What made you to take the jump and move to Thailand

[camper star]

I 'll answer my own question here. I was 20 I think when I first came to Thailand and in my mind Thailand was a land of mystical magic in the air. 

I'm actually living in another Asia country and maintain an apartment in Bangkok. I'm retired kind of but do work PT to keep mentally and physically moving, yet in Thailand I need to get some kind of adventure going. I'm an outdoor person that actually does do camping and cycling almost full time. Any suggestions on how I could bring that adventure for me to Thailand and show people what it is to enjoy life to its fullest. I do have a blog on a cycling forum that is beginning its 7th years.

Any suggestion much appreciated.

Yes, I want to make Thailand my home if I can get the health insurance at my age. 

[jas007]

2 hours ago, camper star said:

I 'll answer my own question here. I was 20 I think when I first came to Thailand and in my mind Thailand was a land of mystical magic in the air. 

I'm actually living in another Asia country and maintain an apartment in Bangkok. I'm retired kind of but do work PT to keep mentally and physically moving, yet in Thailand I need to get some kind of adventure going. I'm an outdoor person that actually does do camping and cycling almost full time. Any suggestions on how I could bring that adventure for me to Thailand and show people what it is to enjoy life to its fullest. I do have a blog on a cycling forum that is beginning its 7th years.

Any suggestion much appreciated.

Yes, I want to make Thailand my home if I can get the health insurance at my age. 

What are you doing for health insurance now? It's possible to spend time and even retire in Thailand without heath insurance, provided you have the right kind of visa.  Not that I'm suggesting that you don't carry insurance, but it's an option.

 

I'm not sure, exactly, why I ended up in Thailand.  For all I know, I'm not here permanently.  I think I found out about it online, and ended up following different blogs and websites and mailing lists.  So by the time I actually arrived in Thailand for the first time, I had done a lot of research.  Of course, I first heard about it during the Vietnam war, when I met some people who had been stationed here.  They seemed in awe of the place.  

[persimmon]

Many of the national parks allow camping , bring your own or hire one . Can be fun , depending on the weather . Cycling ? Lots of people do , not for me though ( apart from short distances to the shop ) - too hot , then there`s the safety aspect .

[blaze master]

The vast majority came for the women. Cue temple and market guys telling me theirs is different. 

 

Personally I came for the honestly. 

[still kicking]

1 minute ago, blaze master said:

The vast majority came for the women. Cue temple and market guys telling me theirs is different. 

 

Personally I came for the honestly. 

Honesty in Thailand?

[quake]

Cheap sex. cheap booze, cheap accommodation.

Nah, just kidding , Golden Temples and clean beaches. 

 

[jerrymahoney]

This is a quote from the movie "The Shawshank Redemption":

-- You know what the Mexicans say about the Pacific? They say it has no memory. That's where I want to live the rest of my life.

Similar to that, I wanted to move to a place where nobody really knew me or had no memory of me unless I want them to.

[Ralf001]

My employer asked me to come here, the temples and beaches are a bonus.

[Gecko123]

In my opinion, Thailand is neither a cycling nor a camping paradise. Thailand is too hot for most of the year to make camping an enjoyable experience, although you can perhaps find cooler weather in the north and up in the mountains. Without a power source, you will have neither a fan or air conditioning which makes it challenging to sleep at night.

 

Plenty of people cycle in Thailand, but you really have to scope out the roads extremely carefully from a safety standpoint (adequate shoulders, speed of road traffic, etc.)  A bicycle touring holiday to Thailand, along routes which you are unfamiliar with is a very unwise idea. After moving here, you can get a better handle on the driving culture, traffic patterns, and road conditions in your area but thinking, for example, pedaling down hwy 4 from Hua Hin to Koh Samui is going to be a safe fun filled adventure is sheer madness, again, in my opinion.

[Cameroni]

I had come into a large amount of money and wanted to live in a new place. Due to holidays in SE Asia I knew that was my part of the world. So I did a tour of Asia, Malaysia, Shanghai, Taiwan, Hua Hin, Phuket, Bali, Sumatra, Bangkok but when I arrived in Chiang Mai I knew immediately this place is as good as it gets and decided to move there.

'

Best decision ever, but sadly too late, I should have moved here  20 years ago. That would have been perfect. But better late than never.

[fredwiggy]

10 hours ago, blaze master said:

The vast majority came for the women. Cue temple and market guys telling me theirs is different. 

 

Personally I came for the honestly. 

In a country where lying is a national pastime?

[KhunLA]

Wasn't much of a jump.   Even from living in one of the largest countries (USA), as after 45 yrs, unless you never leave mommy's basement, gets a bit boring.  I was always changing locations anyway, and not just across town.

 

For myself, I wanted less govt regulation, taxation, PC BS, so a modern 3rd world country fits the bill.  

 

For a Yank, that moved around from state to state, not much of an adjustment, as you need need DL/address, electric & water service vendors, which each move to a different state.  You search for, rent or buy living accommodations.   Just TH is a bit further than I expected, or had originally planned for.

 

Relationships (non P4P) have never been a problem, well, finding & having, though long term, seemed to be an issue, or a benefit.

 

Only difference, was visa & extensions, and that's just a one day a year thing, so nothing difficult or special.

[blaze master]

3 hours ago, fredwiggy said:

In a country where lying is a national pastime?

 

Bingo.

[ChaiyaTH]

Thailand is actually a great place to get stuck in life, or at least at the level you are at. If you are fine with that it is a great choice. Not sure that fits your lifestyle though. Nobody is doing pretty much anything here so it becomes very easy to also not do much yourself (or to wrongly think you are doing enough).

 

I personally see a higher rate of declining retirees here than ones that thrive within it. Specially if they not build up something over a long time here. It's those that keep on moving around that seem to be the most happy and healthy overall. Not that different for expats in general.

[Gecko123]

2 minutes ago, ChaiyaTH said:

Thailand is actually a great place to get stuck in life, or at least at the level you are at. If you are fine with that it is a great choice. Not sure that fits your lifestyle though. Nobody is doing pretty much anything here so it becomes very easy to also not do much yourself (or to wrongly think you are doing enough).

 

I personally see a higher rate of declining retirees here than ones that thrive within it. Specially if they not build up something over a long time here.

Kindly speak for yourself, sir.

[ChaiyaTH]

1 minute ago, Gecko123 said:

Kindly speak for yourself, sir.

That's what a forum is in the first place, what a dumb comment. Secondly, it is not even a personal opinion but a statistical fact. For anything there are few exceptions. Imagine being that dumb that you are telling people what to comment on a forum.

[ChaiyaTH]

4 hours ago, fredwiggy said:

In a country where lying is a national pastime?

Never heard about sarcasm?

[Gecko123]

21 minutes ago, ChaiyaTH said:

That's what a forum is in the first place, what a dumb comment. Secondly, it is not even a personal opinion but a statistical fact. For anything there are few exceptions.

You made a sweeping generalization about the activity and productivity level of the expat population here, i.e., "nobody is doing pretty much anything here."  That's the dumb comment that got my hackles up. By what yardstick are you judging the retiree expat community? Of course they're not likely to be as productive as someone in their prime working years. Also, kindly  share the link backing up your "statistical facts" about the activity and productivity level of expats in Thailand in comparison to expats in other countries and retirees in their home countries.

[fredwiggy]

10 minutes ago, ChaiyaTH said:

Never heard about sarcasm?

Of course, but sometimes people are serious and you don't know them well enough to tell the difference. In his case it was sarcasm. My answer was for those that see it otherwise.

[fredwiggy]

12 minutes ago, ChaiyaTH said:

Thailand is actually a great place to get stuck in life, or at least at the level you are at. If you are fine with that it is a great choice. Not sure that fits your lifestyle though. Nobody is doing pretty much anything here so it becomes very easy to also not do much yourself (or to wrongly think you are doing enough).

 

I personally see a higher rate of declining retirees here than ones that thrive within it. Specially if they not build up something over a long time here. It's those that keep on moving around that seem to be the most happy and healthy overall. Not that different for expats in general.

Thailand, or any other country, is a great place to retire IF it meets your needs and your family's needs, both now and in the future. It's a terrible place to raise children, especially girls, so that has to be taken into account if you plan to have children. By yourself, if you like the sea, and beaches, it's as good a place as anywhere on earth, being cheap and pretty. if you end up in Isaan or the country elsewhere and are a city person or someone who has hobbies besides gardening it will end up being the most boring place on earth. It is a place to get stuck, and not always in the best sense.

[timendres]

Came to meet a girl. Fell in love with the country. Had to wait almost ten years to make the "jump".

Before the jump, I spent a full month here twice. Each time, I just wanted to stay.

Fifteen years here full time, and I am still very happy with my decision.

[thaibeachlovers]

20 hours ago, camper star said:

I 'll answer my own question here. I was 20 I think when I first came to Thailand and in my mind Thailand was a land of mystical magic in the air. 

I'm actually living in another Asia country and maintain an apartment in Bangkok. I'm retired kind of but do work PT to keep mentally and physically moving, yet in Thailand I need to get some kind of adventure going. I'm an outdoor person that actually does do camping and cycling almost full time. Any suggestions on how I could bring that adventure for me to Thailand and show people what it is to enjoy life to its fullest. I do have a blog on a cycling forum that is beginning its 7th years.

Any suggestion much appreciated.

Yes, I want to make Thailand my home if I can get the health insurance at my age. 

I went to have an attractive woman to look at when I woke up. The beaches were great too.

Pity about the beaches this century, mostly ruined by too many flashpackers, Chinese and too much concrete. How to destroy beaches 101.

[thaibeachlovers]

20 minutes ago, ChaiyaTH said:

That's what a forum is in the first place, what a dumb comment. Secondly, it is not even a personal opinion but a statistical fact. For anything there are few exceptions. Imagine being that dumb that you are telling people what to comment on a forum.

"There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics" Famous quote, but it's origin is disputed.

[Stocky]

Thirty years ago I was working in Malaysia, Thailand was for visa runs, but I realised it would make a great base for work regionally in SE Asia.

[Harrisfan]

11 minutes ago, fredwiggy said:

Thailand, or any other country, is a great place to retire IF it meets your needs and your family's needs, both now and in the future. It's a terrible place to raise children, especially girls, so that has to be taken into account if you plan to have children. By yourself, if you like the sea, and beaches, it's as good a place as anywhere on earth, being cheap and pretty. if you end up in Isaan or the country elsewhere and are a city person or someone who has hobbies besides gardening it will end up being the most boring place on earth. It is a place to get stuck, and not always in the best sense.

Actually most of the beach areas have been ruined by excessive tourism and not much good for non seafood food. The cities of Khon Kaen, Udon Thani have outstanding restaurants and cafes now. Plus direct flights to Chiang Mai.

 

Small country towns are boring everywhere unless you like gardening.

[Sir Dude]

Thailand fitted the bill for so many obvious reasons, was in my mid-twenties and saw the writing on the wall in the UK, and have been proven right on that one... what a dystopian mess it has become.

Of course I work with a WP, and have built a life that would not have been possible in the UK with the taxation, house prices, and social problems etc. Paid into the state pension remotely my NI contributions, so will get that, but retirement is a fair long way away yet. Best decision I've made, and as for health insurance, get that with the job... never been happier than now, but if you are going to relocate to Thailand you need to cover all angles and go for it properly with an open mind, as many are wrapped too tight for these places, it's like lying down in a stream, you have to let the water just flow over you.

[save the frogs]

On 3/22/2025 at 7:12 AM, camper star said:

I'm an outdoor person that actually does do camping and cycling almost full time. Any suggestions on how I could bring that adventure for me to Thailand and show people what it is to enjoy life to its fullest. I do have a blog on a cycling forum that is beginning its 7th years.

there are cycling clubs that do cycling tours, in thailand and other parts of se asia.

just do a google search. 

 

[fredwiggy]

49 minutes ago, Harrisfan said:

Actually most of the beach areas have been ruined by excessive tourism and not much good for non seafood food. The cities of Khon Kaen, Udon Thani have outstanding restaurants and cafes now. Plus direct flights to Chiang Mai.

 

Small country towns are boring everywhere unless you like gardening.

The beaches are being ruined all over, but there still is an attraction the country doesn't have. Food isn't a good reason to live anywhere as good food is available everywhere. Living in proximity to things you like are best. Close to a big city but away from the madness.

[sharot724]

Camper, I have a suggestion as I want to give it a go myself

 

Take the morning train with your bike to here and the roads will provide lovely biking. I have also camped there Doi Khun Tan National Park, just a hike up from RR