• Expat Retirement
• Overseas Retirement Information

One of the first decisions about Thailand is where to live. At first it may sound easy. Some of the early choices are usually:

• Sukhumvit Road in Bangkok
• Patong Beach in Phuket
• Chaweng Beach on Koh Samui
• Loi Kroh Road in Chiang Mai
• Beach Road in Pattaya or Jomtien

If your lifestyle in Thailand is going to revolve around wine, women and song, those may be good choices, assuming you have the budget. You can start by thinking in terms of Bt 12,000 to 150,000 per month for an apartment. Add Bt 1,000 to 10,000/day for transportation, fun and games. Chiang Mai may well let you shave 30% off your budget, but you will still need to always have your ATM card handy.

In Bangkok and Chiang Mai, be prepared for poor air quality as well. Every one of those locations has heavy traffic. Plan on having your beach time in Pattaya interrupted frequently by hawkers of all flavors. Chaweng Beach on Koh Samui reminds one of my Thai friends of Redondo Beach in California, "Every sign is in English. More farangs than Thais."

So you reply, "Okay, wise guy. Where would you live if you want a normal expat lifestyle?"

"Almost anywhere else", says I.

Some guys have a tendency to take up residence at the first reasonable livable place they find in Thailand. They never find out what else is out there. Stash your bags as some friendly hotel and start traveling around the countryside. Take at least six months before making your decision. Allow more if you are not sure.

For that big city feel, the outskirts of Bangkok has some distinct advantages, especially for shopping, entertainment and networking. For those who plan to work, Bangkok has more possibilities than any other place, except maybe for scuba instructors!.

You don't need to get too far outside Chiang Mai to lose the traffic. Too bad about that air quality though. But you still have easy access to megastores like Lotus, Makro, Carrefour and that little gem of a place called Kasem Store. It is easy to journey into Chiang Mai town for some good restaurants and watering holes.

Generally, the price of housing varies inversely with its distance from the beach and varies directly with its elevation and view. Likewise, higher quality housing is more plentiful in the more expensive areas.

Spend some time in as many provinces as possible. Visit the provincial capitols and some of the larger towns. Each region of Thailand, or most any other place, has a distinct personality. Find that personality that fits your own, then find some temporary housing. A house or apartment may not be as convenient as a hotel or guest house, but it gets you more in touch with the community where you have decided to live.

There are two good reasons to avoid guesthouses and hotels:

1. They can get very confining very fast. They usually aren't very long-term comfortable
2. Sometimes there is a tendency to get in a hurry to find a house because of what you are spending for a hotel

I happen to have a little hermit blood running through my hard old arteries. I live in a small bungalow on a very nice beach 400 km south of Bangkok. On most days, the only folks on the beach are the local fishermen. But, I have to drive 8 km to find a restaurant or do any shopping, 20 km to get to an ATM.

Yet on Saturday evenings a wonderful one-day market provides me a cornucopia of prepared food to stock my new refrigerator. Fried chicken, roast chicken, roast pork, satay, plastic bags of curry, fruit, vegetables, Thai pastries and a fair amount of, "Hello, nice to see you again."

But on the other hand, I have no telephone line. So my internet connection is by satellite. That means it's semi-reliable and expensive.

You may discover that finding a bungalow on some pristine beach is far too elusive, or a cabin in the mountains too remote. Finding your spot is the most personal thing you will ever do as an expat.

Do it for yourself and do it well.

Traveling Around