Soutpeel Posted June 3, 2013 Share Posted June 3, 2013 soothsayers of gloom and doom only show where there mindset is, Thailand is anything you want to make of it. Everyday people ask me how you doing? I reply another day in paradise!!! I have a friend here special forces ranger or something like that about your age with 2 tours in Iraq he has been here 3 years writing a book. When you get here contact the VFW or contact us through the Chiang Mai VFW website and we will help you get situated. No problemooooooo............ Where is the glooming and dooming in any of these posts to date ?...all I have seen is good practical advice and people suggesting the OP plans for the future Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Antomine Posted June 3, 2013 Author Share Posted June 3, 2013 Yes, I'm former USA military, I'm also from Illinois so I get 36 months of free tuition at a state school. And you do realize that my $1500 a month is us dollars right? I find it hard to believe that I can't live off of that in Thailand when I can live off that in the states easily. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BarnicaleBob Posted June 3, 2013 Share Posted June 3, 2013 Retired at age 33 I would assume you have a military disability retirement. In which case you would be able to receive medical benefits for your disability through the VA via the FMP program. If you have full medical coverage through Tri-care then they will pay 75% of your medical bills. If you have a college degree you could supplement your income by teaching English but to begin with I would use your GI education bill to attend one of the universities such as Payap as Jarhead suggested. Go to the Chiang Mai VFW website at http://www.vfw-chiangmai.com/ and contact one of the post officers for more information, you don't to be a member as we offer help to all veterans member or not. We have at least a couple of guys in the same situation as you, recently medically retired and living here on their pension. You PM me if you like. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
overherebc Posted June 3, 2013 Share Posted June 3, 2013 (edited) soothsayers of gloom and doom only show where there mindset is, Thailand is anything you want to make of it. Everyday people ask me how you doing? I reply another day in paradise!!! I have a friend here special forces ranger or something like that about your age with 2 tours in Iraq he has been here 3 years writing a book. When you get here contact the VFW or contact us through the Chiang Mai VFW website and we will help you get situated. No problemooooooo............ PM the guy and get him over for couple of months in your area and lead him around all the good and bad. After that he can go back to the states and have a good think. Posted at the same time as you. Edited June 3, 2013 by overherebc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soutpeel Posted June 3, 2013 Share Posted June 3, 2013 Yes, I'm former USA military, I'm also from Illinois so I get 36 months of free tuition at a state school. And you do realize that my $1500 a month is us dollars right? I find it hard to believe that I can't live off of that in Thailand when I can live off that in the states easily. Yes you can live off $1500/month, (Fully aware your talking about the North American peso.. ) No one has said you cant, but this is today...if you dont do anything else with your life can you say you can live of $1500/m in 10 or 15 years time either in the US or Thailand ?.....one suspects you will not be able to...Thailand is getting expensive and have seen this over the 12 years I have been here If your getting 36 months free tuition in the US then use it... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Antomine Posted June 3, 2013 Author Share Posted June 3, 2013 Thank you all for the replies. I really appreciate the diverse answers. It gives me quite a bit to think about. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NanLaew Posted June 3, 2013 Share Posted June 3, 2013 Nice to see the US veterans coming to the aid of a newbie and posting accurate, friendly advice. It was quite bizarre to see several long-term members acting like Thailand was so expensive and the exclusive domain of those with white hair on their balls. Those that equate their experience in Thailand as being the only standard of assessment do this forum a disservice IMHO. It is not up to us to decide if the OP has any hope of living HIS OWN experiences and dreams, particularly in this case when most have absolutely no knowledge of how the US supports those who have served. Well done and thanks. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NanLaew Posted June 3, 2013 Share Posted June 3, 2013 Also, are there any mountain biking expats?There's a very active Bangkok Mountain Bike H3 with once-monthly out-station rides.There may also be one in Chiang Mai, maybe there's a member on this forum. If Chiang Mai is your initial destination, surf and search that local sub-forum for answers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SeaVisionBurma Posted June 3, 2013 Share Posted June 3, 2013 Inflammatory post removed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soutpeel Posted June 3, 2013 Share Posted June 3, 2013 Nice to see the US veterans coming to the aid of a newbie and posting accurate, friendly advice. It was quite bizarre to see several long-term members acting like Thailand was so expensive and the exclusive domain of those with white hair on their balls. Those that equate their experience in Thailand as being the only standard of assessment do this forum a disservice IMHO. It is not up to us to decide if the OP has any hope of living HIS OWN experiences and dreams, particularly in this case when most have absolutely no knowledge of how the US supports those who have served. Well done and thanks. I for one dont have white hair on my balls and yes Thailand has become expensive and still fail to see what milatary angle has to do with this question per se...the OP has stated the savings he has, his monthly income and his age, and his intention to do nothing in Thailand except ride his bike, so the advice i have seen posted would equally apply to someone who hasnt been in any miltary US or otherwise the one thing I do agree with in your post...everyone to their own, let him find out his own way Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kjhbigv Posted June 3, 2013 Share Posted June 3, 2013 Retired at 33 with 40k in the bank and a pension, Thailand aint for you Iam afraid. Gotta be honest....$40k and a pension is not enough to live happily ever after here, in my opinion! Just being realistic! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soutpeel Posted June 3, 2013 Share Posted June 3, 2013 Retired at 33 with 40k in the bank and a pension, Thailand aint for you Iam afraid. Gotta be honest....$40k and a pension is not enough to live happily ever after here, in my opinion! Just being realistic! Be careful making statements like this...you will have certain members accusing of having white hairs on your balls in a minute... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kjhbigv Posted June 3, 2013 Share Posted June 3, 2013 (edited) My suggestion would be, bring $10k and your pension, give it a go! Don't hang everything on it, get over here, learn a bit about Thai's and the culture....it's not all a bed of roses over here, but then again, every day I wake up with the sun shining, it does feel good even after 5 years. Whatever you do, don't get hooked up on a beautiful Thai girl as soon as you step off the plane...take your time! Yes, I have the T-Shirt! Edited June 3, 2013 by kjhbigv Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kjhbigv Posted June 3, 2013 Share Posted June 3, 2013 Retired at 33 with 40k in the bank and a pension, Thailand aint for you Iam afraid. Gotta be honest....$40k and a pension is not enough to live happily ever after here, in my opinion! Just being realistic! Be careful making statements like this...you will have certain members accusing of having white hairs on your balls in a minute... Just based on personal experience! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rayongchelsea Posted June 3, 2013 Share Posted June 3, 2013 Does the pension increase with inflation, if not, it simply isn't enough money long term.Nothing to do with Thailand being expensive or not, simply the value of money over time..and at 33 it will hopefully be a long time. Good that the military can supply such useful help and that there are individuals out there prepared to help. All in all the op is in a good position.. I came here at 22 and am still here in my mid fifties , so I would come over, get the help offered and then make an educated decision. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
puukao Posted June 3, 2013 Share Posted June 3, 2013 with 40k savings and 1500...you are FINE. well....... ok, anyhow, chiang mai is the best mountain biking in Thailand. doi suthep has lots of trails, but can get pretty muddy in the rainy season (d'uh). near wat phrasing is a "big" mountain bike shop. at the entrance, go south about 1 block on the east corner. easy. talk to them. if not, just explore the trails. head up the main road, past doi suthep, past the palace by about another mile and BEFORE you drop in to doi poi....get off and pick a trail. ok, 1500 USD. grab a place for 300 a month, get internet for 300 baht, and just go with the flow. chiang mai is about the cheapest in Thailand, so if not chiang mai....Thailand doubtful. good luck finding good mtn biking in Cambodia, laos or Burma. you don't have to read anymore.......lol. good luck. my dad was in WWII and still alive. disclaimer: try not to hook up with a thai girl too early, since that is an easy way to double the budget. spend 3 months understanding the bar girl, university and professional woman mentality. figure out their games, talk to expats about it....tell them all you are broke. assume they are all playing a game, but of course they are not. don't buy a house with a thai woman, ever. and then......bingo.....hopefully you find the right one. she does exist, but will likely not be the first one you meet. smiling might mean, "hello, do you have cash?" or "I love your ATM". haha. good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldChinaHam Posted June 3, 2013 Share Posted June 3, 2013 Don't think twice. Come to Thailand and start in on studying the Thai language, even if you may not be interested in reading newspapers in the local lingo, a couple of years of Thai is what you need as soon as you arrive to make your time much more enjoyable. Where ever you go, make every attempt to learn the language one of your highest priorities. Just my advice to anyone, and thought it might also be useful here. Thailand is great and worth the effort to work out any bugs in your plan to stay. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eden8 Posted June 4, 2013 Share Posted June 4, 2013 may i know how long does the $1500 usd ./mo pension last? i suggest you go semi-retire mode.. take up a english teaching course so that you can teach english in thailand as a backup income.. (most foreigners do that) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pmarlin Posted June 4, 2013 Share Posted June 4, 2013 I do have a service connected disability I am rated at 70%. I served in Iraq and Afghanistan. I have been doing a bit of research on my own and I do believe I will be heading to Thailand within the year. If I don't like it, or its a tad bit too expensive I can always leave, so why not try it out for a few years? It would be an amazing experience.submit a benefits claim with VA for IU which will get at the 100% pay rate and while at it apply SSDI with social security and if approved both will mean another $3,000 a month income. You need to get with an VSO and have them explain this to you. AT a 70% VA rating you might qualify. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richard10365 Posted June 4, 2013 Share Posted June 4, 2013 Hello Antomine, Welcome to Thailand. I used my VA benefits at Payap University graduated with a BBA in International Business Management. I'm doing my MBA there now. If you convert your benefits over to the Post 911 GI Bill, the VA will pay for your tuition at Payap University and give you an overseas housing allowance ($1,368 per month) during the semesters you are enrolled in. You will also get an annual stipend ($1,000) for books. Last time I checked, most people were able to extend the Post 911 GI Bill an extra year, myself included. The source for all this information is here. Since I'm not a sponsor of ThaiVisa it would be inappropriate for me to comment on the types of programs that are available at Payap University openly. If you want more information please send me a private message and I will fill you in with the details. Good luck. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scorecard Posted June 4, 2013 Share Posted June 4, 2013 Good luck to you man. Gonna be a lot of info flooding here with more questions than answers. I'll start by saying you can't own land here. Sent from my iPhone using ThaiVisa app Agree, and beware the arm chair experts who are sure they know the answers, but often don't. Example, answers which echo what the answerer would like to see / would like the appropriate laws to be, but often misleading even wrong. ThaiVisa has a number of pinned subjects right at the very start of the whole forum with lots of good and valuable information. And good luck whichever way you go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IBoldnewguy Posted June 4, 2013 Share Posted June 4, 2013 Unless working or studying or married to a Thai lady you would only qualify for Tourist Visas. These give you a stay of 60 days and can be extended by 30 days at Immigration You cannot buy land. Moved to the Visa Forum The Visa mentioned above is long enough to give you a taste of Thai if you have not visited Thailand already? The language barrier can be a major hassle to a newcomer so be ready to have all your romantic illusions shattered. Thais don't really need us unless we are fertilizing their kindness with an adequate supply of baht. Learn the ropes - for instance; on my 1st trip I just used my ATM card for cash - so a $500 withdrawal cost me 150 baht (about $6) plus a 2% US bank fee of $10 = $16 total to use my own money. On my 2nd &3rd trips (planning the 4th now) I did my research beforehand (best info came via ThaiVisa) and I calc'd that I saved about $600 because I learned about free ATMs and no fee CC & ATM cards. Come prepared by finding out what things cost - rent, food, booze, sex, etc. and how to pay for them. If you think you can booze and fornicate yourself silly here - you are absolutely right! But it won't be free plus there will be no lifeguards to save you if you jump into that pool unprepared. With your age and testosterone level and the beauty of the wares available your resources might last a couple of weeks. Even though I usually advise that it is better to say no and be wrong than say yes and be wrong when it comes to risky ventures; in this case I would advise yes - but come prepared - you can think about living here forever later. P.S. Unless you have a death wish don't bike in BKK. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richard10365 Posted June 4, 2013 Share Posted June 4, 2013 Hello Antomine, Welcome to Thailand. I used my VA benefits at Payap University graduated with a BBA in International Business Management. I'm doing my MBA there now. If you convert your benefits over to the Post 911 GI Bill, the VA will pay for your tuition at Payap University and give you an overseas housing allowance ($1,368 per month) during the semesters you are enrolled in. You will also get an annual stipend ($1,000) for books. Last time I checked, most people were able to extend the Post 911 GI Bill an extra year, myself included. The source for all this information is here. Since I'm not a sponsor of ThaiVisa it would be inappropriate for me to comment on the types of programs that are available at Payap University openly. If you want more information please send me a private message and I will fill you in with the details. Good luck. I forgot to add you also qualify for an education visa to study for a bachelors degree at Payap University. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scorecard Posted June 4, 2013 Share Posted June 4, 2013 Yes, I'm former USA military, I'm also from Illinois so I get 36 months of free tuition at a state school. And you do realize that my $1500 a month is us dollars right? I find it hard to believe that I can't live off of that in Thailand when I can live off that in the states easily. Yes you can live off $1500/month, (Fully aware your talking about the North American peso.. ) No one has said you cant, but this is today...if you dont do anything else with your life can you say you can live of $1500/m in 10 or 15 years time either in the US or Thailand ?.....one suspects you will not be able to...Thailand is getting expensive and have seen this over the 12 years I have been here If your getting 36 months free tuition in the US then use it... Agree, well said. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lopburi3 Posted June 4, 2013 Share Posted June 4, 2013 Off-topic post removed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul888 Posted June 4, 2013 Share Posted June 4, 2013 Far too much negativity in this thread. I see nothing wrong with the OP's plan. It is his life and this is his current plan for what he would like to do with it. So what if he is just 33 and has only $1,500 of income a month. Many here live quite well on a lot less than that. This is just his starting plan. It will change many times before he gets to "official" retirement age. My advice would be get a double or triple if possible tourist visa, spend say six months in Thailand, look at the lifestyle your $1,500 gets you each month, whilst keeping the savings as untouched as you possibly can, and then at the end of that six months, either get an education visa for longer term stay, or try something similar in other asian countries such as the ones recommended earlier. Whatever you decide Antomine, Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steelepulse Posted June 4, 2013 Share Posted June 4, 2013 One question I'd factor in is how long do you have to take advantage of the 3 years of free Uni tuition in your home state? Personally I'd advise coming for a 6 months to 1 year stint and test the waters, then think about your long term career options and what you plan to do with your life. Lounging around after a few years does get a bit boring. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tomtomtom69 Posted June 4, 2013 Share Posted June 4, 2013 Soutpeel, on 03 Jun 2013 - 21:05, said: at 33 one supposes you are not up for retirement just yet, so suppose the first question what do you intend to do for the remainder of your life, you cant intend to lounge around Thailand ? As other have said..you cant own land and you will be on an Ed visa or tourist visa...but here is my advice as regards Thailand, dont buy anything..rent only for the forseeable future Nothing wrong with buying a car or motorcycle though, but that's easy - even tourist visas qualify. Be aware that some places might insist on sighting a work permit although if you politely insist that it's not required, they'll register the car in your name for you.Unfortunately, land can only be owned by foreigners in very limited circumstances, I believe only in industrial zones with a certain minimum investment, but that doesn't make ownership of land any more accessible for the average foreigner. This is because such rules demand a huge investment (don't know what the amount is but could be the equivalent of US$1-2 million). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tomtomtom69 Posted June 4, 2013 Share Posted June 4, 2013 Yes, I'm former USA military, I'm also from Illinois so I get 36 months of free tuition at a state school. And you do realize that my $1500 a month is us dollars right? I find it hard to believe that I can't live off of that in Thailand when I can live off that in the states easily. Yes you can live off $1500/month, (Fully aware your talking about the North American peso.. ) No one has said you cant, but this is today...if you dont do anything else with your life can you say you can live of $1500/m in 10 or 15 years time either in the US or Thailand ?.....one suspects you will not be able to...Thailand is getting expensive and have seen this over the 12 years I have been here If your getting 36 months free tuition in the US then use it... Agree, well said. Of course you can live well off US$1500 in Thailand; the vast majority of the population does so why wouldn't a foreigner be able to? Indeed, provided you stay away from museums, national parks and other tourist attractions that try to rip you off by their dual pricing practices, everything else costs the same for you as for every other Thai. Although the cost of living has increased significantly over the years, the fact that so many Thais can afford to buy new cars, even take holidays to Singapore, Malaysia, Laos, Hong Kong etc. as well as purchase the latest gadgets and eat at Fuji twice a week suggests that they are mostly in debt. It seems that a lot of 25-35 year old Thais on 30,000 THB incomes are driving the latest Civic or Vios on red plates, using iPhones or Samsung Galaxy phones, are trying to purchase a condo (or are making payments on one), eating at Black Canyon, Pizza Company or Fuji etc. where they'll easily rack up a bill of 300+ THB per person per meal (yes, that's about US$10!) but the only way they can do this is because they're living on credit. Having said that US$1500 or about 45000 Baht shouldn't be a problem to live off, but without an income you won't qualify for a Thai credit card, although most Thai credit cards have very low limits of say 30,000-50,000 Baht, which is nothing compared to credit card limits in the west. So while you probably won't have an extravagant lifestyle, it's very possible to live a comfortable life here but you'll need to save for major purchases like a car rather than apply for credit and you'll also need to be careful about eating out at nice restaurants that cost as much as in the west - stick more to food courts, TV dinners and street food and of course self-catering and cooking yourself if you're keen on saving costs. Of course, be wary of paying US$5 just for imported spaghetti sauce (stick to the local US$1.50 varieties instead) otherwise even cooking yourself will become much more expensive than eating out at least compared to cheaper restaurants. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeffreyWitty Posted June 4, 2013 Share Posted June 4, 2013 Retired at 33 with 40k in the bank and a pension, Thailand aint for you Iam afraid. BS. He can totally get by with that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.png.3b3332cc2256ad0edbc2fe9404feeef0.png)
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now