International Living

[pdogg]

Some of you guys may be thinking of hanging up your spikes in Falangland, quitting your job, and moving overseas.

 

So who's thinking of making the big move?

 

If so, Thailand, the Philippines, elsewhere?

 

Or are you quite content with a trip or two a year?

 

What are big issues involved in your decision?

 

Btw, you might want to check out International Living Magazine.

 

Here's a link to it from our friends at Asia Hotel and Travel.

 

http://www.asiahotelandtravel.com/index.php?/topic/62-international-living/

[seven]

 

Some of you guys may be thinking of hanging up your spikes in Falangland, quitting your job, and moving overseas.

 

So who's thinking of making the big move?

 

 

 

Nope, not anymore. 6-8 months in the west, 4-6 months in the east, is ideal imo.

[bumblebee]

I am with seven on this one for now.  I have a nice set up here where I can work for over half the year and spend the colder, darker months of November to March in SE Asia without having to work if I take it relatively easy.  Maybe in a few years I'll see it differently.  Having spent extended time in los working before, I saw it for the warts and all that it is, not the paradise of shorter holidays.  So for now it will be a 60/40 break.

[JaiDee]

Me three. I made the big move in 2010 after doing half/half for years, put a few things in storage, gave away the rest, and figured I was gone for good. Thailand is cheap, warm, nice beaches, etc.....a perfect place to live the rest of my days. Save for a few stretches living in Montreal, about 2 years all told. Fact is, I missed my family and friends back in the northeast of America.  Missed driving a car. Good [cooler] weather. Sports. The language. The grocery stores, etc....

 

  Downsides; expensive as fuck, lack of culture, winter!, ex-wife, being a taxi service, bills [they seem to disappear in Thailand], extortionate, mafia-like prices for health care....did I mention lack of culture and being too expensive to afford a decent lifestyle?

 

Been back here a year now and my conclusion; the ol' 6/6 deal is the best way to go. The problem then becomes how to fund that way of life.

[seven]

  Missed driving a car. Good [cooler] weather. Sports. The language. The grocery stores, etc....

 

  Downsides; expensive as fuck, lack of culture, winter!, ex-wife, being a taxi service, bills [they seem to disappear in Thailand], extortionate, mafia-like prices for health care....did I mention lack of culture and being too expensive to afford a decent lifestyle?

 

 

I agree with all this. I like the seasons changing , except for the g**damm winter.

Plus, after  6 months in Thailand you're seriously wondering if you're going crazy, you know when you're trying to get your point across in  thainglish to that retarded 7/11 employee, then you know its time to go "home".

[JaiDee]

Isn't it great how there are no bills, also?   electric is usually included in the bill, phone costs about 30 bucks a month for 1-2-call top-offs, no heating, no cable or internet bills, etc.....here it seems like I am always paying a damn bill!

 

I stayed in Laos for 60 days in April and May of 2012, extended visa run/motorcycle tour. 20 bucks a night for good rooms, food is super-cheap, gas too..... a little bit of beer and entertainment, etc, all in for around 1K a month!  And no damn bills.

 

Where the hell else can you do that? Morning view from the balcony, not bad for 20 bucks; with internet, A/C and hot water all included in the price. I pay about 1700 a month for rent/utilities here and it's nowhere near as nice  555

[bumblebee]

It really isn't hard to spend a long time in Los on the cheap if you can manage to keep off the booze every night.  I have managed to get a decent room there for 3500 a month in a Thai area, comes to about 4500 when bills are added.  With the current exchange rate that's just over 100 euro a month, excellent.  Once the accommodation is sorted for the month then daily living expenses are not bad if I live a normal-ish lifestyle, 2 meals and some snacks along the way.  Jugs of beer in the PGB are a great deal to wile away an evening with friends every few days.

 

People ask me how can i stay there so long, and it really is just a case of switching out of 2 week holiday mode and getting down to basic living.  Do any of us go on the piss every night when we are at home?

[ArchieBunker]

I think its best if you can keep one foot in each place.  Everytime I have been to Thailand, I knew I would be coming back to Farangland after a bit.  the more time you spend in Thailand, the crazier (and more annoying) it seems.  but you must remember the mantra "their country, their rules".

[globetrotter]

It really isn't hard to spend a long time in Los on the cheap if you can manage to keep off the booze every night.  I have managed to get a decent room there for 3500 a month in a Thai area, comes to about 4500 when bills are added.  With the current exchange rate that's just over 100 euro a month, excellent.  Once the accommodation is sorted for the month then daily living expenses are not bad if I live a normal-ish lifestyle, 2 meals and some snacks along the way.  Jugs of beer in the PGB are a great deal to wile away an evening with friends every few days.

 

People ask me how can i stay there so long, and it really is just a case of switching out of 2 week holiday mode and getting down to basic living.  Do any of us go on the piss every night when we are at home?

 

 

wow 4500/month thats insanely cheap, but are you still close enough to walk or baht bus to all the action or do you have access to a car ?

[Foggy]

 

Some of you guys may be thinking of hanging up your spikes in Falangland, quitting your job, and moving overseas.

 

 

Well I did that 3 and a half years ago and didnt know how I would feel long term as I had to be either all in or all out, but havent regretted so far.

What does the future hold and whats coming next ??    Dont know but then, for me thats the fun of life.

 

I guess its all about what u do here and what u expect to experience from leaving every thing u have known in your life so far.

[xyzzy]

I once wanted to live in Thailand but now not so much. If I did go permanently it would be Phnom Penh I think. I've also considered moving to an American territory like Guam. Warm weather, maybe too warm that close to the equator, a reasonably short hop over to the Philippines and technically still in the US. I think that would allow me access to government programs like medicare when I hit 65? And I wouldn't be living "in the scene" all the time. 

Doing the 50-50 thing is difficult on my budget. So my trips are more like 2-3 months in the winter now. I have to keep the house up here and pay all the bills. My house isn't really of rental quality and not sure I would want to try and rent it for six months anyway. I live in a somewhat remote area and during my first six month trip my house and vehicle were badly vandalized. So I have that thought as a little bit of paranoia in the back of my mind. I do at least have a friend that drives by my house, to and from work on weekdays, that can see if something is terribly wrong. Like the time my vehicle wasn't at my house any longer. :-( He and another friend had to go to a towing yard and retrieve it in the dead of winter minus most of the glass. Not a burden I really like placing on my friends. Guess it would be easier if I lived in suburbia and had some friends/neighbors/relatives nearby. But that is not the case. So it complicates the situation.

In the foreseeable future I will go for as long as I feel I can afford that particular year. And watch my Internet camera captures to see if anyone is in my house. 

[bumblebee]

wow 4500/month thats insanely cheap, but are you still close enough to walk or baht bus to all the action or do you have access to a car ?

Good question GT.  I enjoy walking and Pattaya is a great place for an interesting stroll.  I live about 8 minutes from Sunee Plaza/Famous and Linda bar.  It's about 15 mins to the Pattaya Beer Garden and Beach road.  The Baht bus is a minutes walk away.  Now I have to admit i did buy a Samsung flat screen, we have our own large fridge also plus a table and couple of chairs we bought.

 

This is the room a few days before we moved in.

[globetrotter]

Good question GT.  I enjoy walking and Pattaya is a great place for an interesting stroll.  I live about 8 minutes from Sunee Plaza/Famous and Linda bar.  It's about 15 mins to the Pattaya Beer Garden and Beach road.  The Baht bus is a minutes walk away.  Now I have to admit i did buy a Samsung flat screen, we have our own large fridge also plus a table and couple of chairs we bought.

 

This is the room a few days before we moved in.

Looks just about perfect for someone of my needs

[JaiDee]

That would be perfectly fine for me also, especially at that price; did you find that having a Thai looking with you helped BB?

 

As I've always said, I'd rather be poor in Thailand than poor in America, more bang for the buck.

[bumblebee]

That would be perfectly fine for me also, especially at that price; did you find that having a Thai looking with you helped BB?

 

As I've always said, I'd rather be poor in Thailand than poor in America, more bang for the buck.

The owners don't seem to speak English and all the signs around the place are in Thai only, so yeah having her with me made the real difference communicating.  But in among the Thai text on the main notice one can clearly see 3000 and 3500, the latter price includes the bed. I guess many locals bring their own mattress and pay the former rate.

[Uncle]

This is a timely topic for me as lately, like a lot of other BM's, I've been giving this subject a lot of thought.

 

Speaking from experience I can say the idea of moving to live in the place where you take your holidays can be very alluring but as with a lot of things the reality is not always as good as the fantasy.

 

I tried this once in Australia and one of the things that affected me was having to work to survive in my idea of paradise. I don't mind working but doing it in the place where you should be having a holiday changed the way everything looked and felt.

The other mistake I made was burning all my bridges, selling my house, quitting my job etc as I was very confident things would work out. The result was a giant catastrophe which cost me a lot of money and my wife (funny how those two things go together) and it took me several years to re-establish myself back in my home town.

 

Lately I've been looking at Thailand and surrounds as a 6 months on 6 off proposition so I've invoked what I call my 4 year plan. 

 

In a nutshell In 4 years I'll be 61 years old, completely out of debt and in a position at work to take extended leave with pay. I intend to spend a couple of years doing what bumblebee does with the added benefit being I'll be on almost full pay.

If things work out I may quit my job at 63, get hold of my superanuation and spend 6 months of the year living in South East Asia and 6 months working casual back home.

 

If I feel I don't want to live this way I'll just stay at work until I retire at 66 years when I'll qualify for the Age Pension or part there of. Then I'll buy a motorhome to live in and take holidays in LOS when I feel like it.

 

I've noticed on the forums this subject seems to create a lot of arguments as to what it costs to live in Thailand long term so it was refreshing to read your post bumblebee and to see a picture of what is possible. 

 

Being a confirmed bachelor, and apart form the sex on tap, the availability of laundries, cheap food, cheap transport, cheap rent etc and being entertained by just going for a walk is something that really appeals to me about Asia. 

 

I wonder if anyone has thought about farang nursing/retirement homes in Thailand. Could be a growing market there.

 

I've found it's always good to have hopes and dreams as they tend to pull you through life.  

[bumblebee]

I've noticed on the forums this subject seems to create a lot of arguments as to what it costs to live in Thailand long term so it was refreshing to read your post bumblebee and to see a picture of what is possible. 

 

Cheers Uncle, but I live quite a simple, basic lifestyle when there now, that would not be to everyone's taste.  If one is happy enough to take it easy, not go out every night and mix eating between Thai and farang food it is quite cheap to live there.  

[Quietguy]

I'm now retired and could afford to live in LOS, but I wouldn't want to live there permanently, or even for more than a couple of months. I'm planning to go there for 60 days in Jan-March. If that works out ok I will probably do that every winter just to get away from the cold and dark in London.

[williethepimp]

@ uncle..nice post...i like the

 

"I've found it's always good to have hopes and dreams as they tend to pull you through life."

 

....for the last 4 years ive decamped to asia for the winter months...i can live there ok largely because like BB im happy enough to live simply....i'm not a party animal .

  I got so friggin depressd xmas time 4 years back,i promised myself that as long as i could do,i'd spend winter in asia....and that simple plan keeps me going thru the drudgery of my daily life-555

 

I'm not sure i could burn all my bridges ,sell everything and move to LoS,...I like to have a plan B in case the shit hits the fan...so at the moment,i'm happy how things are...

[Uncle]

@ uncle..nice post...i like the

 

"I've found it's always good to have hopes and dreams as they tend to pull you through life."

 

....for the last 4 years ive decamped to asia for the winter months...i can live there ok largely because like BB im happy enough to live simply....i'm not a party animal .

  I got so friggin depressd xmas time 4 years back,i promised myself that as long as i could do,i'd spend winter in asia....and that simple plan keeps me going thru the drudgery of my daily life-555

 

I'm not sure i could burn all my bridges ,sell everything and move to LoS,...I like to have a plan B in case the shit hits the fan...so at the moment,i'm happy how things are...

 

Thank's willie,

 

I'm also looking at escaping winter down under (even though we just had our warmest winter since recording began 150 years ago) which from my end of the world would mean spending the low season in Thailand.

I'm a minimalist and more than happy to live with the bare essentials of life which is another thing that attracts me plus I'm sick of finding a bill everytime I open my letterbox. 

[JaiDee]

 plus I'm sick of finding a bill everytime I open my letterbox. 

 

 yup, it gets old.

 

when in Thailand I don't even HAVE a letterbox, yet somehow I manage to live just fine.

[dixon cox]

I'm a minimalist and more than happy to live with the bare essentials of life which is another thing that attracts me plus I'm sick of finding a bill everytime I open my letterbox.

 

I agree... Escape from all the bills and endless direct debits is a burden-free existence I am pleasantly faced with at the moment.

 

I did the build-up of visits over previous years too, as many do, increasing from a month a year to two, then 3 months a year. The year before last was 6 months and last year was a continuous 13 months away in SE Asia. I've recently returned to Pattaya from a trip back to England for a month to see my parents, brother, nephews and niece and several good friends. All wrapped up in a fabulous British summer and it was thoroughly enjoyed, but even while there I still missed my simple life in SEAsia after a few weeks. Now I'm back in Pattaya to do it all over again.

 

My plan has always been to retire (or have the choice to do so) by the time I reached 50 years of age. My last day of work was a month before my 50th birthday last year.

 

As we all know, the more you're exposed to the scene the more you see things differently, but not necessarily in a negative way, so the need to indulge in P4P reduces over time and yes, sometimes I get a bit bored but that doesn't happen very often. In fact, the days often seem too short even though I have nothing to write home about. Also, having ladyboys on tap is not my primary reason for staying so long in Thailand but it's a nice bonus for whenever the pipes need a flush and my budget can easily accommodate my moderate mojo levels. Life is not one long holiday, that's for sure, but that's not why I'm here.

 

One big advantage of Thailand is the guys who come on vacation here and it's great to catch up with them when they do. It's also nice to ride along on their holiday-mode for a while, but not on the same holiday budget though. But I tuck some extra aside for when that time comes... soon, hurry up! 

 

Again, I concur with Uncle. I too require only a minimalist existence and am very happy with it and what I have, there's nothing I yearn for that is not out of reach. All those possessions I sold, threw away, or otherwise disposed of I have long since forgotten about and do not miss any of them at all. There were car loads of it taken to the dump or skipped, or given to a friend to eBay for me for a 50/50 split. It was all unnecessary baggage which I dragged around for decades prior to that and now it's gone I feel relieved.

 

The thought of going back to the UK to work again is not a very palatable one for me, not just because I do not currently have the urge to work anymore but because my income, while here, relies on renting a property in London and people are far more interested in long-term rentals than 6 months or less. Unfortunately after 3 years of renting my property it will become liable to an amount of Capital Gains Tax, while currently it incurs none. This means that any time after 3 years when I decide to sell it I will need to occupy the house again for a minimum of 6 months to avoid CGT. So when that time comes I may as well look for a job while I'm there and claim state benefits while I job hunt. But that's a good few years away yet.

 

I completed my tax returns online the other day in Pattaya. For anyone UK based considering renting and living overseas be sure to complete a NRL1 form before you leave which will allow you to collect your rent via an agent with no income tax deducted, also forms R85 and R105 allow you to request not have tax deducted at source from any interest paid on bank accounts (non ISA).

 

Being a landlord functions much like any other business with tax deductible elements too, such as; house insurance costs, VAT on management fees, interest on the mortgage, annual gas appliance checks plus a 10% 'wear and tear' reduction over the total rent received due to it being furnished. I'm sure other country's tax offices offer similar, so it's worth checking. After all is said and done, they now owe me almost £300   

 

The longer I stay in SEAsia the more things become fine-tuned. My most valued possession, besides my life, is my laptop, I use it so much that a very good and reliable internet connection is paramount, perhaps even my top priority. Where I currently stay I have a fast wired connection and I can barely remember it ever going off-line in over a year.

 

This post went around in circles a bit but it's just the way it came out... I'll go and put the kettle on