We are middle aged couple from UK (late 30s) with a 4 m.o. daughter and looking to move to Thailand for a bit. I am mobile app/front end developer and plan on freelancing from Thailand. (already have solid customer base in UK/US).

The problem is , I am not sure where would be the best place to go, we've been to Phuket 4 times (+ usual trips to popular destinations like Phi Phi, James Bond Island) and to Bangkok.

I love some of the beaches in Phuket , like Freedom Beach, Paradise beach, Kata or Tri Trang beach, but don't want to actually LIVE in the busiest tourist hubs (like mid Patong) but somewhere quieter..

However, I'd still love to be able to not live far from a nice beach, and some nice restaurants, but have access to places to eat at local prices as well.

I'd like to rent a place (condo or house/flat) to about max 23,000THB/month.

Also a good internet connection is a must for my work. Would be nice if there were some other couples or mums with kids etc..

At the moment I'm thinking islands, but apart from couple big ones, they don't have airports, plus are probably more expensive.

In a month or so I'd like to come to Thailand to investigate possible alternatives, so any tips would be greatly appreciated!

The force will be out in full .....soon.....wp, immilaws, taxes...etc etc.....good luck.

Try Chalong or Kathu on Phuket. Maybe Krabi or Hua Hin area would suit you too.

Edited January 5, 201511 yr by benalibina

My favourite place is Hua Hin, still quaint in places, beach, clean, nightlife if you want it, good recreational facilities and infrastructure (internet), rail station and only 3 hours or so from Bangkok depending upon traffic. Relatively cheap aswell. Great selection of seafood restaurant, shopping centre selling western food/goods along with Thai markets.

You just told everyone you plan on working there and I bet that's you in your avatar right?

Mukdahan is the place for you. It has Mekhong beach.

Hua Hin. Working, are you sure ?

Quick quick delete delete

Thailand is not the best place to live with a baby to be honest. Think you'll find Phuket very different when living there. Perhaps try the quieter part of Kata towards the hills. Chalong is non-touristy but has nightmare traffic.

but not Cha Am-it's a terrible place...

working? When you do what you enjoy it's called having fun!

But no seriously, I am employed by a UK company, and pay taxes here, but sometimes I work remotely.

Edited January 5, 201511 yr by Slavomir

I personally favour Din Daeng in Bangkok. it's a perfect place to develop Asthma.

working? When you do what you enjoy it's called having fun!

But no seriously, I am employed but a UK company, and pay taxes here, but sometimes I work remotely.

Yeah yeah gel it up however you like.

Don't you hate not being able to edit an op sometimes.

Mukdahan has reliable internet. Mukdahan has lower rates of dengue fever than the islands. Mukdahan is not a fiefdom with locals who enjoy impunity from the law like the islands. Mukdahan does not have stupid tourist prices like the islands. Mukdahan is your number 1 choice.

yes, so another advice please.. how do I delete a post?

As you are now looking at best locations, can I assume that you have a way of complying with visa regulations to live in Thailand?

How do you plan on staying?

Thanks to those tips guys!, really appreciate it

wife, child I would say chiang maai. it has all you would need

There are hundreds if not thousands of farangs who work in Thailand doing internet based jobs whether that be to earn or supplement an income - affiliate marketing, programming, youtube etc. All relatively simple to do. I'd advise removing your avatar though.

Yes but they are single. Does he plan on lugging his family through immigration every 3 months?

Yes but they are single. Does he plan on lugging his family through immigration every 3 months?

What's wrong with taking a little trip abroad every once in a while ?

I hope you realize that Thailand is not so easy to stay longtime and certainly not cheap anymore. It seem Cambodia is coming up followed by Myanmar and Vietnam as popular and easier locations for your kind of business. They seem to increasingly target digital nomads for workpermits and visa problems in Thailand.

At the rentals that you mention you'd better look outside the really popular areas. Probably the Eastern Seaboard would give you more variety at shorter drives than Phuket. I would start looking from about 15 km south of Pattaya to Rayong city, good beaches not just tourists but other people that live and work here. Easy access to foreign food and groceries.

Slavomir I would think your first priority would be a decent Russian restaurant not a decent 99 Baht English breakfast.

wife, child I would say chiang maai. it has all you would need

+1

Absolutely agree.

Chiang Mai is the nicest place I've ever lived. It has everything a family could want -- except beaches.

Having lived a year amongst the constant tourist hubbub of white sand beaches , for me Chiang Mai

offers a much better life and I can fly to white sand beaches in Cha Am or Hua Hin as often as I like.

Chiang Mai has modern infrastructure, very good roads, great hospitals, lots of good schools, world-

class shopping malls, unbeatable supermarkets with excellent customer service, a no-hassle police

force and a friendly immigration office. You would be hard pressed to find any place to compare.

Having lived 26 years in Japan, Philippines and Thailand, and having studied retirement destinations

all over Asia, I'd be interested to hear any serious recommendations from anyone who's lived at least

5 yrs in Chiang Mai and knows a better place to live -- just out of curiosity, coz I ain't leaving here...

Puerto Rico. Dominican republic look at the internet submarine cable map. http://submarinecablemap.com/ best places for beach life and internet work

maybe somewhere other than Thailand, a place that will let you freelance, has immigration that actually welcomes foreigners and nice polite people...

Honestly, look somewhere else...the fact that people still want to come to this place is beyond me.

Although it is third world, Cambodia is much friendlier with immigration laws and allowing you to get set up working...Internet is just as good as in Thailand, and for all the crap that it has gone through, actually seems a little bit more stable at the moment than the "Land of Smiles."

Edited January 6, 201511 yr by Smurkster

I'm not 100% certain about Thailand but haven't been in nor investigated other places like Cambodia or Burma or Vietnam. That's why I want to go by myself for about a month or so , so I can investigate different areas, cities etc.

Chiang my is now definitely on my list to visit, so is Hua Hin and some others mentioned here. We might very well come just for a couple of months and then return to UK if it's not working out, so nothing is set in stone.

Thank you to all for some interesting tips and valuable insights.

wife, child I would say chiang maai. it has all you would need

+1

Absolutely agree.

Chiang Mai is the nicest place I've ever lived. It has everything a family could want -- except beaches.

Having lived a year amongst the constant tourist hubbub of white sand beaches , for me Chiang Mai

offers a much better life and I can fly to white sand beaches in Cha Am or Hua Hin as often as I like.

Chiang Mai has modern infrastructure, very good roads, great hospitals, lots of good schools, world-

class shopping malls, unbeatable supermarkets with excellent customer service, a no-hassle police

force and a friendly immigration office. You would be hard pressed to find any place to compare.

Having lived 26 years in Japan, Philippines and Thailand, and having studied retirement destinations

all over Asia, I'd be interested to hear any serious recommendations from anyone who's lived at least

5 yrs in Chiang Mai and knows a better place to live -- just out of curiosity, coz I ain't leaving here...

It appears we have done the same research and after being stamped in / out of over 50 countries over the last 40 years, I call Chiang Mai home...

I prefer Sai Mai on the North East side of Bangkok. Close to the expressway, Has Malls for shopping that dont require you to go into the city center and the airport is only 45 minutes away.

wife, child I would say chiang maai. it has all you would need

Agreed. Chiang Mai or Hua Hin.