of the world thankfully. It's standard to have 5 or 6 weeks vacation from the outset in UK, continental Europe and so forth. I fly the best part of 6000 miles from London to Bangkok and 2 weeks doesn't cut it I'm afraid if you want to relax properly. 3 weeks is the minimum trip for me and I frequently come for longer if possible. Getting over the jetlag takes a few days, for starters. OK, so I can buy a Tourist Visa from the London embassy and have done several times previously but it's an unnecessary hassle and expense. Your advocation of 5-10 days being fine for most visitors may be applicable for someone living in Singapore, HK who flies in to Thailand for a quick visit but I think you're totally wide of the mark for those outside the region or who don't work on US employment terms. As for reverting to the 30 day visa, it won't keep out those abusing the system. Look at all the corruption in the immigration service and the numerous Russians currently holed up in the country. Would have made far more sense to stay at 45 days.

Hi, My ladyfriend in Bangkok is looking at the possibility of setting up a small online business to sell high quality, hand-made goods overseas. Handbags and other personal items, prices from around 2000 baht upwards. Whether or not there's a real market for that is open to debate but she's keen on the idea for now so who am I to question it LOL.... Anyways, just wondered what platforms were best for selling out of Thailand? Ebay is one I've used here in the UK over the years to buy and sell and, while the fees are a pain, they have genuine global reach and are able to handle everything including payment handling and distribution, case resolution etc. Is that true for accounts registered in Thailand as well? Any other recommendations for platforms? I've used Amazon Marketplace once or twice but their fees are higher than Ebay and have seen some iffy reports about them. Seems they are more geared towards dropshippers. How about platforms closer to Asia for selling to Singapore, Hong Kong etc? Cheers