Do You Enjoy Trips Back To Your Country Of Birth?

[mauiguy90]

I'm lucky since my home is Hawaii. Its great to get back to the blue skies, great weather and clean, blue ocean. I love visiting with my friends and go back fairly often to keep these relationships going. Yet after a couple weeks, I'm ready to go back to BKK. Life in Hawaii is sheltered and above all, very expensive. Life in BKK is more vibrant and lots cheaper... no regrets!

[tijnebijn]

The same story with me , while back in my home country many disappointments .

Most indeed are the attitudes , the attitude to us , who seem to be too relaxed ,

too much to handle for those who have no spare time to relax in anything .

Its a good reminder to see how hurried , quick quick life it is back home , and no

worries Mai pen rai attitude back here , even with the visa regs its nothing compared

with the feeling they give me back there , no I am not missing or enjoying it !

[pattaya_girl]

I try to get back to the UK every couple of years to see my Parents. Having just returned back to Pattaya a couple of weeks ago, i missed Thailand but i also enjoyed my 2 week holiday in Blackpool very much. Theres nowt like your mums hot pot with red cabbage, Lamb and mint sauce, Yorkshire puds ect.. The prices are high and the way of life is very very different, its so very clean compared to Thailand. I found it very cold and did not venture out a lot. I took the opportunity to bring some foods back that i cannot get here. All in all, it was a good trip and i am looking forward to going again. The 13 hr flight is a bit of a pain, i got sore legs, but it was well worth it to see my mum waiting for me at the Airport.

[TonyLeung]

its good to get all that junk food you cant find in thailand.

[smeagle]

The past year I've ben back more than I usually coz Dad fell seriously ill. Now i will be returning ti Uk every 6 months to make sure mums ok . Good to get back though and get your mothers cooking again eh!

[tominchaam]

It is a pleasure to see so many enjoy going back to their home countries. This is said bearing in mind I am not one of those.

I try to go back at most every second year and cannot say it is something I look forward to even if everything is up to my satisfaction.

It is however very different when I get visits here from my children with families or close friends from my old country. I enjoy it a lot and it really gives me a lot of happiness and satisfaction.

[mrtoad]

Not really enjoy it anymore. I sometimes miss little bits, like walking along the sand dunes, beach or cliffs and some of the traditional foods like Cornish Pasties, Heva cake, Scones etc, but I am beginning to feel more and more distanced from the country of my birth. My family enjoy their visits here, and with their numerous stories reinforce my beleif that I made the right decision to live in Thailand.

[technocracy]

Not been back since make the move over here about a year and half ago and dependant on work we planning to make one back over to the UK next year around June time - mainly with the plan to take our then 3 month old baby to the UK to introduce to the family.

But we spent 11 months there the other year and to be quite honest we couldn't leave soon enough! The comment earlier regards "small-mindedness of people - their whole life seems to revolve around getting sh*tfaced at the weekends." with a small alteration adding "getting sh*tfaced and looking for a fight at weekends" sums up the UK to an absolute perfection.

hel_l we used to go out and get sh*tfaced when we were in early 20s (I'm only 33 now!) but I can never remember any of my friends ever looking for fights, these days you can pretty much guarantee that something will kick off in virtually any pub or bar that has music or a DJ. We were no angels that's for sure but we actually had respect for other people and didn't just want to punch someone because they 'looked' at us!

In general I had far better nights with my mates in our houses get mashed on booze n drugs, playing guitars, along with a playstation 2 (to keep our minds straight - good for the concentration! ) than going to any bars. Far cheaper to boot!

[lazeeboy]

last time i went home was september 1998 ,no plans to go home ,no house ,no parents ,asked the kids back home if they would prefer me to come home or them come here ,stupid question .

[YangYaiEric]

Yeah, going back to ones 'home' country after living abroad for several years can be a frustrating experience, especially if you try to re-kindle old friendships or acquaintances you left behind. People move on, and what you once thought of as a solid friendship back-fires in your face when you try to rekindle them, especially with ones siblings!

The only thing I really miss about going back to the UK is the lovely English nosh; Bangers & Mash, Real Ale, Real Fish & Chips etc.

[garro]

A few people have mentioned that they prefer their relatives to come see them in LOS.

I must admit that I find these visits very stressful.

The fact that we live in such a rural location means that whoever comes here is totally dependent on us.

Trying to arrange food for them to eat and places for them to go is exhausting.

I am glad to see them but feel relief when they go.

My father threatened to visit earlier this year because he wanted to visit his grandson.

Luckily I talked him out of it.

He has a dodgy heart and the nearest cardiac ward is over 100 kilometers away.

I think it is far less stressful to go to Ireland to visit them rather than everyone rolling up here.

[Heng]

Definitely enjoy it. Have always thought of my setup in Thailand as living in paradise and my retreat back in the Texas hill country (well, Austin greenbelt anyway): water skiing on Lake Travis and Town Lake, Zilker Park, HEB Central Market and cooking for myself, 6th Street, earthmuffins (gals that don't have to dress up or wear a lick of makeup and aren't afraid of the sun), my now 16 year old Mustang GT and all of her 225 ponies still running strong, etc. etc. as heaven on earth.

Edited November 11, 2007 by Heng

[Lifelover]

The answers depend on why you left your home country and particularly whether you did so willingly or not.

If you left of your own volition, you probably chose Thailand as your new home because of the advantages living here had to offer at the time. How much you like living here now will be determined largely by the extent to which those expectations have been fulfilled. And if they have, then the longer you stay here, the more of a distance you will find being built up (psychologically and probably materially too) between your life here and your former existence. Those aspects of life back home that irked you then will seem doubly irksome if you return ‘home’ for a visit. There will come a time when you couldn’t care less about what happens back home, or much about the people you left behind and the fact is that those people you left behind won’t care much about you either!

If you came here because your employer sent you, or if you left your home country because you ‘had to’ because of some situation there, you may well still have strong roots embedded there that need to be watered occasionally, so visiting will be a welcome relief … and you may even yearn to go back permanently.

After I moved to live in Thailand, entirely by choice, there was a period of about three years when contacts with family and friends remained strong and the visits ‘home’ were a pleasure, albeit increasingly brief and focused. What I believe expats often find is that the folks back home harbour some resentment about our newfound life. They feel that we have ‘left them’ and nobody likes being left out. They resent us for making that choice and in some cases are also envious that we had the guts and good fortune to do what they would have liked to have done themselves (although they rarely admit it)! I found this was manifested clearly by my own family back home not appearing to take any interest in what I had to tell them about life in Thailand. As time went by, I became totally bored with the mundane and petty details of their lives too until eventually I stopped visiting. We no longer had anything in common and even blood wears thin over time and distance. Haven’t been back for seven years now and don’t miss anything at all. I do love it when people visit me here though and I pull out all the stops for them to give them a warm welcome and a great time.

[apex2000]

I haven't been back to the UK since I left there in November 1991 - 16 years now in Thailand and never been happier.

[villagefarang]

The wife and I both enjoy traveling together and often that means family home in Hawaii and time driving to national parks on the mainland. We can enjoy pretty much anyplace if we are together.

[Dawn]

Can I just say that it's great to read so many positive posts about enjoying life in Thailand! I visit this forum on a daily basis and get tired of reading all the posts from people whinging about LOS and I must admit it makes me think 'why the hel_l are you still in Thailand then'!! Unfortunately me and my husband are still 'stuck' in the UK but we're coming over to join you guys within the next few years and we can't wait. I try to read between the lines of some of the posts on here and keep trying to remember why I love Thailand so much as, to be honest, sometimes the negative posts tend to make you think again, if only just for a little while, and I sometimes begin to question my judgement about our move. We only get to visit Thailand once a year at the minute and we can't wait for our next 6 week visit in January. The weather over in the UK at the minute is crap - I drive home from work in the dark, it's dark when I try to get my arse out of bed in the morning and it's bloody freezing. In fact, we had sleet up here in Newcastle last night! Can't say I'm going to miss it one little bit! Thanks for cheering me up you lot!!

[cloudhopper]

I've been going back to L.A. twice a year for the last many.

I go for my two favorite holidays - 4th of July and Thanksgiving, and for me it's true what they say - there's no place like home.

Each time it's still nice to see family and friends, but I'm experiencing an increasing disconnect with the culture and values there and I'm grateful for the outside perspective living in LOS has given me. So for me it's true what they say - you can't go home again...

[solent01]

I go back to England once every year, it's lovely to see my family and friends during this time, but it always seems better coming back home to Thailand.......

Just came back from a two month holiday in England (been back in LOS about three weeks now), we was ready to come home after two weeks......

[PeaceBlondie]

If my home country were Ireland, it might be more of a treat to go back home. We had our family reunion in County Clare this year, and we all greatly enjoyed the Irish countryside and seaside. Most of us still have the credit card debt to show for it. When you're from a country as gigantic and overpopulated as the USA, "the land of your birth" has more than 30 counties. I moved away from Chicagoland in 1961, from San Antonio the last time in 1984. My sisters have moved a bit, too.

A few days in each place is usually enough to touch base with the few people spread around the vast areas like Orlando, Atlanta, Houston, San Antonio, Brownsville, eastern Tennessee. And that'll cost you a few thousand just to make all the stops! I don't think I've seen anybody I went to high school or university, five years after leaving there.

However, the last time I went back, I enjoyed the Smoky Mountains, and there's always something else to see in North America.

[lazeeboy]

this thread is making me want to go home for a couple ofweeks

[thaigene2]

I will be going on holidays to Ireland at the end of the month.

I am actually really looking forward to it.

This will be the my son's first trip to there, and it will also be my wife's; despite the fact that we have been together four years.

I have lived outside my country of birth for most of my life, but I enjoy my trips home.

I am not very nationalistic, but still home is home.

I can't wait for my family back there to meet my wife and son.

Do other ex-pats enjoy these trips?

How often do you take them?

Hi Garro

I realise you've probably been and come back by now...

But yes, I do enjoy my trips back! There is something hard to describe about seeing your kids play in the places that you did - even if only for a short time, since "we're only immortal for a limited time"

I think it reinforces the foundation..

That's important in a weird kind of way!

TG2

[thaigene2]

..Didn't answer your last question - quite regularly - PM for more..

[Lancashirelad]

NO!

I hate trips back to my country of birth.

Assuming they'd let me in without arresting me that is.

you got something to tell us Emporor?

[Rhys]

Well... Not really... don't relate anymore to the culture or people.... the green is greener where ever you water it..

[siamamerican]

Left LOS because I was too young and financially challenged to retire. Enjoy America, but can't wait for the day in the near future that I semi-retire in Thailand. I'll miss camping, fishing, friends, family, and the US paycheck.

LOS has a way of making life in your home country a little mundane. With time, I've managed to adjust and enjoy myself. Now I have to convince my Thai wife to return to Thailand.

[mahtin]

Country of birth? No. Thailand is home now.

[Bangyai]

Took gf with me last trip. Stayed 1 month and had a great time. It was a bit strange as I've been here so long that I felt and acted like a tourist ! In fact we are considering going back for a year next time to see if we would like to retire there !. Only one thing worries me......the unpredictable weather

[lazeeboy]

went back this year and really felt like a tourist,did all the attractions in london ,havent done that since i was a kid,did find it expensive though

[grtaylor]

I go back to see friends and relatives. I'd be a lot happier if they came here to see me

G

[PoorSucker]

No, I don't like.

Have not been on "Holiday" since I moved here.