Leaving Thailand after 13 Years..

[ChakaKhan]

10 hours ago, car720 said:

The best that I can say is that in my opinion the Chinese girls are Thai girls who have learned sophistication.  In other words just as accommodating but not so banal.  An English teacher in China is paid more and is better respected.  Marry a Chinese girl and you will be set for life financially.

Thanks for the tips!

[ChakaKhan]

On 7/23/2018 at 5:29 PM, TunnelRat69 said:

They have a Mad Dog in Chiang Mai too??  Must me a franchise here, they are everywhere..........

Is where all the grumpy grandpas congregate...

[Daveyh]

Better the devil you know than the devil you don't right? .......... I've been here now for 15yrs. It's been relatively trouble free visa wise as I'm here on a "retirement visa". Also, I arrived when the baht was around 74-78baht/GBP so life was really good cash wise doing almost anything that took your fancy in "tinzeltown". Now it's around the 43-44 baht/GBP I'm still very fortunate to qualify for the yearly visa from the pensions I accumulated during my working life. I've considered leaving Thailand many times, but other expats I've known over the past years have tried it, returned with horror stories, hence I've remained here & just travelled to PI, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam etc on trips using a multiple entry visa.

 

These past years I've seen many changes too. Most of us do not like change as it interferes mostly with our daily lives. However, many farangs have indeed now left, which really has hit the quality of life here for the retirees who remain. All the mates, friends & social gatherings have disappeared & this is a great shame. I think in the main the exchange rate was largely to blame for pensioners, but the stringent Immigration requirements for visas here also add to the difficulties of living here, hence we have lost a major part of our expat community.

 

Quality of life here is still "what you make it". That's one thing Thailand allows you to do ............ make your own way & do what you want. It's a country where infact "anything goes" ......... as long as it's legal. As long as you have your licence to drive & tax/insurance is up to date I've found the police very easy to deal with when stopped at a check point. If I'm speeding etc I pay the fine & move on ........... problem dealt with ........ no lengthy wait for a court appearance. Brilliant.

 

I do however, find that society here has changed dramatically over the years & although the "loss of face' has been with us for as long as I can remember it's evident that politeness is definitely "out of the window', especially in Pattaya with the general public. I avoid shopping like the plague as shop keepers seem to be so aggressive towards foreigners ....... "what you want" or "up to you" & seem to resent the fact of you being there. It's as if they are saying ......... " don't waste my time, get what you want .... I'm in the middle of a game on my ipad"! If you ask for anything it's a "no have" or you are being troublesome ............. my time to leave! Ha! I realise that this is mostly due to the mindset of these people, but it does annoy you. Hence, I give it a miss.

 

Thai's are definitely fun loving people if you want to throw a party. Depending on how much you are going to spend it can turn a quiet gathering into a riot within minutes as Thai girls cannot hold their liquor! If you are lonely at home you can always find female company downtown to brighten up the day. I think going out, being polite to everyone & generally being kind to those you meet will stand you in good stead here ............. seldom will you fall foul of the aggressive behaviour that's so easy found if you don't stay alert. Getting really "pissed out of your head" is a "no no" as you are quaranteed to end up without cash & sleeping it off somewhere. It's a really great place to retire to & I have absolutely no regrets moving here ........ long may it continue.

 

I'm a Brit, served my country for 30+yrs in the military, plus other HMS jobs & retired here. I've not been back to the UK at all & I have no intention of doing so. Too many bad memories, which I'm reminded of daily due to the unfair judicial system there. The country seems to have gone completely downhill since & is in crisis now more than ever. My only regret is that I must continue to pay tax on all my UK earnings, which then seem to be continually squandered in benefits to all the " wafes & strays" that enter the country, who do not deserve it, but it's sanctioned by an inept government. I honestly regret serving my country now ..... what a complete waste of time that was! I may be a bitter Brit, but I'm proud to be an expat. I voted with my feet ............ I wish everyone would threaten to leave the UK unless the government starts to "get their shit together" ......... then perhaps I'd consider coming home to visit.

[cleverman]

Great reading. My mate returned to Oz ,Fremantle, to live after 15 years in LOS. April was warm, May was warm, June, got cold so he has decided to return where he can keep warm, afford to live in a nice house and afford beer and cigs whenever he wants. 

[The manic]

3 hours ago, Daveyh said:

Better the devil you know than the devil you don't right? .......... I've been here now for 15yrs. It's been relatively trouble free visa wise as I'm here on a "retirement visa". Also, I arrived when the baht was around 74-78baht/GBP so life was really good cash wise doing almost anything that took your fancy in "tinzeltown". Now it's around the 43-44 baht/GBP I'm still very fortunate to qualify for the yearly visa from the pensions I accumulated during my working life. I've considered leaving Thailand many times, but other expats I've known over the past years have tried it, returned with horror stories, hence I've remained here & just travelled to PI, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam etc on trips using a multiple entry visa.

 

These past years I've seen many changes too. Most of us do not like change as it interferes mostly with our daily lives. However, many farangs have indeed now left, which really has hit the quality of life here for the retirees who remain. All the mates, friends & social gatherings have disappeared & this is a great shame. I think in the main the exchange rate was largely to blame for pensioners, but the stringent Immigration requirements for visas here also add to the difficulties of living here, hence we have lost a major part of our expat community.

 

Quality of life here is still "what you make it". That's one thing Thailand allows you to do ............ make your own way & do what you want. It's a country where infact "anything goes" ......... as long as it's legal. As long as you have your licence to drive & tax/insurance is up to date I've found the police very easy to deal with when stopped at a check point. If I'm speeding etc I pay the fine & move on ........... problem dealt with ........ no lengthy wait for a court appearance. Brilliant.

 

I do however, find that society here has changed dramatically over the years & although the "loss of face' has been with us for as long as I can remember it's evident that politeness is definitely "out of the window', especially in Pattaya with the general public. I avoid shopping like the plague as shop keepers seem to be so aggressive towards foreigners ....... "what you want" or "up to you" & seem to resent the fact of you being there. It's as if they are saying ......... " don't waste my time, get what you want .... I'm in the middle of a game on my ipad"! If you ask for anything it's a "no have" or you are being troublesome ............. my time to leave! Ha! I realise that this is mostly due to the mindset of these people, but it does annoy you. Hence, I give it a miss.

 

Thai's are definitely fun loving people if you want to throw a party. Depending on how much you are going to spend it can turn a quiet gathering into a riot within minutes as Thai girls cannot hold their liquor! If you are lonely at home you can always find female company downtown to brighten up the day. I think going out, being polite to everyone & generally being kind to those you meet will stand you in good stead here ............. seldom will you fall foul of the aggressive behaviour that's so easy found if you don't stay alert. Getting really "pissed out of your head" is a "no no" as you are quaranteed to end up without cash & sleeping it off somewhere. It's a really great place to retire to & I have absolutely no regrets moving here ........ long may it continue.

 

I'm a Brit, served my country for 30+yrs in the military, plus other HMS jobs & retired here. I've not been back to the UK at all & I have no intention of doing so. Too many bad memories, which I'm reminded of daily due to the unfair judicial system there. The country seems to have gone completely downhill since & is in crisis now more than ever. My only regret is that I must continue to pay tax on all my UK earnings, which then seem to be continually squandered in benefits to all the " wafes & strays" that enter the country, who do not deserve it, but it's sanctioned by an inept government. I honestly regret serving my country now ..... what a complete waste of time that was! I may be a bitter Brit, but I'm proud to be an expat. I voted with my feet ............ I wish everyone would threaten to leave the UK unless the government starts to "get their shit together" ......... then perhaps I'd consider coming home to visit.

Well said..Wise words indeed

[The manic]

https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=T-Teamer

[scubastephen]

Giday cobber, I've just retired to Thailand from Australia and believe me Australia is in a mess. The present government is screwing the working class into the ground.

Sent from my SM-G935F using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[Batty]

I have lived here full time for 15 years, and I would love to go back home to the UK.  I have had enough and have felt that way for the last few years.  I ache to go home, actually.  In that sense, its funny how my outlook has gone full circle: The first few years here between 2003 and maybe 2010 I always looked at my expatriation as an adventure, something I achieved and to be proud of making a life over here.  Now, I see going back home the same way.

 

The problem is that my business of 12 years failed last year, its an old technology that I cant market anymore.  I used to earn good money, but now I just tick over.  I own a nice house here but its only worth 4 million and if I sold it, what would that get me in England?  Nothing!  I could raise another couple of million selling my car, bikes and bits but even 6 million wouldn't afford me a property back home.  At 45 years old I dont want to get a mortgage in the UK.  And also now I am just ticking over, what sort of life would that give me back home?  Especially given that I would have to rent.

 

I cant imagine getting a job.  I have worked for myself for 17 years in one form or another and my skill set is better served working for myself really.  

 

Then there is the wife.  She loves England but I know she would miss her parents too much to leave and I wouldn't want to force that on her.

 

I used to love this country.  Im not saying I hate it now, but it does feel different.  Literately, almost - I mean sometimes it feels like a totally different country to the one I moved to all those years ago.  It just does not feel fun anymore and I feel far less wanted here than I did before, as a ferang.  I feel like a square peg in a round hole.

 

But the main thing is just a longing for my home country and everything it has to offer.  Its first world, and this is third world (kinda).  I miss having a pint in a proper pub with English banter.  I miss little interactions with people: buying a newspaper, nipping to the bookies and having a fiver on a horse, random chats with strangers in random situations.  I feel like I miss my own people.  Quite often 'my own people' here in Thailand seem odd, sometimes bitter, you meet a new friend here and somewhere not too far down the line he turns out to be a complete cock.  That seems to be a trait of ex-pat life as far as I can muster.

 

I haven't been back for a couple of years but on my last visit, driving through the Cotswolds on a sunny Saturday afternoon, I couldn't believe I had abandoned this place in favor of a country so completely alien to me full of people who dont realy want me around.  At that moment it made no sense to me why I was going back.  But I have no choice realy.  Unless I can find a few hundred grand (GBP) to buy a house and give myself a cushion, Thailand is going to be home for the foreseeable future.  If something changes work wise and I start earning well again, I will buy a flat back home and at the very least spend the summers there.   

I dont let anyone know this as no one likes a moaner, but I am actually pretty miserable here now lol.  I have just totally had enough of the place.  

 

Good luck mate, Im sure you wont regret making the move.  Thailand has had its day - in my opinion - and life is better back there.  Again, in my opinion.

 

 

[jenny2017]

On 7/20/2018 at 6:18 PM, markusss said:

Great points made here. It's good to read such a positive report. I need all the encouragement I can get at this point. While I don't have a wife or children here, Thailand will always be a part of who I am. The ironic thing is Thailand is the place where I matured and developed real survival skills in terms of taking better care of myself & growing as a person. It's important to remember why I left Australia in the first place. For me it was a sense of adventure, a lust for life, and a need for more than what Australian suburban life could ever provide. I also left drug addiction behind and through language acquisition I found my life and outlook in general to be so much more positive, inspiring & rewarding, to which I continue to this day. I'm not going back the same person I was so I feel ready & determined to use better life choices than the ones I made previously when I lived in Australia. I intend to keep my love for Thailand going through vlogging. I really don't want to lose my language ability which I worked so hard at and was a huge part of me being able to leave my drug dependency behind for good. 

If you go back to the same place where you've lived as an addict, please be careful. A few negative things could happen and you're back where you were before. Best of luck, whatever your decision will be. 

[jenny2017]

On 7/21/2018 at 1:18 PM, CanuckThai said:

I had a conversation about this, with my neighbor (also farang) and his wife (Thai) this week when we ran into each other, at the grocery store.  

 

We weren't bashing Thailand, but definitely agreed that the panache is lost over time (for him and I).   We are at different stages (him being retired, myself still working), but both here long enough to see/experience enough of the + and -.   ...and the - can begin to outweigh the + once the jungle fever wears off.   

 

He joked a bit and said, if anything ever happened to his wife (he winked at her), he'd pack a carry-on bag (abandon everything) and be on the first plane to.....  Even his wife, says the only thing she misses when they're not in Thailand is the food.   

   Somtham?

 

  

[bwpage3]

2 hours ago, Batty said:

I have lived here full time for 15 years, and I would love to go back home to the UK.  I have had enough and have felt that way for the last few years.  I ache to go home, actually.  In that sense, its funny how my outlook has gone full circle: The first few years here between 2003 and maybe 2010 I always looked at my expatriation as an adventure, something I achieved and to be proud of making a life over here.  Now, I see going back home the same way.

 

The problem is that my business of 12 years failed last year, its an old technology that I cant market anymore.  I used to earn good money, but now I just tick over.  I own a nice house here but its only worth 4 million and if I sold it, what would that get me in England?  Nothing!  I could raise another couple of million selling my car, bikes and bits but even 6 million wouldn't afford me a property back home.  At 45 years old I dont want to get a mortgage in the UK.  And also now I am just ticking over, what sort of life would that give me back home?  Especially given that I would have to rent.

 

I cant imagine getting a job.  I have worked for myself for 17 years in one form or another and my skill set is better served working for myself really.  

 

Then there is the wife.  She loves England but I know she would miss her parents too much to leave and I wouldn't want to force that on her.

 

I used to love this country.  Im not saying I hate it now, but it does feel different.  Literately, almost - I mean sometimes it feels like a totally different country to the one I moved to all those years ago.  It just does not feel fun anymore and I feel far less wanted here than I did before, as a ferang.  I feel like a square peg in a round hole.

 

But the main thing is just a longing for my home country and everything it has to offer.  Its first world, and this is third world (kinda).  I miss having a pint in a proper pub with English banter.  I miss little interactions with people: buying a newspaper, nipping to the bookies and having a fiver on a horse, random chats with strangers in random situations.  I feel like I miss my own people.  Quite often 'my own people' here in Thailand seem odd, sometimes bitter, you meet a new friend here and somewhere not too far down the line he turns out to be a complete cock.  That seems to be a trait of ex-pat life as far as I can muster.

 

I haven't been back for a couple of years but on my last visit, driving through the Cotswolds on a sunny Saturday afternoon, I couldn't believe I had abandoned this place in favor of a country so completely alien to me full of people who dont realy want me around.  At that moment it made no sense to me why I was going back.  But I have no choice realy.  Unless I can find a few hundred grand (GBP) to buy a house and give myself a cushion, Thailand is going to be home for the foreseeable future.  If something changes work wise and I start earning well again, I will buy a flat back home and at the very least spend the summers there.   

I dont let anyone know this as no one likes a moaner, but I am actually pretty miserable here now lol.  I have just totally had enough of the place.  

 

Good luck mate, Im sure you wont regret making the move.  Thailand has had its day - in my opinion - and life is better back there.  Again, in my opinion.

 

 

It is very refreshing to hear the truth and I thank you for your story.

 

I owned a business as well for 10 years in Thailand, the massive flood of 2011 took care of that, but at the same time, I was feeling the exact same about going back to the US. I had always wanted my family to get a US education.

 

Fortunate for me, I have a high skill and advanced education and could move right back into corporate America, buy a house, cars and all the other luxuries of the western first world.

 

My job has lots of flexibility and have limited qualms about not working for myself. Plus the benefits are great and will help provide a great future for my family.

 

You have a point about being around people that you can actually talk to and relate to at your own level. Lots of educated friends, it makes a big difference to have them around.

 

My wife surprising loves the US and has no desire to even go back for a visit. She can afford to have her family come over here if they miss her too much.

 

At 45 you have many years to get to retirement age. Me as well. Had I stayed in Thailand I probably wouldn't have ever saved for retirement like I am now, even though I don't plan to retire. The money can all go to my family when I pass on someday.

 

Thailand is great when you have money, however, over time the country is changing, and you have seen and done everything a million times. I think Thailand is great as a tourist but when you are forced to live there and endure the bad, then it can get pretty miserable.

 

I really enjoy all the civility and comforts of being back in the US.

 

I dont miss Thailand and have many memories both happy and sad.

 

In Florida, we are very close to the different Caribbean Islands and that is a 10 times better holiday than going back and rehashing over Thailand.

 

In the end, we only live a certain amount of years, as you get older, happiness becomes a big part of that equation.

 

 

Edited July 25, 2018 by bwpage3
formatting

[jenny2017]

On 7/22/2018 at 7:20 AM, james1995 said:

I don't get it.  I realize you might get tired of living abroad after awhile, but I think most guys would want to return to Thailand given the choice.  I'm packing my bags next week and got a one way flight booked.  Looks like we're changing places, mate.

james 1995? Were you born in that year? If so, then you might not even understand what the OP and a few others are trying to say.

 

  There'll be the day when somebody will change places with you. Only a matter of time. 

[JLCrab]

5 hours ago, bwpage3 said:

Fortunate for me, I have a high skill and advanced education and could move right back into corporate America, buy a house, cars and all the other luxuries of the western first world.

Well one luxury that you can't get in the Western world is to have several Thai girls 30 years younger willing to jump all over you at your beck-&-call. I've talked to well-heeled guys in Florida who would gladly trade the luxury house and car for that luxury.

Edited July 25, 2018 by JLCrab

[Poottrong]

13 hours ago, Batty said:

I have lived here full time for 15 years, and I would love to go back home to the UK.  I have had enough and have felt that way for the last few years.  I ache to go home, actually.  In that sense, its funny how my outlook has gone full circle: The first few years here between 2003 and maybe 2010 I always looked at my expatriation as an adventure, something I achieved and to be proud of making a life over here.  Now, I see going back home the same way.

 

The problem is that my business of 12 years failed last year, its an old technology that I cant market anymore.  I used to earn good money, but now I just tick over.  I own a nice house here but its only worth 4 million and if I sold it, what would that get me in England?  Nothing!  I could raise another couple of million selling my car, bikes and bits but even 6 million wouldn't afford me a property back home.  At 45 years old I dont want to get a mortgage in the UK.  And also now I am just ticking over, what sort of life would that give me back home?  Especially given that I would have to rent.

 

I cant imagine getting a job.  I have worked for myself for 17 years in one form or another and my skill set is better served working for myself really.  

 

Then there is the wife.  She loves England but I know she would miss her parents too much to leave and I wouldn't want to force that on her.

 

I used to love this country.  Im not saying I hate it now, but it does feel different.  Literately, almost - I mean sometimes it feels like a totally different country to the one I moved to all those years ago.  It just does not feel fun anymore and I feel far less wanted here than I did before, as a ferang.  I feel like a square peg in a round hole.

 

But the main thing is just a longing for my home country and everything it has to offer.  Its first world, and this is third world (kinda).  I miss having a pint in a proper pub with English banter.  I miss little interactions with people: buying a newspaper, nipping to the bookies and having a fiver on a horse, random chats with strangers in random situations.  I feel like I miss my own people.  Quite often 'my own people' here in Thailand seem odd, sometimes bitter, you meet a new friend here and somewhere not too far down the line he turns out to be a complete cock.  That seems to be a trait of ex-pat life as far as I can muster.

 

I haven't been back for a couple of years but on my last visit, driving through the Cotswolds on a sunny Saturday afternoon, I couldn't believe I had abandoned this place in favor of a country so completely alien to me full of people who dont realy want me around.  At that moment it made no sense to me why I was going back.  But I have no choice realy.  Unless I can find a few hundred grand (GBP) to buy a house and give myself a cushion, Thailand is going to be home for the foreseeable future.  If something changes work wise and I start earning well again, I will buy a flat back home and at the very least spend the summers there.   

I dont let anyone know this as no one likes a moaner, but I am actually pretty miserable here now lol.  I have just totally had enough of the place.  

 

Good luck mate, Im sure you wont regret making the move.  Thailand has had its day - in my opinion - and life is better back there.  Again, in my opinion.

 

 

This has really struck a chord with me. Been here 17 years, mid forties, and have gone through a similar almost 180 degree turnaround in thinking and wondering how the hell it happened lol. I would be able to financially get my self set up back home but then would have to get stuck into work. Been working on my own like you for 17 years so it'd be back into some entry level job. Missus would have to work too so we'd both be back in the rat race. Cost of living through the roof. Not sure I'm going back to the same country of 20 years ago either - expensive, crowded, nanny state, pc crap etc. I only go back every 4 years or so for a few weeks and it seems great. But we all know living and visiting are different things, rose coloured glasses and all that. I'm just not convinced we'd be happy really. We've got kids too so if we went back it would have to be one way so it's not like we can dip our toes in the water for a while and see.

 

Lately have wondered whether a lot of it can be put down to mid-life - a funny period wherever you are and apparently you come out of it better in your fifties. In the last year have started feeling more appreciative of my situation and not feeling the intensity to change as much. It helps that our financial situation has been continually improving here too. All things considered we have a good standard of living here in a beautiful spot and am cautious to throw it all away on a midlife funk or because of some unrealistic vision of how great things are back home.

 

 

 

 

Edited July 26, 2018 by Poottrong

[xylophone]

19 minutes ago, Poottrong said:

Cost of living through the roof. Not sure I'm going back to the same country of 20 years ago either - expensive, crowded, nanny state, pc crap etc. I only go back every 4 years or so for a few weeks and it seems great. But we all know living and visiting are different things, rose coloured glasses and all that. I'm just not convinced we'd be happy really

 

19 minutes ago, Poottrong said:

It helps that our financial situation has been continually improving here too. All things considered we have a good standard of living here in a beautiful spot and am cautious to throw it all away on a midlife funk or because of some unrealistic vision of how great things are back home.

I've highlighted those two aspects of your post because they relate, to a certain extent, to the feelings I have about here and back home in NZ.

 

I have been back to NZ every year for about a month over the past 11 years or so and even though it is a very beautiful country and there are times when I still find it breathtaking, driving in the countryside to the deserted beaches, and lack of idiots on the road, I still find myself looking at another side of it which doesn't sit too well with me.

 

Although I have a very good lifestyle over here and can eat and drink whatever I want, whenever I want, I realise that if I went back home, I wouldn't be able to afford the house I had when I left, however I could buy one quite easily out in the country/small country town, but that would also be alien to me so maybe not that good after all.

 

If I decided to live in Auckland, where I once lived, then the cost of living and housing has increased dramatically over the 12 years since I sold up, so buying again would be out of the question, and renting has become very expensive.

 

Also, the people that I know in Auckland are busy with their own lives, and some are still working, so although it would be good to catch up from time to time, I feel that I don't want to intrude upon their lives, but perhaps that's just me.

 

In my last few visits back home, I found it difficult to occupy my time during the day and was able to sit at a few cafes in various places watching the world go by and I didn't like what I saw. It is very much an old people's place and the shopping malls had loads of OAPs in them (much like myself although I don't like to think that way) and they looked lost and sad, meandering around the place looking for something to pass the time of day and not really speaking to anybody.

 

Contrast that with how I find things here, and it is totally the opposite, because I can wander through shopping malls and talk to younger lady shop assistants and, many have got to know me now and will always give me a smile and sometimes a cuddle, and those that can speak a little English don't mind spending a bit of time chatting away because they feel it improves their understanding of the language and I also learn from them.

 

I can rent an apartment here for around a third of the cost back in NZ, eat just about anything I want and dine out in nice restaurants, so I have a good standard of living here and that along with some friends and a few other benefits, always bring me round to the fact that I should be satisfied with the life I'm living here, in fact I should be happy with the life I'm living here and should make the most of it, which I do.

 

So in summary, the thought of a little place in the country in NZ occasionally springs to mind, but it doesn't take long for me to get back to reality to understand that I'm best off here, so make the most of it.
 

[meechai]

Reoccurring reason for many is that they would leave but its too expensive back home

 

Let that be a warning to newbies who are thinking this is great screw my ex country I'm never going back.

 

If you spend a decade or two in a third world/poorer/cheaper country realize you WILL be assimilated

Matters not how much you brought or how much you think you need to last your life. After decades many

have just enough....for Thailand

 

Compared to most of the free world that is not enough. There goes your choices so of course it becomes sour grapes

Ah...I didn't want those stinkin high hanging grapes I cant reach anyway ? I would never go for those grapes 555

 

Instead keep a toe in whatever country you came from

Many go east when young. Young enough that they could have gotten a mortgage in their country first

Bought a small home, rented it out & left. Later you have an asset that others have paid for on your behalf.

Income for life but more importantly a foothold in your country to return to if you want.

It is not hard to return to a country you have a home in. In fact most Western Countries will

give you your medical & food if your down financially. They will not take your residence

 

Many aged 50+ sell their home & move East

Do not sell Mortgage, you get almost as much anyway but still own the asset

 

This message is not for the old bitter ones that don't want the grapes

It is for the younger ones thinking of making Thailand Home

 

You Will Be Assimilated so keep a toe in the water you came from ?

 

Edited July 26, 2018 by meechai

[Poottrong]

15 minutes ago, meechai said:

It is not hard to return to a country you have a home in.

 

I don't know. I could afford to buy a modest house outright in my home country but that doesn't seem attractive enough for me to go back. Even with a house it's too expensive IMO compared to the lifestyle I can have here.

[JLCrab]

19 minutes ago, meechai said:

<snip>

Ah...I didn't want those stinkin high hanging grapes I cant reach anyway ? I would never go for those grapes 555

 

Instead keep a toe in whatever country you came from

<snip>

There ain't no such thing as high hanging grapes.

And I only have ten toes. Which one do you think I should leave behind?

[jimn]

I really do sympathise with those of you thinking of returning home. Unfortunatly its now the consequence of the decision you made years ago to cut all ties with your homeland and sell up etc to come to Thailand. Although financially you are better off its still a dangerous thing to do. I have made the decision to keep my home in the UK and return once a year for 4 - 5 months. This means I keep my status in the UK. Address, Bank, Doctors, Pension, Car etc. Its expensive mind. I estimate that it costs me nearly £400 per month in Council Tax, insurances, Energy Bills etc, when I am in Thailand. It does mean however I can return any time and change my mind. My advise is think twice before you uproot from your home country and think again and again before you return home. If you do you might regret it for the rest of your life. Good luck in whatever you decide.

[mstevens]

18 hours ago, Batty said:

I feel like I miss my own people.  Quite often 'my own people' here in Thailand seem odd, sometimes bitter, you meet a new friend here and somewhere not too far down the line he turns out to be a complete cock.  That seems to be a trait of ex-pat life as far as I can muster.

This is particularly well said and, sadly, I have experienced the same too many times to remember.

[Shiver]

13 minutes ago, mstevens said:

This is particularly well said and, sadly, I have experienced the same too many times to remember.

I suspect that comes back to the old question of "Is someone here because they want to be here?  Or, are they instead avoiding a problem elsewhere?".  The latter usually presents as "wherever you go, there you are, and the problem is in oneself.  I think perhaps that is who you're likely referring to as being a cock - not so much the country here, as the subject in question - the man in the mirror.  There are many here who have (on balance) a much better life than their origin country (and many that don't, also).

 

The people I seem to get on with best, are the ones that made themselves what they are, become successful in whatever definition that means to them, and eventually stop going too much on the well worn track, keep a very limited number of friends, and don't involve themselves in others affairs.  That could be further translated in to no debt (financial or otherwise), no lending, no problems with people (created or tolerated) and are generally very valuable people to have the privilege to know.

It seems also that there are some that have enjoyed their time here, but feel it's time to move on to pastures new.  Perfectly respectable decision also.

[goegoe]

What is good when having a EU passport is to be able to move to any of 28 countries and live there without visa. Who would be stupid enough to only go where he is born is beyond understanding for me.

And it's also really good to live alone or with girlfriends without kids, the world has no limit.

Sad for the ones who put themselves in chain but you looked for it.

[bwpage3]

6 hours ago, Poottrong said:

This has really struck a chord with me. Been here 17 years, mid forties, and have gone through a similar almost 180 degree turnaround in thinking and wondering how the hell it happened lol. I would be able to financially get my self set up back home but then would have to get stuck into work. Been working on my own like you for 17 years so it'd be back into some entry level job. Missus would have to work too so we'd both be back in the rat race. Cost of living through the roof. Not sure I'm going back to the same country of 20 years ago either - expensive, crowded, nanny state, pc crap etc. I only go back every 4 years or so for a few weeks and it seems great. But we all know living and visiting are different things, rose coloured glasses and all that. I'm just not convinced we'd be happy really. We've got kids too so if we went back it would have to be one way so it's not like we can dip our toes in the water for a while and see.

 

Lately have wondered whether a lot of it can be put down to mid-life - a funny period wherever you are and apparently you come out of it better in your fifties. In the last year have started feeling more appreciative of my situation and not feeling the intensity to change as much. It helps that our financial situation has been continually improving here too. All things considered we have a good standard of living here in a beautiful spot and am cautious to throw it all away on a midlife funk or because of some unrealistic vision of how great things are back home.

 

 

 

 

I don't think it is throwing it away in a mid-life funk.

 

What you are doing is surviving. Your kids are getting the worst education in the world.

 

The biggest issue I see, is what happens when you do make it to retirement age and you have nothing?

 

20+ more years in a job where you can build social security, 401k, educate your kids with an education that will allow them to earn more than minimum wage, etc. gives you a life when you do hit retirement age.

 

Right now you won't have any of that.

 

Don't think about today, think about when you are 65.

 

Thailand can sure change a lot in the next 20 years. If Thailand ever pulls itself out of the third world in those 20 years and costs rise much higher, then what?

 

You can hear tons of expats bitching just because the exchange rate is in the tank. With world trade sanctions, economics, etc. who can predict what will happen long term.

 

I moved back to the USA, back to corporate America. Sure, in the beginning it sucked having to get up and go to work everyday after working for myself for 10 years.

 

However, I see and work towards the long term benefits for my families future and my own.

 

Very, very few in Thailand can see past right now, to what it will take to survive 20 years from now.

[bwpage3]

1 hour ago, Shiver said:

I suspect that comes back to the old question of "Is someone here because they want to be here?  Or, are they instead avoiding a problem elsewhere?".  The latter usually presents as "wherever you go, there you are, and the problem is in oneself.  I think perhaps that is who you're likely referring to as being a cock - not so much the country here, as the subject in question - the man in the mirror.  There are many here who have (on balance) a much better life than their origin country (and many that don't, also).

 

The people I seem to get on with best, are the ones that made themselves what they are, become successful in whatever definition that means to them, and eventually stop going too much on the well worn track, keep a very limited number of friends, and don't involve themselves in others affairs.  That could be further translated in to no debt (financial or otherwise), no lending, no problems with people (created or tolerated) and are generally very valuable people to have the privilege to know.

It seems also that there are some that have enjoyed their time here, but feel it's time to move on to pastures new.  Perfectly respectable decision also.

No one can predict the future cost increase in Thailand over the long term.

 

Also, for those living in Thailand well short of retirement age? Now what?

 

What do you plan to do long term with no pension or social security?

[xylophone]

4 hours ago, meechai said:

Reoccurring reason for many is that they would leave but its too expensive back home

I only highlighted this sentence because it was included in the next post after mine and when I re-looked at my post, I realise that the "too expensive" to go back home scenario came through strongly, probably more strongly than I intended!

 

Sure things are more expensive by comparison to what they were but that's only to be expected and what I was meaning to convey, and didn't, was that I have everything I want here and enough money to last me until I'm well over a hundred, and I can indulge myself, probably far too much!

 

Furthermore and this is a key for me, I find this place has a certain vibrancy which helps "keep me young" as well as being full of younger people, many young ladies, all of whom will stop and speak or give you a smile, which is rare in Western countries IMO. So although I am on my own, I never really feel like that, and of course I have made friends here.

 

Sure, as others have said, if one has cut all ties from the home country and doesn't own property there, then going back to live after some time away is going to be very difficult indeed, financially.

 

When I left NZ I sold everything, knowing full well that this place would be my home for the rest of my life, or if I fell out with it (or vice versa) then somewhere else would suffice, but I harbour no desire to move back home, because this is now my home with all the good things that I enjoy about it, as well as moaning about the idiots on the road and the Chinese, but that's life as they say!

 

I wonder if others long for a return to their home countries or just think that it would be nice to be back there for a while?? So many times I have spoken to expats here who have returned home only to find that the grass wasn't greener, even the second time around!

[Poottrong]

33 minutes ago, bwpage3 said:

I don't think it is throwing it away in a mid-life funk.

 

What you are doing is surviving. Your kids are getting the worst education in the world.

 

The biggest issue I see, is what happens when you do make it to retirement age and you have nothing?

 

20+ more years in a job where you can build social security, 401k, educate your kids with an education that will allow them to earn more than minimum wage, etc. gives you a life when you do hit retirement age.

 

Right now you won't have any of that.

 

Don't think about today, think about when you are 65.

 

Thailand can sure change a lot in the next 20 years. If Thailand ever pulls itself out of the third world in those 20 years and costs rise much higher, then what?

 

You can hear tons of expats bitching just because the exchange rate is in the tank. With world trade sanctions, economics, etc. who can predict what will happen long term.

 

I moved back to the USA, back to corporate America. Sure, in the beginning it sucked having to get up and go to work everyday after working for myself for 10 years.

 

However, I see and work towards the long term benefits for my families future and my own.

 

Very, very few in Thailand can see past right now, to what it will take to survive 20 years from now.

I think you're making  a lot of assumptions here.

 

"I don't think it is throwing it away in a mid-life funk."

OK

 

"What you are doing is surviving."

Actually, no. Earning more money now than I ever have. Outlook going forward looks good too.

 

"Your kids are getting the worst education in the world."

 

One of them is in international school the other in the local catholic school. I'm not convinced either one is worse than what I hear and observe about schools in the West these days - apart from the facilities that is.

 

"20+ more years in a job where you can build social security..Right now you won't have any of that."

 

I'm managing to save and am quite satisfied with what we're putting away every month due to the low cost of living etc. Certainly more than we could back home.

 

"Thailand can sure change a lot in the next 20 years. If Thailand ever pulls itself out of the third world in those 20 years and costs rise much higher, then what?"

 

Thailand doesn't change that much. Costs are unlikely to ever come close to matching the West.

 

"However, I see and work towards the long term benefits for my families future and my own."

 

Me too, and although I'm constantly weighing things up currently it seems the future is better for  me, my wife and my kids to be in Thailand although it is not an easy decision to make. There are pros and cons for both that don't make it straightforward.

 

[Poottrong]

31 minutes ago, xylophone said:

Sure things are more expensive by comparison to what they were but that's only to be.

 

So many times I have spoken to expats here who have returned home only to find that the grass wasn't greener, even the second time around!

I never understood the argument that things are getting more expensive here. Anyone checked into the West lately? Money just goes way further here although I stick to local tucker and lead a simple life - by choice.

 

Yes,  "grass is greener" is something that needs serious thought and shouldn't be glossed over when considering going back. 

 

 

[totally thaied up]

10 hours ago, Poottrong said:

But the main thing is just a longing for my home country and everything it has to offer.  Its first world, and this is third world (kinda).  I miss having a pint in a proper pub with English banter.  I miss little interactions with people: buying a newspaper, nipping to the bookies and having a fiver on a horse, random chats with strangers in random situations.  I feel like I miss my own people.  Quite often 'my own people' here in Thailand seem odd, sometimes bitter, you meet a new friend here and somewhere not too far down the line he turns out to be a complete cock.  That seems to be a trait of ex-pat life as far as I can muster.

3

I wrote out a massive reply to get it all deleted. This website sometimes really sucks.

 

What I will write below is how I feel about being a younger guy here in Thailand and problems that we face. I am not whining at all, but just a perspective.

 

To sum it up, we are a lot younger than most here. All my friends, about three of them, are over 70 or close to it. Finding young friends is not that easy out in a village. We are the new generation of expats coming through, and I am starting to think, coming here too early may be a bad idea if you don't have the money or a good job. Money fixes most things in this world. A few guys I have met here have ended up being real dicks, but we have them worldwide; it is not just a Thailand problem. Mostly, they used me (and I was a fool for being used in the first place) for some form of my expertise to gain them something. Once used, they just would flap me off. It was a real learning curve because back at home I would charge them for this experience (fixing computers/Networks).

 

I would prefer to have a few mates who were my age and close to me. In a land that seems to cater only to older men with very young wives who are a full generation or two above us, nothing much is going to change. I won't go into a bar anymore, or I won't look too hard for friends as in all ways, I am pretty sick of trouble.

 

In many ways, I cannot go home mainly due to my wife. My wife would not fit in, and the other problems that my friends and culture would not bode well for her. My parents will leave me a Condo and a large share portfolio back in my hometown, and it is all is worth a lot of money. Money later on in life is not a problem now, but once it was. I have a choice to leave the Condo later for backup to go home to. Many here do not have that option.

 

You see, about a year ago I was also thinking I may be better to go home as I was uncertain of my future. I just paid off a VERY large family debt to my parents (for a failed business venture in 2009; I always promised I would pay that debt back), and I was left with only a small amount in the bank. My wife has a house that is fully paid for, and the land is worth a small fortune due to where it is but she is land rich/cash poor. We have a new car and four motorcycles. Her family owns a lot more land; her business is doing okay, and she told me not to worry as we had enough to live our lives out simply here. I went through a tough time after paying the debt off, and I thought things in the future, looked like being very bleak for me.

 

I got very depressed for several months and did think during this time that I made a mistake with my move here ( 10 years) and my marriage. I was lucky that my parents saw the stress I was under, and they came to my aid as in; they outlined my future, and that helped me a lot. Frankly, they told me I would never be broke, and I was thinking too much.

 

If I was not ill, in all honesty, I would not be in Thailand at 49. I would still be working most likely until I was 58 and then retire. I feel that work is a very important role in life and Thailand for me, does not tick the boxes in that regard for most younger guys.

 

Thailand is so many ways is better if your old, or you have serious money but if you had serious money, I know several other countries I would prefer to live in.

 

The days of cheap living have passed and in many ways; Thailand has gone to the wayside. Like I have repeated several times in this post, if you got money (and health), everything can be fixed in this world, and I think that is the crux to it all. You got money here and you can cover all your health costs easily, that pretty well is your only major worry. The rest is pretty simple.

 

Pay your health insurances and live an easy life and not worry. That may be the secert.

[totally thaied up]

2 hours ago, Poottrong said:

I never understood the argument that things are getting more expensive here. Anyone checked into the West lately? Money just goes way further here although I stick to local tucker and lead a simple life - by choice.

The main reason was a currency drop for me - an average of 29 baht down to 24 is a lot of spending power. That was the loss to me of a weeks grocery shopping when I was single. To anyone, that is a pretty big loss.

[ChidlomDweller]

4 hours ago, Poottrong said:

I never understood the argument that things are getting more expensive here. Anyone checked into the West lately? Money just goes way further here although I stick to local tucker and lead a simple life - by choice.

It depends entirely on how you live, but just going to the supermarket is a lot cheaper in the West.  Just go to Aldi, Lidl, or buy private label products and you won't believe how cheap it is.  Many of my basic staples like yoghurt, cheese, vegetables, frozen foods, condiments, wine, etc. aren't even half the price in Europe or the US.  Food courts and street food are cheap here, but eating that 2-3 times a day would get old fast.  Nowadays I prefer to eat at home.   Rent for a decent condo in Bangkok on Sukhumvit or elsewhere downtown is quickly 35,000 a month and up.  That won't even get you something very fancy (those are more like 70,000), just a 1 or 2 bedroom apartment in decent condition like you'd find back home.  For that money you can find a nice apartment in many nice cities in Europe too.  International schools, cars, brand-name clothing, appliances,... no comparison, this country is very, very expensive for those things.  

 

Don't want to sound like I'm moaning about the cost of living here, which overall works out about medium, but I think it gets too much credit for being cheap when it's not.  

Edited July 26, 2018 by ChidlomDweller