This is what happens when you plan your life without sufficient funds. This post should be titled "Can't afford to go home...even to visit."

Sometimes plans don't work out. Life isn't that simple.

There are a zillion factors. How old are you? married, kids, debt, parents, work, etc...........some people can't do the cubicle for 100-years, some can. some like organized chaos. some like to be different. some like to escape. some like change, most hate it. the normal progression is school, work, marriage, kids, house, and then retire. some here likely go to school, work, travel, get bored at work, work, travel, and end up in Thailand. Other factors are the economy and health. Sure, greece and italy and spain might be better, but not right now. they are disasters. and for me, a westerner, i want VERY different....not just a little different. sure, should have picked Africa or India or even Myanmar, but i guess i didn't want it that different. my family sold their home, my home growing up. i've lived in 10 different cities......my gut tells me where i like to live and who i want to be friends with.

And what, like Thailand isn't a "disaster" right now?

Strange question. Of course Thailand isn't a "disaster". It may have a few problems, but nothing it hasn't faced before and overcome.

Perhaps they could make credit less easy to obtain, so people didn't get into debt, but mostly the place is the same as 20 years ago, but with new cars and buildings. Roads are better though, but too many cars on them.

This is what happens when you plan your life without sufficient funds. This post should be titled "Can't afford to go home...even to visit."

Sometimes plans don't work out. Life isn't that simple.

More likely it was a "blue-sky" plan to begin with.

There are a zillion factors. How old are you? married, kids, debt, parents, work, etc...........some people can't do the cubicle for 100-years, some can. some like organized chaos. some like to be different. some like to escape. some like change, most hate it. the normal progression is school, work, marriage, kids, house, and then retire. some here likely go to school, work, travel, get bored at work, work, travel, and end up in Thailand. Other factors are the economy and health. Sure, greece and italy and spain might be better, but not right now. they are disasters. and for me, a westerner, i want VERY different....not just a little different. sure, should have picked Africa or India or even Myanmar, but i guess i didn't want it that different. my family sold their home, my home growing up. i've lived in 10 different cities......my gut tells me where i like to live and who i want to be friends with.

And what, like Thailand isn't a "disaster" right now?

Strange question. Of course Thailand isn't a "disaster". It may have a few problems, but nothing it hasn't faced before and overcome.

Perhaps they could make credit less easy to obtain, so people didn't get into debt, but mostly the place is the same as 20 years ago, but with new cars and buildings. Roads are better though, but too many cars on them.

An unstable political system that has seen two or three military coups in the last decade (I've lost count) that is currently ruled by a military junta, restrictions on speech, assembly, and the press that are the hallmark of military governments, massive droughts throughout the country, an economy that has hit the skids, with agricultural crop prices from rice to rubber at decade long lows, exports down sharply, and a tourism sector that's floundering. Massive social, educational, and income inequities; as you mentioned, massive private consumer debt levels as well has rising public sector debt. A capitol city that was looted and burned by civil unrest only a couple years ago. Massive environmental degradation of beaches and forests; scandalous labour conditions, akin to slavery, in the ocean fishing industry, and human-trafficing and summegling rings when trade in human misery and death. Other that this, however, everything's fine...even the roads.

There are a zillion factors. How old are you? married, kids, debt, parents, work, etc...........some people can't do the cubicle for 100-years, some can. some like organized chaos. some like to be different. some like to escape. some like change, most hate it. the normal progression is school, work, marriage, kids, house, and then retire. some here likely go to school, work, travel, get bored at work, work, travel, and end up in Thailand. Other factors are the economy and health. Sure, greece and italy and spain might be better, but not right now. they are disasters. and for me, a westerner, i want VERY different....not just a little different. sure, should have picked Africa or India or even Myanmar, but i guess i didn't want it that different. my family sold their home, my home growing up. i've lived in 10 different cities......my gut tells me where i like to live and who i want to be friends with.

And what, like Thailand isn't a "disaster" right now?

Strange question. Of course Thailand isn't a "disaster". It may have a few problems, but nothing it hasn't faced before and overcome.

Perhaps they could make credit less easy to obtain, so people didn't get into debt, but mostly the place is the same as 20 years ago, but with new cars and buildings. Roads are better though, but too many cars on them.

An unstable political system that has seen two or three military coups in the last decade (I've lost count) that is currently ruled by a military junta, restrictions on speech, assembly, and the press that are the hallmark of military governments, massive droughts throughout the country, an economy that has hit the skids, with agricultural crop prices from rice to rubber at decade long lows, exports down sharply, and a tourism sector that's floundering. Massive social, educational, and income inequities; as you mentioned, massive private consumer debt levels as well has rising public sector debt. A capitol city that was looted and burned by civil unrest only a couple years ago. Massive environmental degradation of beaches and forests; scandalous labour conditions, akin to slavery, in the ocean fishing industry, and human-trafficing and summegling rings when trade in human misery and death. Other that this, however, everything's fine...even the roads.

Perhaps you weren't around for the last financial crisis, but it was severe at the time. Good for expats though as the baht fell a lot. Never know it happened now though.

The damaged buildings in Bkk few years ago have all been repaired, never know it happened.

The tourist industry has got too big, too greedy and needs to be corrected by a downturn.

No drought up north. My wife is complaining of rain all the time.

The present government is far better than anything from Taksin on. Previous good government was Leekpai, and that was a very long time ago.

Way more than 3 coups since "democracy" was introduced to Thailand in the 30s.

Everything else you mention has been situation normal for many decades.

As I said before, nothing new and Thailand will survive.

An unstable political system that has seen two or three military coups in the last decade (I've lost count) that is currently ruled by a military junta, restrictions on speech, assembly, and the press that are the hallmark of military governments, massive droughts throughout the country, an economy that has hit the skids, with agricultural crop prices from rice to rubber at decade long lows, exports down sharply, and a tourism sector that's floundering. Massive social, educational, and income inequities; as you mentioned, massive private consumer debt levels as well has rising public sector debt. A capitol city that was looted and burned by civil unrest only a couple years ago. Massive environmental degradation of beaches and forests; scandalous labour conditions, akin to slavery, in the ocean fishing industry, and human-trafficing and summegling rings when trade in human misery and death. Other that this, however, everything's fine...even the roads.

You don't really have a clue what you're talking about.

None of that BS constitutes a "disaster".

I don't wish to return to my country of origin.

I have nothing to go back to (that is worthwhile).

It's called imposing and most here are old enough to know not to make things awkward with family and friends by intruding, get a hotel or something close by when visiting, I've done both and would rather save the $ for my own accommodation any day.

There are a zillion factors. How old are you? married, kids, debt, parents, work, etc...........some people can't do the cubicle for 100-years, some can. some like organized chaos. some like to be different. some like to escape. some like change, most hate it. the normal progression is school, work, marriage, kids, house, and then retire. some here likely go to school, work, travel, get bored at work, work, travel, and end up in Thailand. Other factors are the economy and health. Sure, greece and italy and spain might be better, but not right now. they are disasters. and for me, a westerner, i want VERY different....not just a little different. sure, should have picked Africa or India or even Myanmar, but i guess i didn't want it that different. my family sold their home, my home growing up. i've lived in 10 different cities......my gut tells me where i like to live and who i want to be friends with.

You took the words out of my mouth, except the last part, about that friends thing, i stop having friends, its to difficult to trust , but this is a personal issue.

As i live in thai for 15 years, never went back to where i came from, but i do miss it sometimes, and when i miss things i go to google maps, and enter streetview, it takes 10 minutes to realize that i exualy dont miss a thing, and that i have a great life in thailand. After moving houses 17 times, changed cars 14 times, and be cheated and robed of money and my child and left with nothing in thai, i still survive, everything still better here than going back to my country of birth. You just have to lern the language, the system, the way of life and living in thailand like all thai's have to.