What are your greatest concerns living in Thailand over the next years?

[kokesaat]

Having lived here through the sinking of Thaitanic in 1997, a couple of coups, the yellow/red shirt revolution including the takeover of the main airport, and the death of RamaIX, it's pretty hard to worry that anything could affect our life here.  That said, we've always had a plan B and could walk away with just a suitcase each if it came to that.    Concerns about living in Thailand were greatly allayed after the 2016-2020 presidency in the US.  Life here suddenly became a bowl of cherries!

 

[hotandsticky]

9 minutes ago, wwest5829 said:

At age 75 and a cholesterol/heart issue the health/insurance concerns are at the top. Plan is for our family (Thai Wife, Stepdaughter and myself) to visit USA for the month of April 2023. Exit with my O-A visa, no return permit ... re-enter Visa Exempt go through the process of getting an "O" Visa for reason of retirement. I will try to show I have made over a decade of monthly transfers of 65K+. Fall back position would be "O" Visa for marriage as I will not cash in 800K invested funds to park in a Thai bank (I do have separate account with 400K+ as funds for my Wife when I croak).

Fallback is surely to use an agent.

[Retiredandhappyhere]

I am 81 so my greatest concern is dying.

[1FinickyOne]

8 minutes ago, Richard 2020 said:

I have my choice, in any case not regretted ... Until today!

I have been here a long time and have a long history - I have no regret about the time spent here.. what happened today - did I miss something? 

[wwest5829]

Just now, hotandsticky said:

Fallback is surely to use an agent.

Yes, a possibility.

[shackleton]

Staying healthy 

And the big one exchange rates especially on the

Global Pound Sterling ????

According to the exchange pundits does not bode well for the future ????

[newnative]

   No financial worries, unlike my younger years, and I enjoy living in Thailand.  As others have mentioned, my only concern is my health and the health of my family members as we grow older.  I hope we can all stay as healthy and as vital as possible.

[freedomnow]

My no. 1 - Getting flattened on these roads on my motorbike by some slovenly idiot. Evasive action on a daily basis ...up to about 5 times per day to avoid crashes.

[hotandsticky]

10 hours ago, chickenslegs said:

Currency exchange rate is my greatest cause for concern. My income is 100% in GBP and has reduced by around 40% since I moved here.

 

Luckily I have a decent occupational pension plus (recently) a UK state pension, so I'm still doing okay.

 

I regret not buying a few cheap condos here when I had the opportunity. That could have given me a rental income in THB - protected from the dwindling exchange rate.

 

 

Interesting perspective on ‘dwindling’ exchange rates.

 

Before you arrived I think they were around the 30 mark. Too many people set their benchmark when rates were around 70 with little consideration that the 1997-2007 highs were not ‘normal’.

 

71, on my first visit, 63 when I paid for some land then 55 a year later when I moved permanently to Thailand. I calculated longer term budgets @GBP/THB 50…………I would be happy to see that rate again.

[hotandsticky]

3 minutes ago, freedomnow said:

My no. 1 - Getting flattened on these roads on my motorbike by some slovenly idiot. Evasive action on a daily basis ...up to about 5 times per day to avoid crashes.

There is a very simple solution to that if you are genuinely fearful for your life. 

[freedomnow]

2 minutes ago, hotandsticky said:

There is a very simple solution to that if you are genuinely fearful for your life. 

Fit airbags to the motorbike ?

[hotandsticky]

3 hours ago, Red Forever said:

You had to shoehorn your hatred of Thaksin into a post about the future of Thailand.

Apart from (allegedly) a couple of visits to CM the guy has been gone for 14 yrs. Get over it. 

The lives of farang living here in Thaksin's days were not really adversely affected yet a few get really red in the face when he is mentioned. A bit like the gammon in UK banging on about "Commie Labour!".

Cue........"What about 'his' extra judicial killings?"

One More Farang makes a good point given the destabilizing effect of such a return. 

 

It would be easy to ‘get over’ Thaksin if Thaksin’s sole desire wasn’t a glorious return to power. 

[Tropposurfer]

"Currency exchange?

VISA's?

Health and Medical?

Air Pollution?

Flooding?

Running out of Money?

Country changing attitude towards expats for the worse?

Asia War - China/Taiwan?

Cost of gas, electric, food continuing to increase?

 

How do you think the country itself will change in those timelines?"

 

Q1: I have little control over that. I do own my home and savings so even if the baht to AUD and other currencies was to plummet to say 12 baht to the $ I would manage.

Q2. I hold a 20 year easy-peasy visa and it works beautifully so unless this is revoked or drastically changed I see no issues there.

There's always a risk living anywhere as far as residency is concerned as a foreigner when you live in a country other than of your birth, so if I was to be told to leave I am able to accept that. I wouldn't like it, but if I had to simply leave everything I could return to Oz or the UK and live very comfortably [I have a British passport too]. Provided I am actually allowed to leave by the powers that be here that is).

Q3. I'm mid 60's now but fit n healthy. I get great healthcare here.

I pay a very reasonable premium, in my opinion, for the top level of cover I hold which by the way is international not just domestic. I see great care here for me as I age.

I am open and flexible as to if I will stay here as I go into the last few sedentary years of my life but I sense I will stay here to die. I have a loving partner, her family are well educated kind, only mildly semi-neurotic lol ????, lovely folks, and love/like me a lot. There's a few other good people to call upon to take good and gentle care of me so I guess staying here and being driven around when too old to drive, taken to the beach for my old age swims lol ???? will be easier here than in uber expensive healthcare Oz.

Q4. Its very clean and pollution free on the island in part we live in (zero nasty stinking toxic rubbish burning-off, mild to little road traffic, no road noise at all so given the predictions of tourism and population size predicted we should have a really clean place to live for at leave the next 10 to 15 years.

Q5. Our estate is in a flood-safe area (I checked this very carefully before signing my build contract). Tsunami safe too.

Q6. I/we could run out of doe but unless I go absolutely nuts, or the entire world banking system collapses we'll be fine.

Even if this did happen the real estate stuff will sit and eventually come back to value and in the meantime we'd just dig up our beautiful gardens and grow as much as could to live and I'd go catch some fish.

Q7. Refer to Q2.

Q8. Hmm? There is a closer proximity to conflict here as opposed to my old home of Oz I guess.  

Q9. We're ok for this but as a citizen of the world I see the difficulties it holds for many.

We built an almost water-independent home, a fully independent electricity home, a home with excellent thermal rating so were good for these.

Q10.

1. Carbon fuel prices will continue to rise. Water availability (maybe ? even in heavy monsoon SEAsia will change) with dry seasons becoming more intense (or so the scientists modelling predicts).
2. I don't think LOS is percolating in the same way European and other western nations are around democratic ideals and freedoms so the struggles to quasi socialist/democrat government with a broad sociological movement to fairer distribution of wealth and resources is something I cannot really comment on here.
3. Pollution will get much worse in my opinion. Poorer nations (on the world scale of national wealth) such as LOS is closer to 'survival line' living and so polluting activities will go on because folks gotta eat n can't afford clean energy sources.  The richer, amoral western nations will continue to expel and fund production of ever larger amounts of filth into the environment.
4. Flooding will get worse as the eco-system is affected by the melting of the icecaps resulting in changes in the seas water temperatures connected to the carbon emission issues.
5. Money is a world business and while I can do my best to insulate and insure my money I have little control other than to micro-budget within acceptable parameters of 'common sense' ... I think its time to go order some new golf clubs l????ol 
6. The gods only know what will happen in the future with attitudes and laws towards us falangs.
7. I don't have a bunker system or survivalist set-up so like most of the rest of the planet I have zero control of this.
8. I don't live in so don't vote in Australia or anywhere else for that matter now as an emigre so other than listening and sharing with others about level headedness and a common sense in our world I got no influence beyond that. 
9. The world food issues are badly tilted that's for sure (this is a subject for more discussion amongst us as citizens of the globe). Food, water, fuels [firewood, coal, gas, etc] will become much more expensive and if some pundits are to be believed see wars break out over their control and access (we've already seen 2 bloody, heinous, horrific illegal, false narrative wars in the middle east over oil [not the lies about WMD's). The issues with singular dependence on Russian gas bodes ill for all of Europe now and going forward). We grow a good veggie garden here now, it is getting better every season. We're planning to use some of the common land here to create a commercial amount of produce to sell (profits to the local people) and to give away. As to buying food we can eat what we want, when we want, at this stage of national and international supply systems and the cash to pay for same.

Edited September 15, 2022 by Tropposurfer

[Gecko123]

Social upheaval and global famine caused by climate change.

[hotandsticky]

24 minutes ago, sandyf said:

That my wife dies before I do.

Whilst devastating, I would hate to be so dependent on one person that I couldn’t move on in the event of their demise.

[Lacessit]

14 minutes ago, Retiredandhappyhere said:

I am 81 so my greatest concern is dying.

I don't fear death. I fear a prolonged and painful one.

 

I suppose my biggest concerns are being incapacitated to the point I can't jump through the Immigration hoops any more, or that the goal posts are moved.

 

My other concern is medical, being unable to get back to Australia where I come under the two umbrellas of Medicare and private health insurance. Here, I have to fund myself as no health insurer would accept me.

 

I don't worry  about Thai politics or world events, although I do wish someone would give Putin the same poisons he dishes out to opponents.

[hotandsticky]

5 minutes ago, freedomnow said:

Fit airbags to the motorbike ?

That was Plan B……

[mania]

12 hours ago, KIngsofisaan said:

If you had to do it all over again starting in 2022, would you sell everything you owned in your own country to move to Thailand forever?

That is a good question & one we are considering now

 

We lived in Thailand 2011 till 2017 left for our reasons but still had our home in US to go back to.

 

Now we still have a home in Thailand & are about to visit after 3 years away due to C19 craziness

 

But your question above is what we are wondering at this point

We want to go look & see & decide whether we want final years here or in Thailand

"But" if we move back we would likely sell here this time as it would be easier

 

Biggest concern would be health insurance going forward.

We are both healthy no preexisting probs

but read all the posts about increasing rates & I am now 65 so do wonder how that would go

 

Edited September 15, 2022 by mania

[Lacessit]

13 minutes ago, freedomnow said:

My no. 1 - Getting flattened on these roads on my motorbike by some slovenly idiot. Evasive action on a daily basis ...up to about 5 times per day to avoid crashes.

IMO you are probably driving too fast. I would score about one evasive action in a month, because I drive slowly and defensively. My system has worked for me in Thailand for about the last ten years.

I rely on threat assessment. In front and behind. At 0.42 seconds, my reaction time is way too slow to rely on reflexes alone.

[bkk6060]

Only old ladies will be available for dating.

[Iamfalang]

China invades Taiwan.   USA backs Taiwan.  China takes Taiwan.

 

Thailand must decide.  Chooses China.

 

50 million Chinese come to Thailand, not happy with the falang 

 

falang goes back home where a cup of noodle soup is 180 USD and a bed 10,000

[OneMoreFarang]

3 hours ago, Red Forever said:

You had to shoehorn your hatred of Thaksin into a post about the future of Thailand.

Apart from (allegedly) a couple of visits to CM the guy has been gone for 14 yrs. Get over it. 

The lives of farang living here in Thaksin's days were not really adversely affected yet a few get really red in the face when he is mentioned. A bit like the gammon in UK banging on about "Commie Labour!".

Cue........"What about 'his' extra judicial killings?"

The title of this thread is: "What are your greatest concerns living in Thailand over the next years?"

And I answered that question.

And, believe it or not, this is really my greatest concern. Because he divided Thailand like nobody else. And when he was outside of Thailand his sister did his work - dividing the nation.

So we can guess what might happen if next maybe his daughter becomes PM. Would she reunite Thailand? Or would she more likely (try) to bring her criminal father back to Thailand, and without him going to jail. And if he would return and if he would not go to jail for all the crimes he committed, what would happen then? More political protests. And likely more opposite protests. More of yellow against red, or maybe different colors this time. And maybe more fires and looting and dead people on the streets. Unfortunately, such a scenario is not such a remote possibility. I would guess there is at least a 20% chance that it could happen.

Am I concerned about that? Yes. That's why I mentioned the criminal fugitive and the risk.

And even people who support him should realize that he is like a powder-keg. Ready to blow up and destroy half the country at the same time.

[worgeordie]

77 years young this year ???? ,hopefully trying to squeeze a couple

of more years out, 35 years living here and it seems to have

flew past , 

regards Worgeordie

[BritManToo]

2 hours ago, KhunLA said:

I think things have slowed down on that.  Especially if prospective arrivals read AN, and take note to how miserable everyone here is ????

Speak for your own posts.

I like it here and always say so.

[hotandsticky]

2 minutes ago, OneMoreFarang said:

The title of this thread is: "What are your greatest concerns living in Thailand over the next years?"

And I answered that question.

And, believe it or not, this is really my greatest concern. Because he divided Thailand like nobody else. And when he was outside of Thailand his sister did his work - dividing the nation.

So we can guess what might happen if next maybe his daughter becomes PM. Would she reunite Thailand? Or would she more likely (try) to bring her criminal father back to Thailand, and without him going to jail. And if he would return and if he would not go to jail for all the crimes he committed, what would happen then? More political protests. And likely more opposite protests. More of yellow against red, or maybe different colors this time. And maybe more fires and looting and dead people on the streets. Unfortunately, such a scenario is not such a remote possibility. I would guess there is at least a 20% chance that it could happen.

Am I concerned about that? Yes. That's why I mentioned the criminal fugitive and the risk.

And even people who support him should realize that he is like a powder-keg. Ready to blow up and destroy half the country at the same time.

 

Your concerns are not unfounded.

 

Thaksin had/(has?) a great ability to manipulate Thailand’s gullible citizens, whilst raping the country’s finances for the benefit himself and his family.

 

I saw him at a rally in Siem Reap and there is no doubt that he is a good orator. Whilst the claimed attendance of 20,000 was nearer to 7,000 they were nonetheless roused by his passionate speech. 
 

Personally, I think (and hope) that his time has gone. However, many people in authority are still on his payroll. The much feared return after the death of Rama 1X never looked like happening and I can’t see a pitchfork revolution happening now. 
 

Whilst I am no fan of the Junta they do seem to have provided stability and the red vs yellow shirt battles are a distant memory. 

[Bangkok Barry]

 

Being killed or seriously injured on the roads. It's nearly happened already when I was simply standing by the road outside my house and a pickup roared up behind me, so close I felt the heat of the engine, and so far over on the wrong side of the road as he overtook someone he was racing that he was on the 'motorbike lane'. With a reported 1,000,000 injured on the roads each year it can only be a matter of time.

[KhunLA]

4 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

I like it here and always say so.

That makes 5 of us  ... ????

 

I'm surprised many haven't joined the flying club, reading their posts.

[vandeventer]

Being invaded by China, with not many places left to go to.

[NoshowJones]

10 hours ago, KhunLA said:

Finding interesting things when O&A that I haven't seen already.  Finding someone to water the garden+ when O&A.

 

Hoping my dog hangs around for at least 5 more year, or 10 would be even better.

 

Hope the world economies stay stagnant, and tourist arrivals are less than 5 mill the next 10ish years.  OK, that's selfish, so let's go with people actually start caring about MMGW, and stop traveling internationally, and stop polluting this fine planet.

 

Oh yea ... World Peace ...  now that's some funny sh!t.

Oh well, one can dream.  On that, depopulation isn't exactly a bad thing.  Sooner better than later.

 

 

What is MMGW?? Are you texting on your smartphone or what??

[hotandsticky]

26 minutes ago, Iamfalang said:

China invades Taiwan.   USA backs Taiwan.  China takes Taiwan.

 

Thailand must decide.  Chooses China.

 

50 million Chinese come to Thailand, not happy with the falang 

 

falang goes back home where a cup of noodle soup is 180 USD and a bed 10,000

Even the Chinese are not that interested in Isaan………you should be safe there.