Moving to Thailand

Don't jump into anything, it is not as much of a Paradise as it seems, there are many more other countries, that are safer, cleaner, & kinder to there Expats.  There is no safety net in this country, life means nothing here. You can kill someone here and just go on with your life it you have money to pay a simple fine. No matter what anyone tells you about Thailand it is still  3rd world. At least come for 6 months, before making any decisions. Good Luck to you, Patrick

Hmm....thailand4me,  why are you staying in Thailand if you think so badly of it?

Thailand is a great country, The Thai people are very kind, they very open mind, they don´t judge one, and they do what every they can to make you fell at home here, and all ways trying to help you if they can.

Thailand have what every one need in life, one don´t have to miss things here (well i don´t miss anything here)
I don´t know of any other country where the local invite "foreigner" into they live / home  first time they see you.

Is it perfect in Thailand ?
Hell no, but what country is perfect ?

My experience come from living away from Tourist area,  between Thai, and 99% of my friends in Thailand is Thai.
I know it not for everyone to live like this, but i love it.


Have you being to Thailand before ??
Have you being here long time 1-2-3 month or more ??
If not try it first.
Can you (both) meet the requirement for a long time Visa / Extension here ?

Other then that, i hope you have a great time, Thailand is a super nice country, and the Thai people among the sweetest in the world from my point of view.

Kindly.

We have lived here for a couple of years and love it.  Originally from Canada and the US, you couldn't pay us enough to move back to either country.

Of course, the grass is always greener somewhere else. We love it here!  Not everybody does. We love the stinking hot weather, the chaos, the lack of rules and regulations, and the laissez faire attitude about everything.

We are lucky that we have a good private pension, government pension and other funds. I would not like to be living here on next to nothing. The novelty would soon wear off! Despite how cheap people say it is, realistically it adds up when you start adding in health insurance, visa fees, decent long-term accomodation and a little entertainment or travel.

If you are thinking of moving here, come over and stay in a few different places; Chiang Mai, Bangkok, Hua Hin, etc. Then you will have a better idea of where you would like to be and form your own opinions about the place. You can decide to love it or leave it.

Don't be influenced by all the naysayers. I will never really understand why people that don't like the place stick around. Life is too short!

martinaS24 wrote:

Hello everyone.
Me and my husband are planning to move to Thailand from our terrible cold country Czech Rep. I am trying to find some new friends and people who can share experience with moving to Thailand. Anybody to help?
Martina

Hi Martina

There are some important areas you need to think about before moving here. I see from some of your other posts that you and your husband are in your 30's.

Have you considered the following?

1. Visa status.
2. Working in Thailand-assuming you are not multimillionaires. Work permits etc.

How well do you know Thailand and the different areas of the country? Have you travelled around a bit?

I have lived here since 2008 but I am retired and that makes life a lot easier. I like Thailand warts and all! But it is not for everyone and there can be a bit of a culture shock after a while.

Overall the cost of living is still below that of Europe and yes the folk are quite friendly too. Sadly many of the folk who moan about Thailand(but still live here) probably have little experience of what the Thai culture is about since they live in expat enclaves. If you can achieve some level of integration life becomes a whole lot easier, learning the language and accepting that this is not the West are good starting points.

Whatever you do, initially can I suggest you don't burn all your bridges back home. You will find many posts on here where expats already living full time in Thailand advise that you come for 6 months, if that's possible and test the waters.

Can I also suggest that you ask more focused questions on the forum so people can offer specific advice on a topic.

Good luck with whatever you do.

Every country has pros and cons. A country might suit you because it can offer you all the pros

No offense but speaking the thai language and working with Thais since 1997 till date.

Here are my knowledge and experiences in reply to Never Done That comments about Thais.

Thais invite foreigners to their home the first time they met you is very subjective. It all depends to the colour of your skin and hair. Thais stay clear from Indians and Africans. They don't want to sit at the same table in the library.

Go to Philippines and Indonesia, the people there are very friendly too. Try big cities against villages is totally different as the locals behave differently for Thailand or philippines or Indonesia.

One need to know the Thais deep inside. Thais are friendly and polite, thus "don't know" is not in their vocabulary. You may talk a lot and they smile at you even they don't understand or know. They will nod their head and say Krub or Ka.

If you ask for direction and even they don't know, they will not tell you but point the direction. That is their nature because to say don't know is like stupid.

You can give them a map and all words are thai, they will turn the map 360 degrees and still turning. They may point you the wrong direction.

I already had all the knocks, kick, wild goose chase etc the first few years here. I'm still learning and became smarter.

Sorry I had to disagree on some points made here. Big difference if foreigner is blonde against a dark skin or tan skin foreigner. Try to find out yourself how the Thais treat Burmese or Cambodians or Laotian and you make the comments about foreigners.

Be happy and street smart

Thanks everyone for your great advices. I have plenty of time to make some decisions. I know that every country has + and - . I would like to meet anybody who have been living there for many years to share the experience, please write me to my email [email protected] to start the conversation. If you want of course. I am open for any experience and I am not definitely considering to stay in one place.
Have a nice day Martina

I have to am here to give financial support to my wife's family. All am really saying is research your move, before you make it.