Thailand is on many lists as a good place to retire due to the following: Warm weather: are you tired of shoveling snow 3–5 months of the year? This is a place where local people actually go on tours to see frozen dew during the coldest months and only at 1 or 2 spots in the country at the highest elevations. In short: In the…
Spirit Houses in Thailand Protecting and Watching Over Inhabitants
Every Thai Buddhist holiday, my grandmother lit incense sticks and invited the denizens of a miniature house under the rose apple tree to a feast. As a child, I stood by guarding the spread of boiled chicken, rice, oranges, rum, and tea from our dogs, but my real watch was for any sign of spirits that were supposedly enjoying the offering. The small wooden house…
6 Reasons Why Westerners Retire in Thailand
Retirement can be financially difficult for many Westerners. Their median retirement account balance is below a level that will sustain a retiree until death. With Social Security benefits on the decline, this provides many people with a retirement problem. If retirees are looking to maximize their retirement, it’s a good strategy to retire to Southeast Asia, in one of many countries that offer a tropical…
Chiang Mai to Chiang Rai
Leave Chiang Mai at 8 a.m., get onto highway 118, drive three hours north and you’ll be in Chiang Rai. (The trip takes about 4 hours on a 1,000 baht VIP bus). Chiang Rai With less than 100,000 people, Chiang Rai has an easygoing atmosphere you can’t find in larger cities like Chiang…
A Great Retirement Option
To retire in this time, when the global downturn of the recent years has made it hard to ensure a secure, comfortable and stimulating retirement what do you do? Retirement might be difficult for many, financially speaking. The balance of a median retirement account of nearly retiring households is relatively low in many western countries, so many people will most probably be dependent on the…
Living in Thailand: How to Fit into a Culture So Different Than Your Own
Leaving home to move to a different country, whether it be for retirement, teaching, volunteering, or studying, can be a stressful and sometimes overwhelming endeavor. When the country you’re moving to is completely foreign and different than your own, it makes that move even more challenging. The challenges of becoming an expat are also part of the fun, but it pays to do your research…
Where And How To Meet A Good Thai Lady
Thousands of Western men come to Thailand every year, many because they’re looking for a Thai girlfriend or wife. The biggest mistake a lot of these men make though is choosing a ‘bar girl’ or prostitute, simply because these are the girls they can meet easily. But, if you wouldn’t date or marry a prostitute in your own country, why would you want to…
Why I Decided To Retire In Chiang Rai, Thailand
Don’t let this be your retirement My wife, Warunee (Jen), the owner of Retire In Thailand, has been pushing me to write this for about 2 years, so here goes. I saw myself in a similar situation as the above picture If I stayed in Australia. Around 2005 I began to see things happening in Australia that I thought would get worse before they got…
The Supernatural World in Thai Culture
Spirit of mythical princess looms large in Thai cave search Before you apply for a Thailand retirement visa, consider the following. If you’re familiar with Thai culture, you know that belief in ghosts and the supernatural is very prominent. Thus, supernatural beings can be divided into two main groups which are benevolent and malevolent spirits. The benevolent spirits are primarily guardian spirits, for instance the…
Think Thailand – 22 Tips For Retiring in Thailand
Thailand is one of the most affordable and interesting places in the world to think about retiring. One challenge, though, for the foreign retiree, can be culture shock. No question, Thailand is an exotic option. Thais take for granted behaviors that would take you and me by surprise… and Thais say and do things that you and I would never say and do. It’s much…