Australian, usa expats, what is your plan?

[DjChris28]

So what is everyone's plan who is an expat here in thailand? Stay or go home?

 

I'm from Australia, I started my new job and it's been a dream to land it, then this coronavirus happened. I've got enough money saved up (about 800k) thai baht for an emergency. My fear is the company eventually going bust and then not being able to go back to Australia due to lack of flights. I have enough money to live here for a year (800k should be enough) but whether thailand will offer a visa to stay if I lose my job is another question.

 

I'd love to know how other expats are feeling right now about this.

[blackcab]

Moved to the Corona Virus forum.

[ukrules]

I'm going nowhere, literally.

[JacobD]

At first I was considering about staying in Thailand, but there are too many unknowns especially with the global lockdowns.

 

I really dont want to go back to America, but after reading how some of the IOs are in Facebook and a bit here, I dont want to deal with the hassle and headaches for these stressful times of the Covid-19 lockdowns.

 

I will try to book a flight this week as things are getting crazier by the day.

At the end of the day, Im still a 'farang' or a foreigner. Despite the craziness that America is about to go through, at least that is my home country at the end of the day.

 

Also I was going to wait it out to see what the bordering countries will do in regards to opening up their borders, but who's to say that they will follow on that. I wouldnt be surprised one bit of Myanmar, Cambodia, and Laos place even stricter regulations at the end of April. Too many unknowns for me. Hate to do it, and very saddened having to back to US, but its almost a no choice for me.

[RichardColeman]

i flew back to uk yesterday. i was too worried about too many variables. i have to say that people thinking about leaving and not doing so, may be about to find they are forced to stay.i seriously doubt you'll get out if not soon.  i would also not be surprised if they start asking for covid test certs for leaving planes too, i think thailand and the world will close all borders and airports for 14 days soon and extend a further 14 when death toll keeps rising. good luck

 

[daveAustin]

Quote

Australian, usa expats, what is your plan?

Not interested in hearing from others then? 

[kokesaat]

Any plans more than a day or two ahead are almost fruitless..... Things changing so quickly.  We flew to the US in January planning on a vacation until May.  Ha.  Out return ticket will most likely be cancelled.  If your staying in Thailand, I'd plan for the long haul.  If you're planning to leave temporarily, it would seem to be best to do it now with long range plans of staying wherever you're going.  Plan a, plan b.....as a minimum

[unsubscribe]

I weighed this scenario back in January and decided to leave back to the states.

 

This first wave is going to last at least 3 months, so be prepared to just hunker down there and ride it out as best you can. After that there are various scenarios that could play out as the BBC describes in this article.

 

In summary, there are essentially three ways out of this mess.

• vaccination
• enough people develop immunity through infection
• or permanently change our behaviour/society

These will all take years to come to fruition.

 

The economic factor will be of greatest concern, if you get laid off I would expect the Aus gov't to provide some sort of financial support, either a monthly stipend or a % of your previous income. 

 

Things that will make this easier for you:

• the younger you are the better
• having established relationships in Thailand that you can trust (community)
• your mental health

I know of many westerners who have posted online about getting into Thailand in the past month and they will be in the same boat as you, so you might be able to build a sense of community with them as well on here, which will address the second 2 bullets above.

 

If the above sounds scary then find a flight back home asap.

[timendres]

Live here. Work here. Staying here. The hysteria will die down in a few months' time, as the reality sets in. Not interested in watching the US version of hysteria, so I will watch the Thai version.

[donnacha]

I got out, too many variables.

My chief concern was low-level societal breakdown, with foreigners being a likely focus of anger. The young Canadian couple in Chiang Mai who were repeatedly spat at by a hostile Thai male, I worry that might be an early sign of shifting attitudes.

When the true scale of the hidden outbreak becomes clear - and I think most Thais already have a dawning horror at what has been allowed to happen - there is going to be a lot of anger. Combine that with the knock-on effects for the rest of the economy of the sudden collapse of the tourist industry, and the massive reductions in international orders for factory goods, and record high levels of consumer debt, most Thais are going to be under a lot of pressure.

I'm not saying that I was likely to be in danger, I live in a wealthy gated community, but we have neither rights, respect, nor affection from the authorities. If there is even a small chance of problems, it simply makes more sense to wait it out somewhere else.

 

[donnacha]

Quote

Australian, usa expats, what is your plan?

 

1 hour ago, daveAustin said:

Not interested in hearing from others then? 

It struck me as an odd pairing too. Australians and Americans are so different in these situations.

The average Australian will ride it out, taking solace in any bargains that become available as all the other expats evaporate.

By contrast, all American males, throughout their lives, are secretly starring in their own movie. Currently, the movie is No Escape.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No_Escape_(2015_film)
 

Quote

No Escape is a 2015 American action thriller film, shot in Chiang Mai, Thailand, and starring Owen Wilson, Lake Bell, and Pierce Brosnan. It tells the story of an expat engineer trapped with his family in an unnamed South-East Asian country during a violent uprising.

 

[Don Mega]

More cases of boomer remover virus in Aus than Thailand so not sure why I would consider going home.

[Vigilante]

47 minutes ago, donnacha said:

I got out, too many variables.

My chief concern was low-level societal breakdown, with foreigners being a likely focus of anger. The young Canadian couple in Chiang Mai who were repeatedly spat at by a hostile Thai male, I worry that might be an early sign of shifting attitudes.

When the true scale of the hidden outbreak becomes clear - and I think most Thais already have a dawning horror at what has been allowed to happen - there is going to be a lot of anger. Combine that with the knock-on effects for the rest of the economy of the sudden collapse of the tourist industry, and the massive reductions in international orders for factory goods, and record high levels of consumer debt, most Thais are going to be under a lot of pressure.

I'm not saying that I was likely to be in danger, I live in a wealthy gated community, but we have neither rights, respect, nor affection from the authorities. If there is even a small chance of problems, it simply makes more sense to wait it out somewhere else.

 

My views exactly.

I chose to stay though for a number of un-related reasons.

If ppl can leave and have no responsibilities here (assuming they can find flights) I would suggest they go

Angry/fearful/hungry thais will have to vent their anger somehow and we could be one of the recipients

[mstevens]

If your family is in Thailand and you have a home and the money / resources to see it through, then there is problem little reason to leave.

 

But for those who don't have much money and / or perhaps live in a shoebox apartment with not much of a view, little natural light and no kitchen) then being stuck there might start to feel like a nightmare.

 

It's different for everyone and all comes back to one's personal circumstances.

 

My over-riding concern is that I just don't see Thais having the discipline to stamp this out through changing behaviour i.e. everyone going in to lock down and sticking with it so the spread stops. My feeling is that in the absence of a vaccine being developed, this is going to linger for a long time in Thailand, potentially longer than elsewhere. With a vaccine said to be 12 months away at the earliest, I'd hate to be stuck in a shoebox for a year or more!

 

In other words, unless you have a life set up in Thailand I'd probably try and get back to your home country.

 

[scubascuba3]

Most countries won't be able to cope with medical treatment anyway, flying back may be worse than Thailand.

 

I'm staying in Thailand

[SkyFax]

19 minutes ago, Vigilante said:

Angry/fearful/hungry thais will have to vend their anger somehow and we could be one of the recipients

Maybe so -- if staying, one should maybe limit ones time outside the home after dark and the very early mornings.

[leeneeds]

No use going home , you can buy toilet paper here, no hassles, 

 

 

[JWRC]

3 hours ago, JacobD said:

At first I was considering about staying in Thailand, but there are too many unknowns especially with the global lockdowns.

 

I really dont want to go back to America, but after reading how some of the IOs are in Facebook and a bit here, I dont want to deal with the hassle and headaches for these stressful times of the Covid-19 lockdowns.

 

I will try to book a flight this week as things are getting crazier by the day.

At the end of the day, Im still a 'farang' or a foreigner. Despite the craziness that America is about to go through, at least that is my home country at the end of the day.

 

Also I was going to wait it out to see what the bordering countries will do in regards to opening up their borders, but who's to say that they will follow on that. I wouldnt be surprised one bit of Myanmar, Cambodia, and Laos place even stricter regulations at the end of April. Too many unknowns for me. Hate to do it, and very saddened having to back to US, but its almost a no choice for me.

What are you actually referring to when you say hassle and headaches for these stressful times?

[pookondee]

7 minutes ago, JWRC said:

What are you actually referring to when you say hassle and headaches for these stressful times?

There has been some good advice on here.

I'd say hassles and headaches is a soft way of describing it.

 

I dont want to be alarmist, but with all these lockdowns there will be huge number of Thais unemployed.

People are forgetting that there never has been any welfare there, so no safety net for anyone and the government at best will probably give folks effected a one-off 500baht.

 

That means that there will be hordes of people with no money, no food, hungry and angry and with nothing to do, so that all spells big trouble.

 

 

 

[Number 6]

Staying. Working. Will reevaluate situation both here and at home in a year or two or five. Depending on how my brokerage 20% of portfolio sorts itself out maybe return to states in five years. Maybe remain. Nothing changed except losing money in the market. May be a bit life changing not catastrophic.

 

OP didn't ask Brits because they have no options left. It's a bedsit in Pattaya or a bedsit in Liverpool.

[glegolo]

quite annoying that you are ONLY interested in a specific group of peope i.e. coming from USA and Australia. Does the rest of us not count? Any specific reason for you to mention just AU and USA - guys??? Or just ignorance??? 

This forum was a swedish forum from the beginning, maybe giving you a hint that there might be some more nationalities represented here...

 

glegolo

[BigT73]

Goodluck getting a direct flight to Aussie now.  Once Australia made the 31st March deadline everything got snapped up.

12 minutes ago, pookondee said:

That means that there will be hordes of people with no money, no food, hungry and angry and with nothing to do, so that all spells big trouble.

When I was in Laos a few days ago they openly showed their fear towards us farangs.  I think once mortality numbers go up ballgame will change with Thais too.  See where the baht goes if the country looses stability (2010) and property prices, as there isnt govt bailouts here.

[Don Mega]

10 minutes ago, BigT73 said:

Goodluck getting a direct flight to Aussie now.  Once Australia made the 31st March deadline everything got snapped up.

 

My home is on the Gold coast so Brisbane is my home airport, Flights available for Mar 29 or Apr 01 on Thai Airways.

 

[LomSak27]

1 hour ago, donnacha said:

I got out, too many variables.

My chief concern was low-level societal breakdown, with foreigners being a likely focus of anger. The young Canadian couple in Chiang Mai who were repeatedly spat at by a hostile Thai male, I worry that might be an early sign of shifting attitudes.

Gee when did this happen and where? If you are going to post it up lets here the story.

 

 

[BigT73]

I just had a look too,  brissy ok for 27th or 29th.   Interesting to see 1st april as australia locks down 31st March?  im from Sydney and just rechecked sky scanner, thai airways available on 29th March to sydney after showing booked out 2 days ago?  (thats my booking)

[Olmate]

51 minutes ago, glegolo said:

quite annoying that you are ONLY interested in a specific group of peope i.e. coming from USA and Australia. Does the rest of us not count? Any specific reason for you to mention just AU and USA - guys??? Or just ignorance??? 

This forum was a swedish forum from the beginning, maybe giving you a hint that there might be some more nationalities represented here...

 

glegolo

Easily annoyed person, that might be a reason OP doesn’t need your view.!

[LomSak27]

3 hours ago, donnacha said:

My chief concern was low-level societal breakdown, with foreigners being a likely focus of anger. The young Canadian couple in Chiang Mai who were repeatedly spat at by a hostile Thai male, I worry that might be an early sign of shifting attitudes.

uh huh

 

2 hours ago, donnacha said:

It struck me as an odd pairing too. Australians and Americans are so different in these situations.

The average Australian will ride it out, taking solace in any bargains that become available as all the other expats evaporate.

By contrast, all American males, throughout their lives, are secretly starring in their own movie. Currently, the movie is No Escape.

posting at 3 AM in the morning from your gated community, are you know.

BTW People were  quite nice in the morning Makro Hang Dong. I would say more than double the usual amount for a sunday  6AM roll time. I don't think the local population is going to make a big run a la Bangkok and panic buying up here. However most of the shoppers were buying more, yep.

 

Ok back to your patch of sand and insert head.

[UncleMhee]

3 hours ago, mstevens said:

It's different for everyone and all comes back to one's personal circumstances.

Actually it all comes down to one's personal attitude. Circumstances are always changing in times such as these. Stay strong, stay safe....

[kokesaat]

3 hours ago, leeneeds said:

No use going home , you can buy toilet paper here, no hassles, 

 

 

TP in Thailand?  Who needs it?  Once you learn the secrets of the bidet, you'll use a fraction of the paper you used to use.  We're currently in the US....and apparently much longer than we expected to stay.  Our daughter doesn't have a bidet...naturally.  But I'm going to install one for her and start the conversion.

[donnacha]

2 hours ago, LomSak27 said:

Gee when did this happen and where? If you are going to post it up lets here the story.

The girl in the couple posted about it on Facebook, said that she and her partner were cycling in the old city when she felt something wet hit her back. She was confused and stopped, only realizing that it was this Thai guy, also on a bike, when he came up and spat again, this time at her face, luckily only hitting her helmet, before cycling off. Her partner chased the guy and, furious, knocked him off his bike. In the comments, her partner expressed regret that he had reacted violently but, honestly, I think he was pretty restrained.

She posted in one of the Chiang Mai expat groups. I had a quick search but could not find it for you. In itself, as an incident, it is not such a big deal, could happen in any city at any time, but it strikes me as out-of-character for Chiang Mai, and makes me somewhat uneasy.