1 minute ago, Jingthing said:

If I was filthy rich, I don't know if it I would even bother to visit Thailand again.

I would value health, safety, and what enhances longevity more, and that's definitely not Thailand.

I would likely go for a "Nomad Capitalist" style owning different homes in different countries.

As I love live English language theater, either New York or London for one port.

Not sure about other places.

I don't really like rich snobs so living among them wouldn't be so good.

There are places I haven't explored yet like Japan.

 

Just spent my holidays in Japan, beautiful scenery and girls, but English is limited, just like in Thailand but pretty clean.

49 minutes ago, Felton Jarvis said:

I certainly don't see the "freedom factor" that is mentioned frequently on this forum.  There is no free speech or freedom of the press in any real sense. Thai law is stacked against foreigners and greatly in favor of any Thai who has the means to destroy you. The kind of legal insanity seen in Thailand usually only exists in places such as Saudi Arabia.

In the US, if you want to go to a place that offers lap dances, then no alcohol allowed. That's freedom enough for me here in LOS.

If you stay in any one place too long you get bored , so I would just move around . There must be loads of places better than Thailand , with it`s bad air quality and often too hot and humid climate . Somewhere in the Med . or Canary Islands , maybe Tenerife . I spent 6 months in Issan and ended up bored stiff - 45 + degrees and nothing to do .

6 hours ago, connda said:

Tuscany perhaps.  Married to a big-breasted Italian gal.  Le donne italiane sono belle, eleganti e piene di charme. (Italian women are beautiful, elegant, and full of charm).    

Usually only whilst they are young - keep her off the Pasta!

56 minutes ago, HappyExpat57 said:

In the US, if you want to go to a place that offers lap dances, then no alcohol allowed. That's freedom enough for me here in LOS.

Depends on the state and county, I believe.

42 minutes ago, persimmon said:

If you stay in any one place too long you get bored , so I would just move around . There must be loads of places better than Thailand , with it`s bad air quality and often too hot and humid climate . Somewhere in the Med . or Canary Islands , maybe Tenerife . I spent 6 months in Issan and ended up bored stiff - 45 + degrees and nothing to do .

 

Yeah, I got news for you, there isn't.

 

The med is a cesspool.  Mallorca overrun by Romanians, Africans, Ukrainians and Moroccans, now. Not to mention the locals hate foreigners, finally. Italy has its own African migration problems, not to mention Albanians and Romanians..Greece, well, not even the Greeks want to live there anymore.

 

And of course with 43 degrees, there's no aircon in most places.

 

Na, the med was once the holy grail, in the 1960s. Now, unless you're a billionaire with your own yacht and only staying for 3 weeks, you can forget it.

1 hour ago, HappyExpat57 said:

In the US, if you want to go to a place that offers lap dances, then no alcohol allowed. That's freedom enough for me here in LOS.

So you've never been to the US, as that's incorrect.  Every place I've been that offer (never bothered), served alcohol.   4 different states, I think, as strip clubs aren't my thing.

11 hours ago, Cameroni said:

The med is a cesspool.  Mallorca overrun by Romanians, Africans, Ukrainians and Moroccans, now.

 

If you're expecting to go to any country and encounter only locals and local culture, you will be disppointed.

 

But otherwise, if you're not expecting a "pure unadultered cultural experience" where you will only encounter native Greeks in Greece, then who cares who lives where?

 

The Greek islands are beautiful nonetheless and there is still culture to be found. The local food and sightseeing is still in tact. 

 

 

33 minutes ago, save the frogs said:

If you're expecting to go to any country and encounter only locals and local culture, you will be disppointed

 

I'm not obviously, but there are countries that are thoroughly overrun with foreigners that are shall we say, "hard to digest". I prefer places like Thailand where there's Chinese, Indians and Malaysians, since the alternative in Mallorca would be Moroccans, Romanians and Africans, or in I:taly Albanians, Romanians and Africans.

 

Whilst the presence of Russians and Indians in Thailand is not ideal, it's still better than Mallorca or Italy by far.

 

33 minutes ago, save the frogs said:

The Greek islands are beautiful nonetheless and there is still culture to be found. The local food and sightseeing is still in tact. 

 

Unfortunately Greece is a failed state though with crumbling infrastructure and grinding poverty. Also a reason why I wouldn't want to live in Cuba.

If I would be 20 years younger or more I would settle in Costa Rica.

Brazil always took my fancy.

 

But I suspect it's too dangerous by far. Like all of South America.

I want to live in Singapore for a year. 

3 hours ago, HappyExpat57 said:

In the US, if you want to go to a place that offers lap dances, then no alcohol allowed. That's freedom enough for me here in LOS.

Try West Virginia or Baltimore, MD. 

What about Cyprus ? Lots of people are leaving the UK because of Labour`s tax raids and heading there partly due to tax reasons .

27 minutes ago, persimmon said:

What about Cyprus ? Lots of people are leaving the UK because of Labour`s tax raids and heading there partly due to tax reasons .

If money was no object,  a condominium on the Gold Coast,  Queensland,  Australia.

15 hours ago, save the frogs said:

 

If you're expecting to go to any country and encounter only locals and local culture, you will be disppointed.

 

But otherwise, if you're not expecting a "pure unadultered cultural experience" where you will only encounter native Greeks in Greece, then who cares who lives where?

 

The Greek islands are beautiful nonetheless and there is still culture to be found. The local food and sightseeing is still in tact. 

 

 

In the sixties I visited some isolated islands in the South Pacific where the locals didn't want money, they wanted to barter for toiletries and western style clothing.  On Swain's Island the kids didn't know what money was.

Yes. But only 4 months or so, per year. The rest of the time i'd be hopping around between southern Italy, Turkey, possibly Morocco, and several other spots. 

 

But since I'm not wealthy enough to support that kind of lifestyle, Thailand works for me 9 to 10 months of the year. 

16 hours ago, Cameroni said:

 

I'm not obviously, but there are countries that are thoroughly overrun with foreigners that are shall we say, "hard to digest". I prefer places like Thailand where there's Chinese, Indians and Malaysians, since the alternative in Mallorca would be Moroccans, Romanians and Africans, or in I:taly Albanians, Romanians and Africans.

 

Whilst the presence of Russians and Indians in Thailand is not ideal, it's still better than Mallorca or Italy by far.

 

 

Unfortunately Greece is a failed state though with crumbling infrastructure and grinding poverty. Also a reason why I wouldn't want to live in Cuba.

I've never heard of a single expat actually choosing Cuba. I've been there many times and though I love the people and the culture, the place is so spectacularly dysfunctional, and the police are so heinous, I stopped traveling there 20 years ago. Around the time the chief cockroach started losing his mind. Before he croaked. 

Just now, spidermike007 said:

the place is so spectacularly dysfunctional,

 

A truth if ever there was one. I still rememer those dead eyes from the locals peering at me out of their crumbling apartment blocks. Like a horror movie.

 

Can you imagine what it was like before the commmunists ruined the place? 

It is difficult to pick places out of a hat when choosing where to live. Normally, I would say that all the places I have visited on holiday are ok, but a short holiday is not the way to make a life-changing decision. I stayed and worked in Thailand for three years before making the decision, then applied for permanent residence as soon as possible.

On 7/8/2025 at 8:20 AM, KhunLA said:

Don't want a base, as means flying back & forth, and have no desire deal with airports and be on plane.   I don't want a house at all.  Play non stop, self drive, tourist.

I loath airports now.My last 7 years working forced me to fly each month on a rota basis...bah

If I as a multi millionaire with "real" money instead of just a sorta kinda millionaire, my ass would be on the first flight to one of the civilized Caribbean islands.

1 hour ago, jaideedave said:

I loath airports now.My last 7 years working forced me to fly each month on a rota basis...bah

I used to work for the airlines, 4 actually.  Last one, 13 yrs prior to retiring here.  Excellent, and FC damn near free, and wouldn't even take a flight if couldn't sit in FC. Talk about a snob in the making. Always by-passed security, though pre 9/11, so not that much of an inconvenience then anyway.

 

Flew back as a regular customer in economy 2003 & 2006, after 9/11 of course, and just thought to myself, no holiday is worth this. 3+3 hrs for security, then crammed in a sardine cans.

 

Last of the trips coming back home to TH, and the flights got screwed.   They upgraded me to FC all the way, and rerouted me through EU instead of usually JP conx or LAX/BKK.  

 

3 trips in economy ... never again.   Fine in country, as took a few, but only 1-1.5 hrs flights, though still 2 ish hr check ins.  Almost 4 hrs for less the 3 hrs in air ... WTF.

On 7/8/2025 at 8:08 AM, MarkBR said:

Depends where my Thai boyfriend, soon to be husband, wishes to live

You are marrying a Thai man and your name is Mark??? 

I now live in Siem Reap (Cambodia).

It is a hassle free lifestyle that suits ME.

No further comment.

20 minutes ago, DaRoadrunner said:

You are marrying a Thai man and your name is Mark??? 

Wow ... you figured that out, all out by yourself  🙄

 

NEWSFLASH ... Many of the active vocal members on AN are now gay, and or bi.   Some still in the closet.  All the talk of penis s and LBs didn't clue you in ?

I got Options in Norway, Spain and Brasil, and my intention was to move to Brasil before I met my gf now wife. At the coastline of Brazil the climate is better and the air is 100% cleaner than Thailand, but the crime and violence is equally higher there, and you are limited to very confined areas to travel, walk and explore without guide or security as an expat. Not unusual for foreigners to have bullit proofed cars who have to travel because of their work. 

 

Spain absolutely lovely from end of september to may, but that’s it, and desember and January can be quite chilling as well. Not to speak about living cost if you want a decent appartment, electricity, insurance, etc. On the pluss side cheap quality wine, cheese and quality meat and vegetables. 

 

Norway is great for all the months that is not good in Thailand, so still Thailand because of direct flight, the low crime against foreigners, overall safety, overall living costs, easy long term visa if you have everything necessary. So Norway and Thailand it will be as long it is more or less status Q 

 

I still do not know what I think about getting old in Thailand when health starts to decline and it will be more difficult to get around. Need to make a good plan for those days. 

Pakistan but have big cdn flags on everything

Still Thailand for me...😉

Dubai, no way; Monte Carlo, too hot in summer and too small; too hot is the same for southern France, which is also too cold in the winter, but food and Provence wine is nice; Hawaii is not me; and same for numerous other areas. Even I like Mediterrenan a lot, it's too hot in the summer and Carribean islands have too hight tropical strom risk, even they have an exciting history.

I'll stick to my tropical paradise island in the Thailand Gulf with "all year summer", never too cold and never too hot... – not to forget the amazing party-nightlife...

Yes.