So , why have I retired in Thailand’s 1000’s of miles away from the UK , and family.
I have my reasons, and I will go into those, so if you are thinking of retiring in the land of smiles, or in any other country for that matter , you will have to do a bit of soul searching. Everyone one is different, different circumstances and different personality’s, so what may be perfect for me , I may not be for you.
First of all , you have to understand me and my circumstances. I have lived abroad before and I also left Belfast , N Ireland and joined the Army, so living abroad and moving from my family roots were hard , but taken early in my life. Being in the Army I worked and stationed abroad and tasted and experienced the different cultures around the world, from Belize to Hong Kong. So I suppose me moving and living in another country was not a big a move as say, someone who has never worked abroad and has close family ties , where they live.
The biggest emotional tear, was leaving man 25 year old son, the same son I brought up, by myself, for a very long time. We are close and as moving to Thailand was my dream, and not his, I knew that I would not be taking him with me. This, to me was very hard. On a positive note, he has grown so much, matured and became an adult, I really believe this would not have happened if he had of stayed with me.
When I was in the Army, and not all that far away from my then girlfriend, having to queue for ages waiting to use a telephone to speak to her, and sometimes, getting annoyed and frustrated when she either never answered my cal or the phone was engaged. Oh, the times when we did not have mobile phones, lol. In the British Army, we had, and I still think they have now, letters called “Bluies” These were letters that you folded and when you stuck the sticky flaps at the side , you could post then for free, regardless of where you were in the world. So letters and the old telephones were the only way you could communicate with your friends and love ones.
Oh , how things have changed, Facebook messenger, Viber, Line and Skype being a few ways of chatting for free across the world. Regardless of the time difference, So you can communicate with your family back home a lot easier than you could 10 – 15 years ago.
One of the reasons I moved away from the Uk was a simple one, money. I have a reasonable pension, and as my wife, who ~I met in the UK does not have a work bases pension , we both live on my pension. Now the whole idea of retirement, well my idea of retirement is that you don’t have to work, mmm to retire lol. As I was a single parent I did not own a house or property and when I retired i was unable to buy a house. Even if I did, my pension would not cover, council tax, tax, water, electric bills, not to mention mobile phone and all the cost of having a car. So if I had stayed, I would have to work again and continue n the day-to-day grind.
In Thailand, my pension covers my expenses and I was able to buy my house outright and there is no such thing as council tax etc. We can live comfortably and the water electric are a lot cheaper here. If you want to live the same as you have in your home country, then it can be a lot more expensive, buying UK food, ( HP sauce, branston pickle etc lol) Or items from Germany , Australia and the States are also available , but at a price.
The price of property in Thailand, just like at home, depends on the area you want to live in. It is still cheaper than buying property in the UK and you can get a nice house or flat ( Called Condos here ) for your money. However, remember only Thai’s can own land in Thailand, so get legal advice before buying property , as if there is a dispute between you and your other half, if they are Thai, you have lost. It’s a fact here and one of many things you have to understand and accept before move in here.
One of the things I get annoyed at, when read or hear it, is people sating that if you retire abroad, you should not be able to return to the UK and use the hospitals etc. Yea, I can get your logic , but the thing is, I live abroad, and I still pay tax from source. That means, I pay tax, and never have the pleasure , or not, of using the NHS. Yet there are the unemployed who do not pay tax, and yet use the all the time. I am not complaining, but its a point that is forgotten. I pay tax in the UK, and also have to pay for medical coverage while living here. If you don’t have insurance, you don’t get medical, or end up with a huge medical bill. I have seen it several times, people having a great time in the Land of smiles, then fall off a scooter ( They have no licence for ) and end up in hospital. You will get billed for everything, from the ambulance trip to the hospital, to every q tip they use. If you think of leaving the country, no, you will not be able to leave the country until that bill is paid. Every day you stay you get more cost, including the flight you have missed as you have not been allowed to leave.
So, is living in Thailand , or abroad for you. Yea there are great things about it and I do not regret moving. When I get up in the morning, and see the beautiful weather and wonderful food, yea. There are times you miss the banter and family, I do go back to the UK for a few months to work, for money and to see my son, so be flexible but be realistic.
My Personal Journey to Thailand 