VedantaTrader Posted June 16, 2009 Share Posted June 16, 2009 (edited) Expats in Thailand are mostly insulated from Thai political problems. I was actually living in Bangkok in 2006 and the coup made little if no difference to most peoples day-to-day lives (I got the day off work, and there was nobody around when I went for a run in lumpini park, but that was about it). The political problems aren't over tho, and when the king eventually dies there is the potential for the country to become quite unstable.The other problem with living in Thailand is visa's. You'll need a work permit (which is hard to get without a company wanting you there) or you'll need to marry a local if you want any kind of permanance. Note even being married to a Thai doesn't give you property or employment rights - and as for citizenship, you can forget it. Still, if you can do a few years there, I'd recommend it. Great place and nice people when you get past the smiling cliche (which can take a LONG time). Another option if you are employed is to get a business visa, these are quite easy to get and you can live in Thailand for up to 15mos (providing you leave every 90 days, but that's easy to do if you are travelling in SE asia anyway). I'm sure Mr P will be along to add to this at some point. Yeah,I ve lived on and off in bangkok for a few years. Love the place. Its a real experience. The Lumpini walk early evening is nice, before a motorbike taxi to Silom or Sukhumvit for a few cold ones...and some excellent street food for nothing...then off to meet a beautiful "teerak Thai uni student", and head to a bar/club around Ekkamai, Saxophone at Victory Monument or some other place further out, where only Thai people will frequent...top draw. And great choice pf apartments...I would get up around 6-7am, go for a sauna, a jacuzzi, a swim in one of the outdoor pools of the condo complex...a game of squash or tennis in the afternoon, then relax down a quiet soi(side street) at an Au bon pain, with a coffee and book or a bangkok post...before deciding what to do for the evening...or you can go to one of the many night markets and eat great food...come weekend, out of Bangkok,head off to an idyllic island to relax on a beach with a "friend"...it is tough old life in South east Asia, haha. I ll probably live their longterm...and it is good at any age, but I m still in my twenties, and discovered the place in my early twenties, so it really good at that age IMHO. The poster who you replied to, talking about the coup and the "big wave" probably has never left the UK, or possibly even his postcode. His closest experience to travel is watching National geographic or the Travel Channel on Sky. Thats the impression I get anyway. Edited June 16, 2009 by VedantaTrader Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markinspain Posted June 16, 2009 Share Posted June 16, 2009 Depends how old you are and how wealthy you are. Don't come to Spain to live, unless you are already wealthy, retired with a decent pension or have work for an international company lined up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sossij Posted June 16, 2009 Share Posted June 16, 2009 Depends how old you are and how wealthy you are.Don't come to Spain to live, unless you are already wealthy, retired with a decent pension or have work for an international company lined up. I might be moving to Spain soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swissy_fit Posted June 16, 2009 Share Posted June 16, 2009 Switzerland is good, but you're better off working there and living in the neighbouring countries. I could waffle about the whys and wherefores, but unless you've got skills or money they want and preferably speak a Swiss language you've no chance of coming here, legally its not a problem but you wouldn't last long, it's simply too expensive to spend a long time settling in looking for a job. Its clean, civilised, organised, most of the clichés. Overall it's good if you're poor or rich, bbut for the middle class it makes no sense to live in CH, France, Italy and Germany are so much cheaper, and the state education system is p*ss-poor in Geneva at least. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justwatching Posted June 16, 2009 Share Posted June 16, 2009 I had one like this once ? I've had a few beers, but its the most I've giggled at a post on this site for a long time. Personally I've just applied for a job in Canada, we'll see. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Democorruptcy Posted June 16, 2009 Author Share Posted June 16, 2009 If, like me, you still generate revenue in the UK then France is geographically a good bet. France was the alternative to up here. Visited 3 times in 2007 looking at rentals. Funnily enough I was just checking flights from Edinburgh to Poitiers at the weekend. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Miller Posted June 16, 2009 Share Posted June 16, 2009 Cheers very interesting. Have lived in the US myself for a short time. Great country. As for the people. Many are ******ed in the head. Although many are not and get a bad name.As for the leg ? I still don't believe you !! You could hire a Doc privately for a few seperate hours on a few seperate days for a couple of k - I imagine. How much would it cost them to get a few x-rays ? Not tens of thousands anyway. How much for the raw materials for a cast ? Hundreds maybe. I reckon you could get a broken leg sorted for 5k easy. I am not planning to prove the point however. The sooner you see the Film / documentary Sicko the better then. What more can I say. I think you need to speak to someone who lives there. It's a total rip off. I just spoke to a friend of mine here, he is Canadian, just told me another story about his father, he was worried about his Dad who took a fall, banged his head, Brian took him in for a check up. They deliberately wheeled him into a room, left him there for a few minutes and then he had the room added to his bill, that was $1,000! You do realise you get charged for everything, the ambulance can be many 100's and more like 1000's. You pay for absolutely everything, even the tissues you use! Away, see the film and then come back with your doubts cleared up. There must be someone here who has either seen the film or lived in the US. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nomadd Posted June 16, 2009 Share Posted June 16, 2009 Depends on individuals and their circumstances. My life in the '3rd World' is way more comfortable than the one I had in the 1st World. However, I still work in the 1st World and have the income. Not sure it would be so nice if I didn't. But there we go.Thailand Nice home Healthy diet Spend time with daughter Gardening Exercise DIY Cooking Still do the same job, but not on site, all design and tendering work Nice people here But not so nice if you are trying to, er, come out of the closet: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/8099191.stm Nomadd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Democorruptcy Posted June 16, 2009 Author Share Posted June 16, 2009 Be aware that most gambling is banned over the net in France, though I don't know how they could possibly police this. That would not be good news for me but I have friends there who can manage OK. I think it's more of a problem in Italy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
right_freds_dead Posted June 16, 2009 Share Posted June 16, 2009 The sooner you see the Film / documentary Sicko the better then. What more can I say. I think you need to speak to someone who lives there. It's a total rip off. I just spoke to a friend of mine here, he is Canadian, just told me another story about his father, he was worried about his Dad who took a fall, banged his head, Brian took him in for a check up. They deliberately wheeled him into a room, left him there for a few minutes and then he had the room added to his bill, that was $1,000! You do realise you get charged for everything, the ambulance can be many 100's and more like 1000's. You pay for absolutely everything, even the tissues you use! Away, see the film and then come back with your doubts cleared up. There must be someone here who has either seen the film or lived in the US. i lived in texas and got sick once with food poisoning. the bill for a 2 night stay and treatment was $300, this was 1994. i had no insurance. it wasnt as bad as i had heard it was. however, a long term illness probably worse, but most employers offer health insurance and the insurance itself is comparable to car insurance cost wise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Miller Posted June 16, 2009 Share Posted June 16, 2009 (edited) Two x-rays in North California cost about $200 according to this chap. X-Rays Let's put the material cost of the cast etc.. at $200 also. I know docs earn a lot in the US. But $99,600 for 4 hours work ? I do not know if $70,000 / $100,000 was for a stay with traction, however read these. http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/h...tal-costs_x.htm Arnold Schwarzenegger breaking his leg just as he's preparing to make health care reform a centerpiece of his second term. So what will it cost to make the governor whole again? Hard to say exactly, but Linda Burt, chief financial officer at the 330-bed St. John's Health Center in Santa Monica -- where Schwarzenegger spent five days and underwent surgery for his skiing injury -- says her hospital typically charges anywhere from $6,500 to $9,500 a day for basic room and care. So what will it cost to make the governor whole again? Hard to say exactly, but Linda Burt, chief financial officer at the 330-bed St. John's Health Center in Santa Monica -- where Schwarzenegger spent five days and underwent surgery for his skiing injury -- says her hospital typically charges anywhere from $6,500 to $9,500 a day for basic room and care. Then come the thousands of dollars for X-rays, lab procedures, physical therapy and medical supplies such as crutches. And the doctor bills, which in Schwarzenegger's case meant the services of at least one orthopedic surgeon and an anesthesiologist -- each of whom probably billed the governor or his insurer several thousand dollars apiece. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?...BAG7MNEHVM1.DTL See this film http://www.michaelmoore.com/ Edited June 16, 2009 by Tim Miller Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
porca misèria Posted June 16, 2009 Share Posted June 16, 2009 I spent half my childhood growing up on a farm in New Zealand - Absolutley awesome. I call it Britain with palm trees. Go there at least 500,000 quid though. Houses arent cheap and kiwis negotiate like the Scots....... Buying in NZ (and a good read) http://itreallyisupsidedown.blogspot.com/2009/04/kill.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Miller Posted June 17, 2009 Share Posted June 17, 2009 I spent half my childhood growing up on a farm in New Zealand - Absolutley awesome. I call it Britain with palm trees. Go there at least 500,000 quid though. Houses arent cheap and kiwis negotiate like the Scots....... Talk of the devil, see today's Daily Mail http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11...ish-expats.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest มร หล Posted June 17, 2009 Share Posted June 17, 2009 (edited) Expats in Thailand are mostly insulated from Thai political problems. I was actually living in Bangkok in 2006 and the coup made little if no difference to most peoples day-to-day lives (I got the day off work, and there was nobody around when I went for a run in lumpini park, but that was about it). The political problems aren't over tho, and when the king eventually dies there is the potential for the country to become quite unstable.The other problem with living in Thailand is visa's. You'll need a work permit (which is hard to get without a company wanting you there) or you'll need to marry a local if you want any kind of permanance. Note even being married to a Thai doesn't give you property or employment rights - and as for citizenship, you can forget it. Still, if you can do a few years there, I'd recommend it. Great place and nice people when you get past the smiling cliche (which can take a LONG time). Another option if you are employed is to get a business visa, these are quite easy to get and you can live in Thailand for up to 15mos (providing you leave every 90 days, but that's easy to do if you are travelling in SE asia anyway). I'm sure Mr P will be along to add to this at some point. It is not advisable for the OP to choose this place. But for me, I'm quite happy, just to no longer live on contaminated land sites, working 16 hours a day, eating junk, stressed out of my brains. I could've moved to Patagonia for all it mattered, just no more UK thanks very much. Visas. I'm married with children, so I get the 15 month one, but no more border runs. All this talk of should I move here or should I move there is stereotyped ********. It's down to individuals, their circumstances in the UK and what they've got going on abroad. Pretty small planet these days anyway. I just sit over here rather than over there. Edited June 17, 2009 by มร หลบเลี่ยง Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Bear Posted June 17, 2009 Share Posted June 17, 2009 1. It was not just the tax, then and maybe now if you want a USA passport you have to give up your UK passport, That's the official line, but not necessarily so in practice. Someone I know took out US citizenship a few yrs ago (having lived there for years) after her husband died. She was left with a young child and taking out citizenship meant she would have a lot less tax to pay on his estate. She was not required to hand in her UK passport, and in fact at the citizenship ceremony the presiding officer actually said (on the quiet) that he knew certain of those present would be holding on to their original passports. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
threetimesdead Posted June 17, 2009 Share Posted June 17, 2009 Fiji Switzerland Exeter St Davids Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
threetimesdead Posted June 17, 2009 Share Posted June 17, 2009 (from that GEI thread - see above): AK-47 M-16 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quagmire Posted June 17, 2009 Share Posted June 17, 2009 Hotter, cheaper and no traffic jams: Why New Zealand is paradise for British expats I love New Zealand and so do a lot of other British Expats apparently (see above). There are other ways of getting your Visa if you don't have enough points for the skilled migrant category. You can work towards a visa by spending two years here, providing you earn a certain amount each year (55k I think - about average salary in Auckland) you are granted a Visa - this is the Work-to-residence category. They are also open to people bringing businesses here, you are given three years to establish your business before applying for permanent residence. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patfig Posted June 17, 2009 Share Posted June 17, 2009 Hotter, cheaper and no traffic jams: Why New Zealand is paradise for British expatsI love New Zealand and so do a lot of other British Expats apparently (see above). There are other ways of getting your Visa if you don't have enough points for the skilled migrant category. You can work towards a visa by spending two years here, providing you earn a certain amount each year (55k I think - about average salary in Auckland) you are granted a Visa - this is the Work-to-residence category. They are also open to people bringing businesses here, you are given three years to establish your business before applying for permanent residence. Quaggy SHHHHHHHHHHHHH FFS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AC2 Posted June 17, 2009 Share Posted June 17, 2009 All this talk of should I move here or should I move there is stereotyped ********. It's down to individuals, their circumstances in the UK and what they've got going on abroad. Pretty small planet these days anyway. I just sit over here rather than over there. Exactly. Quaggy SHHHHHHHHHHHHH FFS Exactly. AC2, NZ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ym2 Posted June 17, 2009 Share Posted June 17, 2009 Exactly.Exactly. AC2, NZ Buy a boat and sail away. Then you can go anywhere. We did.......see here Visit My Website Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Markie6 Posted June 17, 2009 Share Posted June 17, 2009 Everywhere, is different, people arround the world are mostly the same. Loads of people moan and bitch about ID cards, then contemplate moving somewhere where they are mandatory 24/7. They don't want to join the € and then move to a country that has it, moan about CCTV when every other person is filming on their mobile phone. Complain about immigrants..and want to become one. Lo and behold when they get abroad.... they don't integrate properly, join expat communities and bitch all the time. A 2 week holiday is NEVER going to be enough to tell how good somewhere is to live in. After the rose coloured specs come off and reality sets in it's a totaly different story. Thats why so many fail to make the move permanently. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aussieboy Posted June 17, 2009 Share Posted June 17, 2009 If you search, there's a huge pros and cons of Australia thread. Re NZ: no traffic jams... really? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SHERWICK Posted June 17, 2009 Share Posted June 17, 2009 Everywhere, is different, people arround the world are mostly the same. Loads of people moan and bitch about ID cards, then contemplate moving somewhere where they are mandatory 24/7. They don't want to join the € and then move to a country that has it, moan about CCTV when every other person is filming on their mobile phone. Complain about immigrants..and want to become one. Lo and behold when they get abroad.... they don't integrate properly, join expat communities and bitch all the time. A 2 week holiday is NEVER going to be enough to tell how good somewhere is to live in. After the rose coloured specs come off and reality sets in it's a totaly different story. Thats why so many fail to make the move permanently. Good grief! A sensible post! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markinspain Posted June 17, 2009 Share Posted June 17, 2009 I might be moving to Spain soon. If you are in the three groups I mentioned, no problem. If not, it may be tougher than you think. PM me if you want more info. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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