Expat Exits - back of the envelope statistics

[yogi100]

On 1/6/2017 at 8:33 AM, mick220675 said:

In the village I live in over the last 15 years there have been 5 farangs who have come and gone. Lack of money, health problems and women problems have all contributed.

 

 

 

Five have come and gone.

How many have come to live there and are still there after those same last 15 years? Roughly.

[yogi100]

On 1/6/2017 at 8:56 AM, Emster23 said:

" I heard the number is extremely high (close to 100%), but that may depend on where a person is living. "

 Well I heard the number is over 100%.... haha. One 'hears" all sorts of BS, and this is good example. Most if not all the expats I know (small sample for sure) have no intention of moving back to what was home. Perhaps there is data somewhere regarding non renewal of retirement visas might give some loose indication....

 

I've known several expats who had no intention of ever going 'home'. Then they either ran out of money or they had serious health problems and they were gone.

 

Most of us Westerners have to come to detest or even hate what our own countries have become in the last few decades and there's very little else that could persuade to return to the land of our birth.

[glegolo]

1 hour ago, zorro1 said:

"reality-based than prostitution, bars and beers and drunken buddies."
This is a reason to leave? I couldn't think of a better reason to stay.
You think these guys go back home to drink tea and attend bible study groups.. They will do exactly the same thing except now they are LONELY
I would rather slit my wrists than be forced to live in Nakon nowhere..

 

Well the reason for leave for these Pattaya guys, is purely for; liver-transplants. healing gonorea and other genital-desises, and being taken care of in their home-land efter wearing out their bodies completely.... Now, do you understand...

 

About slit your wrist, yes you are unning the risk of that, living and drinking full time in Pattaya (i.e.) Nakhon somewhere here we come, a much better and fulfilling life waits ahead..

 

Glegolo

[kunfish]

On 1/5/2017 at 2:25 PM, bartender100 said:

Why do you want to know? why is it so important to you? anyone answering would just be guessing anyway

Because people are inquisitive, esp. after when they have heard something?

 

Sure, I implied it was guessing. This is not a scientific study. But if you gather enough responses...

 

I guess I could ask you: why did you bother responding?

 

 

[kunfish]

On 1/5/2017 at 4:30 PM, glegolo said:

I think you hit a point where you mention; It may be where a person is living in Thailand !!!

 

I think that when a person is moving to, and trying to stay indefinately; in particularly Pattaya, but also Phuket, they will eventually be moving back to their home-countries (if they survive the many jumps that is), or maybe relocate to destionations inside Thailand that is more reality-based than prostitution, bars and beers and drunken buddies..

 

Expats moving to the country-side or other more "serios" towns like Udon T and Khon Kaen and others, I think they stay much more in percentage for the rest of their lifes......

 

But this is what I think..

Glegolo

Would make sense that more internationally visited places would be more transient. People think they can get everything there, maybe are semi-serious about living there, then figure it is not for them. Or they blow all their money.

[kunfish]

2 hours ago, yogi100 said:

 

Five have come and gone.

How many have come to live there and are still there after those same last 15 years? Roughly.

Their unexpected events. Had those events not occurred, they may have stayed. Somewhat forced out.

[kunfish]

3 hours ago, dbrenn said:

I agree. The ever tightening, vague and arbitrarily changing immigration rules are driving more people away than any other reason I can think of. Expats don't feel that they have a long term future. 

I'm sure one could get sick of feeling like a guess and not be allowed to call the country their own, simply because they are not citizens. And with the arbitrariness, as you describe, get sick of it and go back home.

 

 

[zorro1]

 
Well the reason for leave for these Pattaya guys, is purely for; liver-transplants. healing gonorea and other genital-desises, and being taken care of in their home-land efter wearing out their bodies completely.... Now, do you understand...
 
About slit your wrist, yes you are unning the risk of that, living and drinking full time in Pattaya (i.e.) Nakhon somewhere here we come, a much better and fulfilling life waits ahead..
 
Glegolo

Nonsense. Alcoholics are not permitted to be on a liver transplant lists for obvious reasons.

They will die here or at home. Use a condom no STD.

Your struggling in Nakon nowhere and not thinking straight lol

[kunfish]

12 hours ago, cabanlit said:

I left for many reasons:

1) The climate got me down - same, same, same, same

2) The 'sanook' culture. It is just constant silliness and stupidity, with few areas of seriousness

3) Tired of not being able to challenge bad services and 'cannot'.

4) The costs. Just how is chicken, apples, orange juice, etc etc etc more expensive in a low cost economy like Thailand, than in a high cost economy in Europe.

5) Schooling for my 'mixed' child. My flesh and blood deserves the education and life chances that I had. That is never, ever going to happen with the opportunities that an education (even a private one) and career in Thailand offers.

 

I could go on, but I won't. Settled back in Europe now for 4 years,  my child is doing great at school with a wonderful curriculum, lots of sporting / outdoor activities after-school and at weekend, a clear roadmap for her future, and so many cultural activities and places to visit anywhere in Europe.

Many things add up and its the straw that broke the camel's back. I can see the boredom factor for a lot of the country. There's a lot more variety of things to do  in the USA or Europe, but there's the opportunity to visit there. 

Nice now in other countries, you can do the challenge about bad service and get your money back or things corrected, but in Thai culture it seems to be "accept it."

 

Prices are crazy there on many things. 

[kunfish]

22 hours ago, JAFO said:

I actually think the number the OP stated is really the other way around. I'd venture to say that only maybe 10% tops exit back to their home country. There are a host of reasons why they do, but I think the vast majority are "lifers" here. I know I have zero intentions of exiting so it can't be 100% LOL and if you toss in the few others that posted in this thread already the % gets lower.

 

In the end it would be virtually impossible to gather stats to make a factual study. Not all foreigners post on TVF and many do not even visit websites so you have no access to those numbers.

 

 

 

 

True, but you can gather enough anecdotal evidence to make some roughly right estimate (SWAG - scientific wild ass guess). Yes, there are those who are not on TVF and those completely off the grid.

 

I may move there in the near future (4 years), but I will have to see how I like it. I think I can like it, but it might only be permanent for a short time. Time will tell.

[kunfish]

On 1/5/2017 at 7:59 PM, Wake Up said:

How fortunate we are to have choices. I am an American but have traveled extensively all over the world. I have friends who live in South America, USA, Europe especially Spain, Thailand and Malaysia.  We all have different wants and needs but what amazes me is how good Thailand is to live in and how good a lot of Thailand people are to expats. Yes there are Thai people who have taken an expats life savings and Thai youth that are angry and not all is rosy all day. But compared to the rest of the planet Thailand offers many many different climates to live in and for a very good price and generally good accepting people. 

 

They dont want you to own property, they want you to report every 90 days, traffic in big cities but true every where in the world, imported cheese cost more but when you compare Thailand to other countries as an expat, Thailand has many advantages and thus I have trouble understanding all the people that live here but complain everyday. 

 

For the price, amenities and ease of life Thailand is hard to beat. 

 

Peace. 

You put it nicely. Nice to have the conversation broaden. That's a good argument for staying. Thanks for sharing your perspective, nowhere is perfect. Sure, as retirement time comes up, too, and you have done many things and been to many places, why not go to Thailand to retire!

[zorro1]

I left for many reasons:
1) The climate got me down - same, same, same, same
2) The 'sanook' culture. It is just constant silliness and stupidity, with few areas of seriousness
3) Tired of not being able to challenge bad services and 'cannot'.
4) The costs. Just how is chicken, apples, orange juice, etc etc etc more expensive in a low cost economy like Thailand, than in a high cost economy in Europe.
5) Schooling for my 'mixed' child. My flesh and blood deserves the education and life chances that I had. That is never, ever going to happen with the opportunities that an education (even a private one) and career in Thailand offers.
 
I could go on, but I won't. Settled back in Europe now for 4 years,  my child is doing great at school with a wonderful curriculum, lots of sporting / outdoor activities after-school and at weekend, a clear roadmap for her future, and so many cultural activities and places to visit anywhere in Europe.

I don't know where you live but a bottle of water in Oz is 100 Baht.

You came here for the girls, found one and had a family
Your priorities changed. It's only natural.

It's a shame more expats don't posts after their first European winter.. They would be wet dreaming about thailand.
Grass is always Greener until you hit zero degrees!

[kunfish]

6 minutes ago, zorro1 said:

I don't know where you live but a bottle of water in Oz is 100 Baht.

You came here for the girls, found one and had a family
Your priorities changed. It's only natural.

It's a shame more expats don't posts after their first European winter.. They would be wet dreaming about thailand.
Grass is always Greener until you hit zero degrees!

My wife is saying, on the whole Thailand cheaper and better. Of course, it helps to already have money saved up when you go there - permanently.

 

We will find out in April when we go there, look things over. What's best if you have a little land and can grow your own fruits and vegetables. That's a lot of "free" healthy eating.

[Slickrick]

Dotpoom hit the nail on the head.  

[kunfish]

1 minute ago, Slickrick said:

Dotpoom hit the nail on the head.  

Some people are interested in the odds due to an interest in considering to live there.  When hearing such a high percentage leaving, it doesn't hurt to ask what's up. Isn't it? Nice to inquire and wonder if a lot of people get disgruntled with life wherever they live. And some people may be disgruntled no matter where they live.

 

And if someone feels it's not an important thing to ask, then it's interesting they take the time to respond. Ironic, isn't it?

[Slickrick]

18 minutes ago, kunfish said:

Some people are interested in the odds due to an interest in considering to live there.  When hearing such a high percentage leaving, it doesn't hurt to ask what's up. Isn't it? Nice to inquire and wonder if a lot of people get disgruntled with life wherever they live. And some people may be disgruntled no matter where they live.

 

And if someone feels it's not an important thing to ask, then it's interesting they take the time to respond. Ironic, isn't it?

These are good points.  

[Bcgardener]

I'm in Sydney for a Christmas holiday from my work in Thailand. It's 30 degrees and the beach is clean with blue water. An early morning trip to the beach will usually mean a dolphin sighting over my morning expresso. Can't wait to get back here later this year when work finishes. Thailand might be paradise to most of you Europeans but it it isn't to a guy who grew up on Sydney's beaches and can't wait to get back away from the squalor of a third world country.

[Grubster]

4 hours ago, dbrenn said:

I agree. The ever tightening, vague and arbitrarily changing immigration rules are driving more people away than any other reason I can think of. Expats don't feel that they have a long term future. 

I can see Thailand's point of an expat having to have enough resources to be able to comfortably afford living here. Why should they end up taking care of us?  I don't really understand the age limitation though. I know a few guys that are not able to cover any high cost medical care here and I would not want to be in that position. I have seen a few go home for various reasons but most I know have been here for many years and enjoy it.

[dbrenn]

37 minutes ago, Grubster said:

I can see Thailand's point of an expat having to have enough resources to be able to comfortably afford living here. Why should they end up taking care of us?  I don't really understand the age limitation though. I know a few guys that are not able to cover any high cost medical care here and I would not want to be in that position. I have seen a few go home for various reasons but most I know have been here for many years and enjoy it.

You are right in that most if not all of the unfriendly immigration changes have been targeted at the less wealthy expats. Those who are cashed up have various new visa options, such as 10 year retirement visas and 20 year elite visas, the latter allowing unfettered access to Thailand regardless of age.

 

That said, I do miss the variety of expat that one used to run into. Some of the less well off were also the most interesting and colourful characters. 

Edited January 7, 2017 by dbrenn

[yogi100]

54 minutes ago, kunfish said:

Their unexpected events. Had those events not occurred, they may have stayed. Somewhat forced out.

 

Five falangs have arrived and gone in 15 years from this village.

 

How many falangs who also arrived 15 years ago are still there.  Do you know, or are you aware of how many falangs have taken up residence in this village over the 15 year period and if so approximately how many are still there?

 

The number or at least an estimate of those who have remained would enable us to work out a rough percentage

 

If it's 5 out of a hundred it represents 5% while if it's 5 out of 20 it represents 25% etc.

[yogi100]

3 hours ago, zorro1 said:

Nonsense. Alcoholics are not permitted to be on a liver transplant lists for obvious reasons.

They will die here or at home. Use a condom no STD.

Your struggling in Nakon nowhere and not thinking straight lol

 

How did George Best get one then?

[zorro1]

And what did he do after that? He is the reason why alcoholics do not qualify!

[yogi100]

1 hour ago, Bcgardener said:

I'm in Sydney for a Christmas holiday from my work in Thailand. It's 30 degrees and the beach is clean with blue water. An early morning trip to the beach will usually mean a dolphin sighting over my morning expresso. Can't wait to get back here later this year when work finishes. Thailand might be paradise to most of you Europeans but it it isn't to a guy who grew up on Sydney's beaches and can't wait to get back away from the squalor of a third world country.

 

What's Sydney like for women? For most of us who are of an age when we could realistically become expats in the LOS the chances of enjoying decent female companionship back home in our various Falanglands are pretty remote or more accurately non existent.

[stevemac]

My wife is saying, on the whole Thailand cheaper and better. Of course, it helps to already have money saved up when you go there - permanently.
 
We will find out in April when we go there, look things over. What's best if you have a little land and can grow your own fruits and vegetables. That's a lot of "free" healthy eating.

Yes some great advantages. I've got a rural place in Chiang Rai, can go into the garden and harvest mango, papaya, lam yai, limes, bananas, chillies, strawberries, lemon grass, galangal and many other herbs and vegetables that only my other half can name. Throw it in and it grows. I have little farang contact (due to location) and a great relationship with all in the village. Do have a lot of time out of country due to work in Europe Africa and the Middle East but had a place here 13 yrs. Cant wait to retire completely in the next couple of years. Fantastic place.

Sent from my SM-G920F using Thaivisa Connect mobile app

[opalred]

how can you 

when she has ATM card and i am chained to a bed with 2 broken legs

[cabanlit]

8 hours ago, zorro1 said:

I don't know where you live but a bottle of water in Oz is 100 Baht.

You came here for the girls, found one and had a family
Your priorities changed. It's only natural.

It's a shame more expats don't posts after their first European winter.. They would be wet dreaming about thailand.
Grass is always Greener until you hit zero degrees!

 

I'm in a country now where it's perfectly safe to fill a bottle with tap water - fresh, cool and free.

 

I came for work actually, but, yes, did find a girl and we moved back to Europe before, eventually, moving back to Thailand.

 

That's where the points I make come in, and, of course, priorities change as you get more experience of living in a place - Thai grass isn't always greener than that in Europe.

 

In the European winter now and it's great. Cold, but that won't last, and it'll be wonderful again in spring, summer and early autumn. 4 different seasons are better than 1 same one.

[mick220675]

23 hours ago, yogi100 said:

 

Five have come and gone.

How many have come to live there and are still there after those same last 15 years? Roughly.

Just me, but in the wider area I would say the number of foreigners staying has remained stable possibly a small drop of around 5 to 10%.

[kunfish]

17 hours ago, yogi100 said:

 

How did George Best get one then?

 

Alcoholics can get livers. I know a guy in the states that was going to get one (ended up not needing it) and they said if he drank anymore he'd die. Medication solved that problem (so far). Anyway, a 2nd liver would be out of the question, they said. I don't know how they monitor, but they are not allowed to drink following the new liver. There's another informal survey: how many alcoholics get a new liver and end up drinking again?

[kunfish]

16 hours ago, stevemac said:

Yes some great advantages. I've got a rural place in Chiang Rai, can go into the garden and harvest mango, papaya, lam yai, limes, bananas, chillies, strawberries, lemon grass, galangal and many other herbs and vegetables that only my other half can name. Throw it in and it grows. I have little farang contact (due to location) and a great relationship with all in the village. Do have a lot of time out of country due to work in Europe Africa and the Middle East but had a place here 13 yrs. Cant wait to retire completely in the next couple of years. Fantastic place.

Sent from my SM-G920F using Thaivisa Connect mobile app
 

Sounds great. It sounds worth doing for awhile at least. It is amazing what you can grow year round. I'm surprised by how fast stuff grows, also. Get some chickens and whatnot and have much of your food right there. Would love to grow avacados. Great for diet and health and they even taste good. 

 

[kunfish]

13 hours ago, opalred said:

how can you 

when she has ATM card and i am chained to a bed with 2 broken legs

That should help the statistics of who stays. Just have to watch out for bedsores.