A lot of people do not really talk about this, but it is worth noting that foreigners who have successfully lived in Thailand for twenty, thirty, even forty years without completely imploding financially, emotionally, medically, legally, or spiritually usually only manage it because of a fairly simple survival formula. Call it staying below the radar, or just not being a muppet.

Thailand can be an amazing place to live, but it also has a remarkable ability to punish stupidity with extraordinary efficiency.

The long term survivors usually seem to understand a few very important rules early on.

One, be very careful with other foreigners you do not know extremely well, especially in business. Some of the biggest horror stories in Thailand do not involve locals at all. They involve two blokes from Birmingham going in on an “amazing business plan” or “investment opportunity” together after three beers and a som tum.

Two, do not create unnecessary problems with locals. The possible ways this can spiral into a complete disaster are so numerous and unpredictable in a place of very fragile egos that it is almost an art form in itself.

Three, never go out of your way to challenge authority. It does not matter whether it is immigration, police, officials, or the bloke guarding a car park with a whistle and a superiority complex. Thailand is not really a place where stubborn public confrontation involving foreigners tends to end in cinematic victory.

Four, do not do obviously illegal or reckless nonsense just because you once saw another chap get away with it in Pattaya in 2011.

And five, perhaps most importantly, avoid engaging in the sort of deeply Darwinian “chancing it” behavior you constantly read about in Thailand related news stories.

You know the sort of thing. In other words, anything that would seem like a stupid idea to carry out in your own country probably manages to become doubly stupid in Thailand.

The veterans who last here long term are usually not the loudest, wildest, or most “legendary” characters. They keep their heads down and generally do not have overly active social media accounts.

Quite often they are just the ones who quietly learned the basic laws of survival in a developing country early enough in their careers to avoid becoming one of the stories that ends up as a GoFundMe, a Bangkok Post headline, or worse, not a story at all.

lesson No. 1. Being able to tell the different between a real woman and a lady boy,

2. keep your business to yourself.

3. stay away from irking and arguing with the locals.

4. and last but not least, most importantly, learning to put up with bogans and haters.

14 minutes ago, 123Stodg said:

How Did You Actually Make It This Long in Thailand?

The veterans who last here long term are usually not the loudest, wildest, or most “legendary” characters. They keep their heads down and generally do not have overly active social media accounts.

Yep, this is how I manage my life in Thailand, an under the radar guy.

I'm one of the lucky ones though, I have a big family and few close friends, I also get out of the country regularly.

I often wonder how those living here for many decades and never left Thailand, well done if you are one of those. 👍

Edited May 27May 27 by SAFETY FIRST

83 yo, 15 years here. Only go back to Australia when I have to.

I keep 70% of my assets in Australia.

I found a good woman

I don't drink or smoke

I have a few foreigner and Thai friends

I learned to speak Thai

My GF helps me negotiate the Thai hospital bureaucracy

I live as well as I want to.

I play golf three times a week, swim every day.

I buy stuff that is useful. I don't buy it to impress anyone.

1 hour ago, ezzra said:

lesson No. 1. Being able to tell the different between a real woman and a lady boy,

Come on, tell us the story.

Promise I won't tell anyone.

Good guys normally get good karma so that's what to aim for

it's not worth being negative towards the authorities, certainly not online

sad if you are one of those guys who invent stories, plenty about which usually involve money, gold finger, crypto king

Keep busy with interests, social interaction is very important, don't isolate yourself

I've been living in Thailand for 25 years and married to a Thai for 23 years. I'm 81 yo, still active and walk 90 minutes daily. I live in a very good large estate, no trouble makers, in fact I've never seen a police car since I moved into this estate 20 years ago. I'm the only farang in my estate but I do have a few Thai friends. Am I happy in Thailand, yes as I have a good wife but the things I miss being originally from Melbourne Australia, is going the footy and going to the boozer with my mates. Sadly several of them have passed on.

Some troll posts have been removed.

Living is easy, and TH is simply a location. Idiots that can't make it here or stay out of trouble, probably had or would have the same issues in any country they live in.

A well planned retirement, for any almost mature, responsible individual, is a happy retirement.

Married & divorced first year in TH, then single for 5 years, now living with same gal for 20 years, and no different than in home country. Also married 2X, but less than 5 years, and 20 years single there, USA.

Don't find anything complicated about either lifestyle or location.

Edited May 28May 28 by KhunLA

1 hour ago, Lacessit said:

83 yo, 15 years here. Only go back to Australia when I have to.

I keep 70% of my assets in Australia.

I found a good woman

I don't drink or smoke

I have a few foreigner and Thai friends

I learned to speak Thai

My GF helps me negotiate the Thai hospital bureaucracy

I live as well as I want to.

I play golf three times a week, swim every day.

I buy stuff that is useful. I don't buy it to impress anyone.

You have good habits. Not drinking makes Thailand cheap. How much is golf?

3 minutes ago, Rockyroad said:

You have good habits. Not drinking makes Thailand cheap. How much is golf?

Golf is the biggest rip off in Thailand, i know a thai lady paying 5k a round with cart and caddy, but you can also play cheaper at navy/army bases

By the time an individual decides to pitch their stakes in th their chances to learn life lessons have already passed, they have either figured it out or not.

Also - STAY the F*** out of Thai politics!!! I'm a 20 year veteran here and remember about 10 years ago seeing an Aussie getting involved in the red shirt/yellow shirt protests - it got him kicked out of the country.

3 hours ago, 123Stodg said:

A lot of people do not really talk about this, but it is worth noting that foreigners who have successfully lived in Thailand for twenty, thirty, even forty years without completely imploding financially, emotionally, medically, legally, or spiritually usually only manage it because of a fairly simple survival formula. Call it staying below the radar, or just not being a muppet.

Thailand can be an amazing place to live, but it also has a remarkable ability to punish stupidity with extraordinary efficiency.

The long term survivors usually seem to understand a few very important rules early on.

One, be very careful with other foreigners you do not know extremely well, especially in business. Some of the biggest horror stories in Thailand do not involve locals at all. They involve two blokes from Birmingham going in on an “amazing business plan” or “investment opportunity” together after three beers and a som tum.

Two, do not create unnecessary problems with locals. The possible ways this can spiral into a complete disaster are so numerous and unpredictable in a place of very fragile egos that it is almost an art form in itself.

Three, never go out of your way to challenge authority. It does not matter whether it is immigration, police, officials, or the bloke guarding a car park with a whistle and a superiority complex. Thailand is not really a place where stubborn public confrontation involving foreigners tends to end in cinematic victory.

Four, do not do obviously illegal or reckless nonsense just because you once saw another chap get away with it in Pattaya in 2011.

And five, perhaps most importantly, avoid engaging in the sort of deeply Darwinian “chancing it” behavior you constantly read about in Thailand related news stories.

You know the sort of thing. In other words, anything that would seem like a stupid idea to carry out in your own country probably manages to become doubly stupid in Thailand.

The veterans who last here long term are usually not the loudest, wildest, or most “legendary” characters. They keep their heads down and generally do not have overly active social media accounts.

Quite often they are just the ones who quietly learned the basic laws of survival in a developing country early enough in their careers to avoid becoming one of the stories that ends up as a GoFundMe, a Bangkok Post headline, or worse, not a story at all.

Well said....right on the button... unfortunately people like this are few and far between nowadays

40 happy years living here, When I arrived here did not head straight to Pattaya,

infact never been there ,did not sit in bars all day ,already knew a girl who worked

for a company here who I used to do business with, 40 years later still together,

I was very lucky ,she is a wonderful woman,and looking after me in my old age,

You need to keep your head screwed on, so many temptation's here ,and easy

to lose everything you have ,

regards worgeordie

3 hours ago, 123Stodg said:

, anything that would seem like a stupid idea to carry out in your own country probably manages to become doubly stupid in Thailand

Yes, these type of people usually hang around the wrong people, it seems to sort itself out in the end.

I remember a long time ago a foreigner coming out of the gym opposite lake Maprachan, got in his Porsche and had his head blown off, a couple of foreigners fled to Cambodia if I remember.

I sold one of my Ducati's to a German guy, drove around town in his convertible Benz. He obviously hung around the wrong crowd, some foreigners got together, they chopped him up.

So many stories of cowboys doing stupid things in Thailand.

Edited May 28May 28 by SAFETY FIRST

31 minutes ago, scubascuba3 said:

Golf is the biggest rip off in Thailand, i know a thai lady paying 5k a round with cart and caddy, but you can also play cheaper at navy/army bases

Yes, over the many years the price of playing golf and having dental work I've noticed has gone through the roof.

Coming up on three years, living here full-time, after at least a dozen long visits.

A minor rule is to always dress a little nicely, because Thai people do, at least at their level of income.

Last year, I popped into 711 to get some iced teas and the store Clark remarked on my Izod polo shirt that had a lot of little alligators all over it.

An alligator is their brand label. There’s an old joke in New York that alligator goes to the department store and asks,” where can I get a polo shirt with a gay man stitched over the left tit”? I think it was an old Andrew Dice Clay joke.

Anyway, the cashier said of my shirt, “special edition, ฿5000”.

They do notice how well put together you are, and they judge you if you are not.

1 hour ago, Rockyroad said:

You have good habits. Not drinking makes Thailand cheap. How much is golf?

Only 5 fan club trolls. Rest must be hungover or that time zone difference and haven't seen yet.

As stated, golf is silly expensive here, I so I read.

1 hour ago, Rockyroad said:

You have good habits. Not drinking makes Thailand cheap. How much is golf?

10x the price of drinking!

Back on topic,

I've found the best way to live here is not mixing with the local men, and not caring too much about anything.

Edited May 28May 28 by BritManToo

2 hours ago, Rams86 said:

I've been living in Thailand for 25 years and married to a Thai for 23 years. I'm 81 yo, still active and walk 90 minutes daily. I live in a very good large estate, no trouble makers, in fact I've never seen a police car since I moved into this estate 20 years ago. I'm the only farang in my estate but I do have a few Thai friends. Am I happy in Thailand, yes as I have a good wife but the things I miss being originally from Melbourne Australia, is going the footy and going to the boozer with my mates. Sadly several of them have passed on.

You’ll never have as much fun as you did with your mates down the pub.Apart from the family and my football team that is the thing I miss most.20 years.

One formula I see among people who seem happy in life, build a solid foundation and family around you. Care for animals, keep a few good friends, have something meaningful to do, and enough freedom to travel when you need a break.

Some have it more naturally with good genes, a stable mind, and a normal life rhythm. Others need daily routines, exercise, and healthy food to stay balanced. Or both!

Luck matters too. Some say luck does not come by itself, but no matter how much you plan or think things through, luck is still part of it.

And to succeed, some life experience can come in handy when you need it.

28 minutes ago, KhunLA said:

Only 5 fan club trolls. Rest must be hungover or that time zone difference and haven't seen yet.

As stated, golf is silly expensive here, I so I read.

Rule 1 avoid toxic farangs

Rule 2 see rule 1

6 minutes ago, Keeenok Powell said:

You’ll never have as much fun as you did with your mates down the pub.Apart from the family and my football team that is the thing I miss most.20 years.

Drinking beer and watching football is only fun for so long. More fun in a massage shop.

2 minutes ago, Keeenok Powell said:

You’ll never have as much fun as you did with your mates down the pub.Apart from the family and my football team that is the thing I miss most.20 years.

I think it helps to put some of the old life behind you when you move here. There are many things I miss about Norway, but I do less of them each year, and each time I go back. At some point it becomes more nostalgia than anything else.

39 minutes ago, Hummin said:

I think it helps to put some of the old life behind you when you move here. There are many things I miss about Norway, but I do less of them each year, and each time I go back. At some point it becomes more nostalgia than anything else.

New hobbies, new language. I think every 5 years you need new things to do regardless of where you are. Cities or rural you need movement and progress. As Indians say life is a gym.

4 minutes ago, Rockyroad said:

As Indians say life is a gym.

You made a lot of Indian friends in Pattaya Walking street clubs?

1 minute ago, save the frogs said:

You made a lot of Indian friends in Pattaya Walking street clubs?

No I don't go to Pattaya. That's where you live remember?

I believe a key factor in many successful long term expat strategies is a good woman.

Several posters have already mentioned their Thai wife as a factor.

At first she's your long haired Thai dictionary, then cultural ambassador, plus cook, housekeeper, business partner, lover.

Of course the wrong choice of partner can be counter productive.

Without my Thai Missus I'd never have lasted over a decade in a high stress job with a bad employer, and after leaving full time employment, she helped me start our own business.

And while this will trigger the 'thumbs down' losers, her looking like a Thai Sydney Sweeney avoids the need for me to engage in risky liaisons.

Just been here permanently now for 20 years.

Six: Don't forget that you are a guest, respect the locals — especially the elder people — and their culture, then you can be accepted as almost one if them, even you are a farang; and they will also accept that you might have a different culture and life-style...