Moving to Thailand? Best Decision Ever.

Many people ask about my website’s title ‘Live Less Ordinary’ apparently it’s confusing but in truth everything is there in the name (idiots). To beef it up a bit…. it is about my decision to ‘live a lifestyle less ordinary to others’. Of course this can be in infinite ways but here, on my website, it follows my own decision to leave behind conventional life in the UK and follow my passion. My passion being moving to Thailand and by doing so I created the life I’ve always dreamed of. Note when I made this decision I made it alone, I travelled alone, I moved to Thailand alone and while this post isn’t to inspire others I hope can encourages them to live their lives as their own and to not follow the aspirations of others. I think you’ll find this post to be little more than a nana nanana.

 

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My Lengthy Move to Thailand

I’ll not convince you to sell everything, jump on a plane and leave it all behind… life’s too short etc. I think this approach is nuts… but it does work for some. I am personally more risk averse, I always think long-term and am obsessive with planning. Therefore moving to Thailand for me follows a more lengthy route, a route I fully commit to and by doing so I can now say I am living my dream life. While I’ve spent shorter periods living in Thailand previous it wasn’t until 2011 when I finally committed on moving to Thailand permanently. The first time I visited Thailand was back in 2003 when I fell in love with the country only to skulk back home (UK) 6 months later with no money or income. From then on I was desperate on moving to Thailand and visited regularly for shorter periods. It wasn’t until 2007 when I pushed on moving to Thailand permanently and I did this through buying property in Bangkok (full story and guide here). Why didn’t I make the move earlier? Because of uncertainty, I didn’t want to ‘slum it’ and aimed to create a secure and comfortable lifestyle ahead before moving to Thailand. While buying property offered me security it also meant sacrifices and for four years I lived with my parents, worked hard, saved every penny and killed my social life. Moving to Thailand in 2011 was in no doubt worth it.

 

My Lifestyle Design

Moving to Thailand was not for self discovery as I’ve always known myself and bar my shiny new lifestyle there are few things changed with my personality. I still hold my flaws and fears, I play way too much xbox and drink lots of whiskey, I am as cynical as ever and now blog like a naive teenager, mostly because I can. Moving to Thailand was not about creating ‘a better me’ it was about fulfilling me. For me lifestyle design is about accepting who you are and shaping a lifestyle to compliment your desires. I don’t want to be the poor schmo chasing down achievements in the gym; following wealth, popularity, recognition and other intangible credentials. I’m that happy go lucky schmo kicking back with a beer in hand, food in the other, probably watching crap on TV. In short don’t follow the aspirations of society or others it’s about you.

  

My New Life in Thailand

It’s now 3 years since moving to Thailand and I’m not so different to before (as above). That being said I do wake each morning when I want, often earlier than back home because mornings are a whole lot less depressing. No working hours, no social obligations and my urgent responsibilities include feeding my cute Persian cat… and maybe rubbing her belly. When I decide to do work its either before I get out of bed, maybe out lounging by my balcony or next to the condo infinity pool. Please note I am not some rich kid, my upbringing was closer to working class and I lived off hand-me-downs, bowl cut haircuts and brown sauce sandwiches. I just knew what I desperately wanted and made sure it came. If I didn’t commit on moving to Thailand? I’d probably be in my hometown, working a civil service job, pissing my wages up the wall. Oh, did I mention I married the most amazing girl to have walked this earth, we married this time last year in Ubud, Bali.

  

Is Thailand for You?

I won’t sell Thailand as perfect because, as with all countries, it has its flaws. 7/11s don’t sell alcohol in working hours, KFC just dropped their Thai green curry…. there’s no doubt more. For me however it is perfect and my lifestyle and happiness on moving to Thailand are tenfold. To be honest the worst for many moving to Thailand are the temptations; the nightlife, the affordable luxuries, the potential for hedonism and the inevitable nose dive into self loathing. This is often the norm for many as part of an ego boost or maybe a midlife crisis but few resurface with too many happy tales to tell. Best to avoid. So as I said I’m not here to sell moving to Thailand, we are each to our own, but I can’t imagine a better lifestyle on my current budget than here in Thailand.

 

Funding my Lifestyle

I own my condo, I am not a consumer, I hate socialising, I detest shopping. This makes life easy to afford. For income I use the interweb which in honesty doesn’t take a genius these days. Build a relatively successful website then sell advertising on thus website. In my case I own travel websites and sell advertising and links to travel related companies. I don’t go all out on selling advertising however as it tends to be for shit companies which I’d never touch myself. Instead affiliate sales is my likely focus taking commission from sales and bookings made through my websites, and of course with companies I do recommend.

  

North, South, East or Central Thailand?

There are a number of options on moving to Thailand each with their own perks and downfalls. I’ll try quickly sum up each without stereotyping… too much. Starting central is Bangkok and big city life, exciting and convenient for almost everything (my choice on moving to Thailand). However Bangkok is expensive compared to elsewhere (Check here for living in Bangkok) so expats on smaller budgets moving to Thailand generally opt for the North of Thailand and Chiang Mai. This area is cool(er) with a mountainous backdrop and is littered with backpackers, hippies and travel bloggers. Working down the map we have the the islands and popular beach resorts in the south which again can be expensive. As a beach scrooge the south never really appealed to me. The cheapest option however is the North East of Thailand and the Isaan regions which are also undoubtedly the most boring. In Isaan there’s little more than rice paddies, moldy concrete sprawls, buffalo and Thai brides. Check here for living a Thai simple life in Isaan.