If You Could Live Again - Come to Thailand Younger?

[rotorbreeze]

• Retired at 50 and have lived in Pattaya for nearly 10 years,no regrets,and feel fit and healthy.I wouldnt have moved here younger,couldnt anyway as i was married and had a son growing up.

Pattaya can eat u up and spit you out if not streetwise and mature,seen a few young uns acting the big un and ending up on their <deleted>,or doing stupid things due to the intoxicating Pattaya.

Live within your means,be polite and honest,drink in moderation,and you have a great life here.

Retirement what it means..dam I retired from the rat race here in N. American when I was in my 30's, my earlier years were in the high Arctic living in a mount Logan Tent for months and doing it again the following summer. For last 20 some years have come to Thailand for 6 month tours, I work 6 months and then off to Thailand...gone through two Thai wives and now settled down in Pattaya, have two new girl friends both whom I spoil but when I go away for 6 months they do not appreciate the time away and the loss of income . I am now full knowledge of the culture of Thailand, expect the unexpected.

[MarleyMarl]

I came here first at 19 and came back to live when I was 20, i'm now 24 and started a small business from the ground up which is quite successful.

So I don't agree with people saying you should come here later, it depends on the person.

[MrWorldwide]

• Retired at 50 and have lived in Pattaya for nearly 10 years,no regrets,and feel fit and healthy.I wouldnt have moved here younger,couldnt anyway as i was married and had a son growing up.

Pattaya can eat u up and spit you out if not streetwise and mature,seen a few young uns acting the big un and ending up on their <deleted>,or doing stupid things due to the intoxicating Pattaya.

Live within your means,be polite and honest,drink in moderation,and you have a great life here.

Yup - despite having survived 3-month stints in Patts, I absolutely agree that it has the potential to burn many of us out. Massive props to the folk who can live 'normal' lives on the dark side/Jomtien/wherever, but I've decided to approach it a little differently.

When my plane lands in Malaysia in April next year, I'll be 55 : that's young enough for me. I wont be 'rich', but I'll have enough to visit other parts of Asia - including month-long stays in LOS - while retaining a base in a country which still strikes a decent balance between infrastructure and cost of living, all without needing to work for a dollar. Could I have done that at 40 ? Sadly, no, but everyone is different - horses for courses.

FWIW, I would know nothing of the pitfalls of life in Thailand if I hadn't experienced a few firsthand, yet I still love the place with a passion. Would I feel the same way if I had to earn a living there ? I doubt it. A major part of my dream has always been to look forward to Monday just as fervently as Friday

[Khun Falang]

It all depends on your level of maturity (you have to be honest with yourself about it) and how "mature" your bank account is. If you keep comong here every year for a month, you will get a better picture of what the place will be like for you. Preferably though, take a leave from what you are doing and try living here 6-8 months. A much more realistic picture will then be presented.

Just make sure you do not end up living the life of visa runs etc. ... You will really not lose anything if you come here at 60 years of age. Work and establish yourself with an income stream from your home country. A simple test for you should be, can I make it and save enough in my home country for a Thai retirement. If you can not, you will not make it in Thailand either. If you want to live like a poor Thai, it is dirt cheap. If you want to live a decent lifestyle, it is expensive. And will get a whole lot more expensive over time.

I too, came to Thailand when the baht was 40+ to the dollar. I thought I had died and gone to heaven. It was so cheap. And a nice condo was about 80,000 USD. The baht is now 30% more expensive, inflation has risen and the same condo is now over 200,000 USD. Timing is important. So is an established, secure source of income from your country in the west. Work and save now, utilize the advantageous of tax favoured retirement savings in the western countries, and come over as a retiree.

Do not forget that cost of medical treatment will be more expensive over time, and you will need more of it as you grow older. Be prepared. Unless you are employed in Thailand by a foreign corporation, or work in IT, life here can be more than just challenging.

If you believe that you are committed to living in Thailand at some future point, may be you should buy a condo now (and only in a complex built by a reputable builder, and in close proximity to BTS or MRT). Start going through some of the motions of living here at this time (like buying a condo etc). Have an established home to come to over the years, and slowly set yourself up here for full time living in the future. Just do not give up on your employment and savings opportunities in your home country. Those who make it best in Thailand (in the most part) are those who saved back home, set up a retirement system for themselves, and did not have to live through the hell of visa runs and high promises from bar girls.

>thailand was a different country in 1970 , hotels offer girls ,weed on the house ,and there where lot more trees and clean beaches ,price of land i though so cheap not worth buying ,another error<

As the above says, the country is achanging. By setting yourself up initially in a condo and saving for a lifetime secure retirement from home, you will have a better chance of enjoying a stressless life here.

Goos luck

[chonabot]

I came here in 1988 aged 23, and wasted a lot of money coming back and forth. Kind of moved here permanently in 1999, failed, and back in 2011.

Now back in UK caring for my sick parents, but had a blast. My son actually seems to prefer it here (Scotland) than back in Kalasin.

Oh well, maybe everything happens for a reason...cue music...Limp bizkit/somtam

[Chittychangchang]

We will visit on holidays for the next 30 years then retire here.

Although i'd prefer to retire before that

Some interesting posts on this thread.

CCC

[BangPaInn]

I just wanted to say that this has been an awsome topic to read.... I'm currently 24 and have been bitten by the South East Asian Bug (not in a literal term, no i don't have Dengue). I've got a good paying full time job at home that will prop me up in the future but I'm thinking about packing it all in and seeing if I can make it in Thailand with my newly found 36 yr old Girlfriend!

All your comments have been very helpful! cheers!

[cgphuket]

must be nice to have someone die and leave you a big pile of cash....I wouldn't know.

Well, since you don't know, let me tell you -- it's hell. It's hell watching your Old-man work his whole life and die a few months into his retirement. There, now you know.

I think the point was that so may foreigners here are living off someone else's money. While some are able to save in their own country and come with a big nest egg, it seems somewhat rare to come to Thailand with just some "start up" money and make a living on your own. Almost every foreigner I know here either A. is old with retirement account or pension B. Lives off a trust fund or inheritance C. Comes broke and scrapes and grovels each month. I came with $4000 and a dream and have spent 4 years here working and enjoying life, but neither living large and sleeping on the streets. It would be nice to have more "role models" to show how to get by and build a quality life without a big bank account to start. Just saying...

[WinnieTheKhwai]

First came here just before my 21st birthday. That was my first trip overseas and quite an eyeopener. After four more trips I moved here just before my 23rd birthday, waiting first to graduate from university. Thailand has been my home ever since. Don’t know how I could have moved here much younger.

Yeah, same for me. There were 5 days between my graduation and moving to Thailand permanently.

I sometimes regret those 5 days I just squandered.

Edited June 30, 2013 by WinnieTheKhwai

[MrWorldwide]

Interesting that some TVers seem to see a retirement fund as 'easy money' : I don't recall any of the years I spent in an office trying to meet deadlines as being particularly 'easy', and I definitely don't recall sitting in the departure hall at DM/Swampy thinking 'Man, I'm glad that's over - cant wait to get back to work !'

Hell of a difference between a Superannuation fund and a trust fund. The former is most definitely *not* someone else's money', and I resent the implication that it is.

[Benmart]

I came to Thailand for the first time in 1993 when I was 42. Prior to that it was the annual trip to Europe with the missus in an attempt to see as much and do as much as the declining Dollar would allow. Once it declined too much, we changed directions and started visiting SE Asia and I was hooked. I retire to the LOS in August. Just wish I had come here in 1988 after retiring from my first profession, but glad the Creator has allowed me to make it to this point where I can live my remaining days, perhaps making a small difference in someone's life.

[pattayadingo]

I came here in my very early 50's and am glad I did so in many ways.

But I would prefer it this way, it is like having a second youth in many ways - chasing the skirt, music, going out often and having the money to do so.

If I had come here a lot earlier I'd have missed out on all the same fun back home.

Best of both worlds

[flynn]

Some good advice, everybody seems to like living here, where's the people who think they made a mistake moving to Thailand?

[forumuser10]

If I could live again, I might be born a Thai Chinese man with very fair skin and into an influential family.

I have not been to another place where such a simple combo would bring so much benefit.

All the p@ssy you want. Rape the poorly educated, spineless Thai population. Absolutely fabulous life.

That is exactly what I see many of us white foreigners do as well. Not me though...

[JLCrab]

I moved to Thailand 10 years ago at least in part because I knew that I would have something unique and useful to contribute to Thai society and keep myself busy ... and then still give me ample time to goof off. If I had moved to Thailand any sooner that would not have been the case.

A few years ago I met a woman who was a Chula graduate and Chartered Accountant who then was working exclusively on her family's charitable foundation. She asked what I did in Thailand and I told her. She said "That's remarkable." I said: Why is that -- do you think all farangs come to Thailand just to drink beer and chase young Thai women?"

She hesitated for a moment and then said: Yes.

Edited June 30, 2013 by JLCrab

[rene123]

I would not change anything because I already live what is ideal for my lifestyle. I will share my time equally between Canada and Thailand. I love both countries equally, but for different reasons. I believe what I've been advised to never spend more in Thailand than I'm prepared to lose. I've also learned I can happily survive on far less than I was used to. Material possessions are no longer that important to me.

[MrWorldwide]

Just went back and re-read the first post - at no point did the OP ask 'what makes you superior to the other foreigners who live in Thailand ?'. Not once. We all know what the stereotypical Thailand burnout looks like - I'm just confused as to why some feel the need to bang on about them in every bloody thread. This is Neeranam's first post - bolding is mine. I wonder how many of us actually answered either of his questions .....

I have a couple of friends who came to Thailand around 20 years ago and love the place. They are still living in Scotland and saving up to retire here. They come here once a year for 2/3 weeks and love it. They are both divorced and own houses. I did the opposite and moved here aged 28. I understand some of their logic - when they do retire here whenever, they will be set up for the rest of their lives, even if it may be short. I really don't understand working from 50-55 just so you get another 5,000 baht or so a month. I'd like to hear from retired members who moved here in their later years. Would you do the same again or wish you had come earlier? Also, those who moved here younger - do you wish you stayed on in your original country making cash and moving here later?

[arminbkk]

I first came here at 30. My Thai gf was pregnant, so I decided to pack up and move. I already wanted to do that, but this was earlier than planned. I stayed for 3 years and was able to find a few jobs. Started with teaching jobs upcountry, then moved to Bangkok and ended with a job with an international company. I then moved back, alone, and worked for 3 years. Then came back as my, by then, wife was pregnant with our second child. I stayed for 7 months, didn't work, then moved back to my home country. Tried for about 6 months to getva job, without luck. So decided to move back to Thailand, Bangkok. Been here now over 2.5 years, in my second job during this period.

So I did 2 runs here, currently the second run.

The first time around was great, this second time not so.

I wish I had stayed on and not returned for the second time. Would have been better to keep working and make money.

To answer the OP's question: I would not have wanted to come at an earlier age, but later than I did when I came the first time: not at 30 but a few years later.

So at the off change I get to live again (which I don't expect) I would come at an older age. But maybe would have holidayed here more at a younger age. :-)

[Neeeko]

I came here traveling when I was 19, now I am only 21 and love living here. No plans to go back home, only to visit friends and family now and then. Everyday I wake up and feel so positive and happy about life

[rayongchelsea]

Came here at 21 in 1979. Still here, but am now just retired and will keep my home here but retire here full time, no. Looking at Spain.This country has deteriorated and will continue to do so.

I was lucky, if you are young no skills, no experience and no net work, forget about staying here full time....having said that this is a place for young people not for the retired ill equipped retirees who now come here...

[mogandave]

If I had it to do again I would have moved to Palo Alto.

[Neeranam]

I came here in 1988 aged 23, and wasted a lot of money coming back and forth. Kind of moved here permanently in 1999, failed, and back in 2011.

Now back in UK caring for my sick parents, but had a blast. My son actually seems to prefer it here (Scotland) than back in Kalasin.

Oh well, maybe everything happens for a reason...cue music...Limp bizkit/somtam

I agree, everything happens for a reason and we don't know the consequence of ANY event in this world of causality. Reminds me of a great story:

This farmer had only one horse, and one day the horse ran away. The neighbors came to condole over his terrible loss. The farmer said, "What makes you think it is so terrible?"

A month later, the horse came home--this time bringing with her two beautiful wild horses. The neighbors became excited at the farmer's good fortune. Such lovely strong horses! The farmer said, "What makes you think this is good fortune?"

The farmer's son was thrown from one of the wild horses and broke his leg. All the neighbors were very distressed. Such bad luck! The farmer said, "What makes you think it is bad?"

A war came, and every able-bodied man was conscripted and sent into battle. Only the farmer's son, because he had a broken leg, remained. The neighbors congratulated the farmer. "What makes you think this is good?" said the farmer.

[Neeranam]

i see many farangs having many things and many problems, 6 to 12 millions bahts house not even fully paid , kids in nice farang school, their lady playing madam, and the poor guys are drunk all day long, walking like zombies along the sukumvit or metro area of pattaya.... thinking "my god what should I do now at 55 with my 2 children , I m running low on cash soon and I have debts to pay, , who want me at 55 in UK to pay me peanuts?" then some jump from their balcony or pushed by their ladies to get life insurance. some are fighting with thai neighbour or lost all their saving in some dodgy business. they came to Thailand too early with millions of bahts and now are destitute because they wanted play the rich farang who can buy anything they wants. thailand can be tricky, you need to be very mature before establishing yourself in Thailand if you are young . the system can trick you, ladies will trick you. I know guys who have lost more money than if they have stayed in UK...

But at least in Thailand you are really living.

Whereas in the US I was merely waiting to die (I'm guessing UK same).

That's the way I feel my friends in the UK are - living a miserable life earning money with a dream to retire to Thailand. As I said before, they might die at 60.

[richard_smith237]

Came here at 22, 16 years ago.

Having worked a month x month rotation for most of those 16 years half of my life has been like a retirement here..

I'd definitely do the same again...

BUT: I would never have squandered career opportunities just to be in Thailand. That's where I suspect many trip up.

[JLCrab]

What would be the case if everything doesn't happen for a reason ... everything happens by random chance?

The reason I ended up staying long-term in Thailand was a series of random chances but only those that occur when you are actually in country ... not sitting at home browsing and chatting on the internet.

Edited July 1, 2013 by JLCrab

[YeahSiam]

i see many farangs having many things and many problems, 6 to 12 millions bahts house not even fully paid , kids in nice farang school, their lady playing madam, and the poor guys are drunk all day long, walking like zombies along the sukumvit or metro area of pattaya.... thinking "my god what should I do now at 55 with my 2 children , I m running low on cash soon and I have debts to pay, , who want me at 55 in UK to pay me peanuts?" then some jump from their balcony or pushed by their ladies to get life insurance. some are fighting with thai neighbour or lost all their saving in some dodgy business. they came to Thailand too early with millions of bahts and now are destitute because they wanted play the rich farang who can buy anything they wants. thailand can be tricky, you need to be very mature before establishing yourself in Thailand if you are young . the system can trick you, ladies will trick you. I know guys who have lost more money than if they have stayed in UK...

But at least in Thailand you are really living.

Whereas in the US I was merely waiting to die (I'm guessing UK same).

That's the way I feel my friends in the UK are - living a miserable life earning money with a dream to retire to Thailand. As I said before, they might die at 60.

Your point is valid but it's also worth remembering that the vast majority of people living and working back in the UK, US or wherever, have no desire WHATSOEVER to leave their homelands to move here or anywhere else.

It's very easy to forget that those of us who actually made the conscious decision to upsticks and emigrate are still in a very, very small minority.

I know many pensioners back home for whom the very notion of leaving the cradle of their births for the relative chaos of somewhere like Thailand would be anathema.

[Cheapcharly]

I like thailand, but staying in Thailand doing nothing all day is hard...

hard for your brain. you will become an idiot at the end...

how a 20 or 30 yo guy will finish if he stay in Thailand all his life and do nothing....?

[poanoi]

Like me i guess, tired of life

[mrtoad]

First time here was in 91, as a 18 year old on holiday. Visited fairly regularly and moved here at the age of 32. At times, I questioned the decision, but things have worked out fairly well and been her for 8 years now, and really only a change of job would be a reason to leave. There are plenty of people who have created nice lives for themselves in Thailand. It's not all doom and gloom.

[ravip]

100000 euro at 4%, and you can retire.

the question is what you do all day when 28?

hang out drink beer, then what?

stay on Internet, go out a little see what s going on, then back in room watch TV, go eat, get a beer, then come back, watch picture on dropbox, then what? date a lady, speak with friends you meet in the lobby of your 5000 bats hotel.

best is to work in Thailand, make plenty of money then retire. ...

are you lazy?

"best is to work in Thailand, make plenty of money then retire. ..."

Nope! I am not lazy. But to work in Thailand...??? Is it easy? Is work going a begging ?

Edited July 1, 2013 by ravip