Braydon Barrett, 32, moved from Utah to Thailand with his wife and young son in April 2024, hoping to build a long-term remote-working life in Pattaya. Eight months later, the family returned to the US after visa problems led them through Malaysia, Vietnam and the Philippines.

Barrett, who runs an online fitness coaching business, said Thailand had seemed the most practical option after he researched visa choices. His wife, a stay-at-home mother, had long wanted to live outside the US, and the couple decided to act after their son was born in 2023.

They took a 10-day scouting trip before choosing Pattaya. With no property to sell in Utah, they disposed of most of their possessions, placed some in storage and left with six suitcases on their son's first birthday.

A visa mistake changed the plan

On arrival, Barrett realised he had misunderstood their immigration position. He believed the family would have 90 days in Thailand to arrange a longer-term visa, but they had only 30 days.

They tried to find a way to extend their stay, but when that did not work, moved to Malaysia, where they could remain for three months.

Near the end of their Malaysian stay, Thailand introduced the five-year Destination Thailand Visa for remote workers and digital nomads. Applicants must be outside Thailand while approval is pending, so the family travelled to Vietnam to apply once their time in Malaysia ended.

Barrett and his wife were approved almost immediately, but their son's application took longer. When their three-month stay in Vietnam was up, they left for Manila. The son's approval notification arrived while they were travelling to the airport.

Travel fatigue and US work hours

In Manila, the family arrived late at night with an upset child and then spent two hours dealing with security after their hotel could not find the booking. Barrett said this was the point at which he felt unable to continue, despite having the visas needed to return to Thailand.

Managing his US-based business from Asia had also proved harder than expected. With clients and employees in the United States, he said he was sometimes starting work at 3am or taking calls at midnight.

For foreigners considering Thailand's remote-work options, the family's experience underlines the importance of checking entry permission, longer-term visa eligibility and dependant applications before relocating. A valid visa alone may not prevent disruption if family members' approvals are delayed or time abroad is running out.

Thailand remains part of their plans

Barrett said returning to Utah was bittersweet and initially felt like a failure, although the experience brought him and his wife closer. He said he loved Asia's people, culture and weather, and found people especially welcoming towards their son.

He said social media can make overseas life look easier than it is. Nevertheless, the family still hopes to return to Thailand, where their visas remain valid for five years.

Pictures courtesy of Businessinsider

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19 September 2026

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Six suitcases and a dream… followed by Malaysia, Vietnam, the Philippines and finally Utah. 😂

Thailand gave them a 5-year visa just in time for them to go home.

piss poor planning, why only 30 days entry in Thailand was visa exempt not 60 days then

if they got the visa issues sorted out, why did they still decide to go back to the usa? is there more to this story?

I think I see one issue - they are a family begpacker.

3 hours ago, Nemises said:

Six suitcases and a dream… followed by Malaysia, Vietnam, the Philippines and finally Utah. 😂

Thailand gave them a 5-year visa just in time for them to go home.

More of a nightmare

If I got that long-term visa there's no way I would have gone back to America in their position. Though the quality of life in many parts of Utah is quite high relative to the rest of America, it's still a very costly standard of living and Thailand beats it on so many levels.

It sounds like better plannng would have made their experience infinitely more pleasant.

2 hours ago, motdaeng said:

if they got the visa issues sorted out, why did they still decide to go back to the usa? is there more to this story?

The article mentions that he suddenly realised that his clients were in the USA and because of the time difference, he was having to get up at 3am to give online fitness sessions.

More evidence that his dream was just a dream with little to no practical consideration.

"he said he was sometimes starting work at 3am or taking calls at midnight". - Someone did not think things through properly, did they!!

25 minutes ago, wensiensheng said:

The article mentions that he suddenly realised that his clients were in the USA and because of the time difference, he was having to get up at 3am to give online fitness sessions.

More evidence that his dream was just a dream with little to no practical consideration.

... "moved from Utah to Thailand with his wife and young son in April 2024" ...

he needed more than two years to suddenly reaslised ... what a clever person ... good thing they went back to usa ...

Edited 2 hours ago2 hr by motdaeng

Just reading their story was exhausting Imagine how they feel.

"Managing his US-based business from Asia had also proved harder than expected. With clients and employees in the United States, he said he was sometimes starting work at 3am or taking calls at midnight."

What did he expect? It is a given that you adjust your working hours to those of your clients. A classic example of "have your cake and eat it too". Wanting the USA high salary while living in a low cost without any personal sacrifice.

They should check out options in Latin America.

15 minutes ago, MarkT63 said:

"he said he was sometimes starting work at 3am or taking calls at midnight". - Someone did not think things through properly, did they!!

"Why wasn't I informed that there was a time difference??"

I guess you could call this guy 'spontaneous' rather than an assiduous and detail-oriented planner.

I wonder what his plans were for his child's education.

Knowing stuff and experiencing them are not the same thing.

Definitely an astute businessman. 😂

1 hour ago, Hotchilli123 said:

More of a nightmare

Of their own making.

The door opened with their visas to Thailand, instead returned to the US. Where they should remain!

Well at least they give it a go

Can always come back to Thailand

Maybe a bit more thought needed before they travel again being better prepared the next time

3 hours ago, steve187 said:

piss poor planning, why only 30 days entry in Thailand was visa exempt not 60 days then

No, 60 days visa exempt came after their first entry (which was in April 2024).

60 days was introduced in July 2024.

With better planning, they could have applied for tourist visas instead though.

Edited 1 hour ago1 hr by thaibreaker

3 hours ago, steve187 said:

piss poor planning, why only 30 days entry in Thailand was visa exempt not 60 days then

Could have gotten a proper visa before travelling.

Bad enough getting up at sparrows fart for Brits who watch EPL. Fancy having to be a fitness lifestyle guy at 3AM.

Best time for foreign travel/work is when you are you and single?

17 minutes ago, KhunHeineken said:

Definitely an astute businessman. 😂

That's what his now former clients will assess reading this article.

1 hour ago, Hotchilli123 said:

More of a nightmare

Sounds like he ran out of money and had to go back home with his tail between his legs.

Geez Louise we all make mistakes.

Criticize people if they don't learn from them.

I still can't get over the fact you can get a 5 year visa for you and your family (even children) because you have an online fitness coaching business but a 60 day tourist visa is too dangerous to allow.

A perfect example of PPPP

P!ss Poor Planning and Preparation

They thought it would all work for them there was no planning at alll.

15 minutes ago, Yumthai said:

That's what his now former clients will assess reading this article.

Yeah, but at least he got some "likes" and "thumbs up" and some "clicks." That's what life is all about these days. 😂

21 minutes ago, kingstonkid said:

A perfect example of PPPP

P!ss Poor Planning and Preparation

They thought it would all work for them there was no planning at alll.

Actually they did a we bit of planning, as I was curious, and reading a bit of his story from his FB.

And for you socialism fans ...

This may have motivated his move out of Utah, though he repeats the exact story a year later, with no reference date, to it happening a year earlier ... hmm

Edited 57 minutes ago57 min by KhunLA

Online fitness coaching ❓

For polygamists, the math works. 👍

OK, open up Asian Now and post 5 posts in a minute about The Left, DSA, Immigrants ruining the UK, AoC laughing and any other nonsense you can think of...

Sister wives at the ready?

Go!

Now relax and procreate. 😲

43 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

Geez Louise we all make mistakes.

Criticize people if they don't learn from them.

An institutionalised lack of understanding that the world doesn't revolve around America, nor fit into their time zones, is not a mistake.

if you decide to emigrate with your family into the real world, you need to expand your knowledge beyond the limited education standards of middle America.

Not knowing about visas or time zones in other countries, is not a careless mistake! It's basics!