Help For Me Stay Long Time

[brh450]

Oh my Buddha! hey guys I'm a first time user, (40 years old from Australia). As all of you have, I've been to Thailand and fallen in love with what it has to offer in it's all it's varied form.

I have been searching the net, reading, sending e mails to busness owners and 1 very helpful thai lady I met (not BG). Even talking to a thai/Australian couple who have been living in Australia for 18 years. It seems that if you want to spend extended time or maybe buy (anything) or work and live in thailand your up for all sorts of drama's and problems. My question is:- Is it all worth it? I mean there are a lot of farang there so there must be something going on even though I hear story after story of farang running home with their tails between their legs. Am becoming disheartened with my enquiries any help please! somebody tell me the up side.

Thanks

[Nampeung]

Well mate you have to check out a lot of the threads on this forum regards the same type of question. Because most of us have lived in Thailand for years and have Thai partners we get a bit bored answering basic questions like this and leave it to the newbies.

If you are thinking it's an easy situation with a cute looking Thai woman... think again cos it is not all it is made out to be

[PhilHarries]

Thailand, no matter what anybody says, is no different to just about any other country in the world. It has it's up sides and it's down sides and you have to weigh one against the other. If the ups win it's the place for you but if it's the downs best you keep looking. One thing Thailand is not is Shangri Lah, living there takes lots of effort and a hel_l of a lot of compromise. Some can hack it and some cannot, you pays your money and you get what's on offer.

Rule #1. Do not judge Thailand on the basis of short visits/holidays. Until you are living there 24/7 you haven't a clue about the place or it's people.

[Antimony]

Me love you ...

[retiredusn]

As stated there ups and downs but overall Thailand is great, the wife and I are both farang and enjoy each day as it comes...........Your problem will be with the age factor as visa's for long term are a thing to really think about.

[Kerryd]

One thing Thailand is not is Shangri Lah, living there takes lots of effort and a hel_l of a lot of compromise. Some can hack it and some cannot, you pays your money and you get what's on offer.

Rule #1. Do not judge Thailand on the basis of short visits/holidays. Until you are living there 24/7 you haven't a clue about the place or it's people.

Oh man, you're bringing me down. You're bursting my bubble !

But it's true. Far too many people make a short trip to Thailand, fall in love and decide that this is the place to be. Then they pack up, move there, and quickly (or slowly in some cases) realise that things aren't quite the same as being on a 2 week "binge" holiday.

Fail to plan, plan on failing. Do the research. Browsing ThaiVisa is a pretty good way to start. The wealth of knowledge here is (probably) unparallelled when it comes to all things Thai.

Failing to plan for the long-term is probably why so many of those farangs you referred to went home with their tails between their legs. They too probably had a short holiday, and decided to turn it into a long one. They too probably assumed that things would be "just like home", only to find out, this is not "just like home".

Better have a good idea of what you want to do when you get here (job/hobbies/etc). Sitting in a bar drinking everyday may sound like fun, but you'll find that the fun fades almost as fast as your liver starts to fail (I knew a guy that had to go back to England after spending a year in Pattaya, because that is what he did. Drank every day, had nothing else to do. Ended up with liver problems. He was 47, and skint broke. His family had to bail him out to get him back to the UK).

Remember that in Thailand, you'll need a visa. If you plan on staying a long time, you'll need a yearly visa, and have to do little things like border runs, and/or 90 day reporting trips to the local Immigration office (see the Visa Forum for loads of detailed information regarding visas of all types).

If you have an area in mind that you like, visit the forum for that area. Usually full of helpful people that actually live in that area, or at least have good knowledge of it.

If you are serious about moving to Thailand, a good idea would be to start trying to learn the language. A little can go a long way, and will definitely make life a little easier to adjust to.

Got to run. Good Luck.

[brh450]

Thanks for the feed back guys,

I'm definatly not looking for a long time party and I dont want things to be the same as home just looking for different. Not that my life sucks just want different. Long time woman and simple life. I never just jump into things thats why I'm here looking for info.

Thanks again

[geriatrickid]

This has to be the worst time to move to Thailand.Everything is unstable. More so than people may appreciate. You may therefore wish to wait it out another 6-12 months.

The tip off for me came last night when I called my friend up in Chiang Mai. He's always been a loyal Thaksin supporter, but now he's angry with everyone. Food he used to be able to buy on the street from vendors at 20-40baht is now going for 50-70 baht and his wages have not increased. He'll have to get another job on top of his usual 6 days a week job to make sure his family stays fed and cared for. Not a pretty economic picture for the average joe.

[Valjean]

When I wrote the reveiw of "My Thai Girl and I" it was exactly questions and people who I thought reading the book was worthwhile. It's not "how to live in Thailand" but one person's experince that I think many of us would find pretty typical.

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=192036

As long as I'm plugging books I thought "Thailand Fever" was as good of primer on basics of Thai-Farang relationships as any.

Agree with the comments above there are dozens of threads on this site that discuss the pros and cons. It's a very personal decision and does a have a lot to do with how much you're willing to let go of a lot of things that would be considered normal back home.

Do your homework but in the end it seems right you just have to come and see if it works for you.

[cluezo]

Put down the pipe or learn English.

[gymshark]

I used to come here on holiday a lot and loved it. I have lived here for years now and it is becoming a bit jaded, the things that seemed like cute idiosyncracies become very annoying after a while. I am lucky in that I work overseas for a short time and live here when not working, I could not live here 24/7 and certainly couldn't work here. We are soon moving back home for a few years to get a break from Thailand, even my wife gets pissed of with this country and she is Thai.

Horses for courses, but never ever burn bridges, do what we do and keep your property at home just in case.

[learnthaipodcast]

Always have the option to go back for some time. We spend some of the European summer back home and the rest of the year in Thailand.

[distortedlink]

I am 56 and permanently living in Chiang Mai, Thailand with my Thai wife, married 20 years and daughter.

I can relate to the OP, in the same situation myself at 40. Wanted to know the ins and outs but found it difficult to find information and old hand Farang long term Thailand residents that could be bothered to give the benefits of their experiences.

OK, first let me give details of my situation:

Back in 1994 I came to live in Chiang Mai for 10 months to see whether or not, Thailand was for me. After 10 months, returned back to the UK 1995 and decided that I did want to live in Thailand for the future. At that time I was 42 years old, working in the UK, had not much in savings and still had a considerable amount of mortgage left on my house in London, so it was not the right time for me to make the big move.

In 2003 at age 50, UK house prices had increased considerably. I sold up, made a profit on the house, I with my Thai wife & daughter all moved to Chiang Mai. Last year at age 55 my company pension began paying me out, so have a regular monthly income for life, plus I will receive a UK state pension in 9 years time, which will be necessary because by than, my company pension salary will probably be worth about 60% of it's present value due to inflation.

So for me, I have savings in the bank, both in Thailand and the UK, a good company pension and hopefully another pension coming in 9 years time when I will be 65 if I'm still alive. On top of this my wife can claim 2 widows pensions from the UK in the event of my death. I have my own house in Chiang Mai all paid up and my daughter was able to go to an International school. In my view this is the perfect scenario for living long term in Thailand with financial security for the present and the future, without having to worry about finding work or other ways of making income.

Anyone under the age of 50 wishing to live in Thailand long term should consider that finding work here is extremely difficult, Immigration laws impose certain amounts invested in a Thai bank, inflation in Thailand is escalating, currency exchange rates are poor and bank interest rates are crap. Those coming here on the evaluation that their present savings and incomes may suffice will find themselves in dire straights later on.

Also, some resident Farangs here are not friendly, sociable or community minded, so for those hacking it alone, could find themselves living in isolation without being able to converse with anyone in their native language for long periods. There are many Farang undesirables, criminals and others, they're all here and one must be choosey when associating with other Farangs and whom they pick for their friends.

Choosing a Thai girlfriend in the hope of marriage can be catastrophic for a male Farang if he hasn't had prior experience of courting in Thailand. There are Thai families who have made stripping a Farang out of his assets almost into an industry. The golden rule is, if they ask for money, than it's a scam.

What I have quoted above is an illustration of what should be taken into consideration before making the big move. Usually those who sell up in their home countries and come over to Thailand will be financially unable to return home after a few months, (includes me) meaning, not able to buy property because prices would have increased since leaving the home country and would need to find employment that is difficult without somewhere to live in the first place. Returning back to the home country, could mean being homeless and unemployed.

To conclude, those Farangs thinking of living here should plan wisely so as to be able to enjoy all the benefits Thailand has to offer.

Edited June 7, 2008 by distortedlink

[easyride]

Well mate you have to check out a lot of the threads on this forum regards the same type of question. Because most of us have lived in Thailand for years and have Thai partners we get a bit bored answering basic questions like this and leave it to the newbies.

If you are thinking it's an easy situation with a cute looking Thai woman... think again cos it is not all it is made out to be

Not a helpful comment.

I wouldn't buy a brick in Thailand but still love the country, people and service ethic etc.

And we were all newbie at one stage.

[cluezo]

Well mate you have to check out a lot of the threads on this forum regards the same type of question. Because most of us have lived in Thailand for years and have Thai partners we get a bit bored answering basic questions like this and leave it to the newbies.

If you are thinking it's an easy situation with a cute looking Thai woman... think again cos it is not all it is made out to be

Not a helpful comment.

I wouldn't buy a brick in Thailand but still love the country, people and service ethic etc.

And we were all newbie at one stage.

Well put.