Top 5 tips to live in Thailand

Expat.com wrote:

Hi,

When you are going to live abroad, you may have a lot of questions. Hence to facilitate you in this process, we are inviting expats to share their top 5 tips with regards to settling and living in Thailand.

What recommendations would you give soon-to-be expats in Thailand?

How should they prepare efficiently for their expatriation project and settling in?

Please share with us your best advice for a successful expatriation in Thailand!

Thank you in advance

Five top tips for living in Thailand? Well here is an extract from a post I wrote on my blog recently I called it "How to enjoy living in Thailand."

1.Consider buying property in Thailand since prices are very low compared to the West. But remember a foreigner cannot own land except through a company, however land can be leased for 30 years.
Also remember rents in Thailand are also amazingly low although landlords often charge more for services like water and electricity than the state enterprises..

2.Avoid buying goods that are imported into Thailand, they are heavily taxed.

3. Take care when driving in Thailand as it can be dangerous, always drive defensively. Never drink and drive and avoid driving at night if possible since visibility is affected by car windows anti-glare coating and street lighting is poor.Remember an International driving permit is OK for 60 days in Thailand but it is also easy to obtain a Thai drivers to obtain a Thai drivers licence.

4.Use Thai public transport which is very cheap and includes inter-city express buses, there is a huge network and most buses are modern and quick. Using private minibus services can offer a fast and cheap means of travelling between all cities and towns.

5. Try and learn some Thai. Accept that goods and services may be of a different standard to the West.
Don't fight Thai bureaucracy, accept whats needs to be done and do it. Finally keep smiling. Even if things are not going exactly as planned.

in addition to number 1, never trust Your house owner in terms of Return of Security deposit. Most of the cases, they do not give it back. You have to love Whole Money as they know you might leave Thailand by then and you cannot Reach them.

Always expect new purchases to break down be aware that repair men are "jacks of all trades and masters of none". So if possible find an expert! They are out there but difficult to find.

1) Exchange rate : If you send money from oversea, don't convert it in THB from oversea exchange rate will be bad, send directly EUR/USD/GBP to Thailand and you will get a far better exchange rate from your bank, texchange rate is published daily. Usually from around 2 M THB transfer my bank call me and I can negotiate the exchange rate ( to an higher rate not published ) or they can keep for free my money until the exchange rate is better - I use Bangkok Bank - Transferring money from UK to Thailand is easy through Bangkok Bank as they have a branch in London, I don't have any account with them in london ( you don't need to be their customer in London ), but you can do a local transfer in UK for example HSBC to Bangkok Bank of London ( nobody see it will be oversea transfer ) just by using a specific sort code and account number explained on their account and then the money will be redirected to Thailand in your personal account. Te advantage is the limitation on transfer is just considered like a transfer between UK banks and not UK to overseas !!

2) Never buy a used car unless you are expert or use a dealer with all history check you can have bad surprises. If it is a recent used car the price will be close to a new car as devaluation in Thailand is very slow for car.

3) House, same better to buy a new build house in new mooban with floor plan, warranty, etc... than an old house of 10years they have modified everywhere without any standard, and can be dangerous for electricity etc,,.. as done by non qualified people and difficult to know and understand what have been done. Most of houses are sold fully furnished, again it can be lot of old electronics appliance which will die soon, or poor quality furniture ( unless it is teak ) with termites around....

4) Invest in quality brand aircond,, do proper roof uinsulation, with all electricity cut, it can worth to have 3 phasis system to your house, save on electricity with inverter system which ever for fridge, washing machine, air cond. Many houses are not wired to support an electric oven, check carefully wires section, fuses etc... All aircond must have a separate circuit breaker, same for water heater, and for kitchen appliance.

5) Saving account : you can get good rate from your bank, some are not published to every body they keep them secret. some others can be published for a limited period. Usually rate is good for 4/7/11 months saving duration, in all the case far better than Europe for interest rate.

1.  Never expect a direct or honest answer to your questions.  The more delving questions may trigger the fake smile and a nod to feign acceptance.

Be aware that investment accounts are not valid for you 800,000 baht (for 3 months ) when renewing retirement visa. Got caught out with that one and had to start application all over again, after 2 years here!

1.  Never expect a direct or honest answer to your questions.  The more delving questions may trigger the fake smile and a nod to feign acceptance.

That is 100 percent correct.
I hope you  practice what you preach.

Ha ha

Regards

REZA

Public transport is extremely dangerous.  I've seen more minibuses in ditches here than I have ever seen in my 56 years living in England!

It is best to have a mentor that has lived in Thailand for a while. Someone that can answer all your questions about the differences in Thailand compared to where you lived before.  Having lived here for nearly five years, I am just now getting a feel about what is necessary and how to get it. Shopping, medical care, driving Internet, Satellite TV, Doctor's appointments, buying a car, deciding where to live and how much you can afford, etc.

1. Go to Thai school learn at least to speak and understand.
2. Do not build a house for your Thai girlfriend. You cannot own property and she can throw you out tomorrow.
3.Understand that the Thai Government does not want you here, long term visas etc...Always some problem, The same for English teachers they do not really want you, put the push is on for the A.S.E.A.N. agreement, and Thailand is far behind in English.  The attitude is why should I speak English, and rightly so.  I have taught for many years in Thailand.
4. Stay away from bar girls.
5. Some Thai women only want your money or support one way or another.
6. Most Thais cannot pass the license exam to drive a car.

Do not invest in a house or land for your Thai girlfriend! Buy a condo in your own name and make your future secure!

Having done business in India and Indonesia I should say my experiences in Thailand are much to the contrary: honesty and meticulousness are the predominant qualities.
It should be mentioned that some Westerners also behave badly although Thai people are quite capable of seeing the difference.
If I should give some of my own indications it would be above all of the extreme respect with which I am treated, the older you are the more this is.
If you want to really know Thailand and Thai culture, get out of the tourist places. Some basic Thai would be necessary as very few Thai people speak any English, but even in Bangkok one can have very pleasant experiences!

My answers are a bit more basic and down to earth. I have not even got as far as to what real estate or bank account might suit or not...........       
If you are doing any walking take a bottle of water with you.The heat and humidity wear you out and dehydrate you very quickly.Water is also very cheap to buy even if you are in a high tourist area and they charge you double the price!
For the ladies-always carry tissues.If you travel anywhere outside the comfort of Sukhumvit Road or the metropolitan area quite often the toilets will not have toilet paper-Malesmay need to take note as well. If you do happen to get "caught short" and you need to clean yourself but do not have toilet paper-the answer hangs on the toilet wall - a spray gun (commonly known as a "bum gun" ) This water spray be used to clean yourself.Although a tad messy and wet it certainly beats the alternatives.
Not all toilets are sit down style. At garage stops out of the metropolitan area they are generally squat toilets. Try and locate the "Disabled toilet" It will be a sit down Western style.

1. Do not think u will get rich doing business in Thailand. In most cases, u will be poorly rewarded for your input.

2. Avoid getting married with a Thai lady as there are problems rooted in intercultural differences that u may well underestimate at the outset.

3. Do not buy a house or an apartment. When u buy a house (via a company), u are in fact circumventing the law. Although it looks safe to buy an apartment, it can be confiscated by the state in some particular cases. Surely, there is no big problem on the radar right now. The point is that if a populist government comes into power, some laws and practices may change concerning real estate and put foreigner owners at a serious disadvantage.

4. Do not travel by road. Thailand has the biggest death toll on roads in the world (together with some african country). Take trains or planes.

5. Do not eat in thai restaurants. Every thai restaurant puts MSG in the food, and often a lot. Recent research shows that eating MSG for a long time creates holes in the brain.

These views maybe correct in some cases but do not represent a complete picture.
1. Of course if you do business in Thailand you will earn baht and not € or $ and have to look after it most of your time, but this has to weighed up against such considerations as, is your main object to make money or is it to live in a more agreeable less stressful environment?
2. Getting married with a Thai lady depends depends on the lady, you will of course mainly hear stories from expats about the ones that split up and the Westerner losing all his money. You probably won't hear about the successful ones. I suppose "intercultural differences" means having to look after the family? The positive side is the way most Thai ladies look after their husbands makes Western unions seem a lot less desirable!
3. The question of buying house or condo has to be looked into correctly being informed of all the legal implications. The problem can arise if one wants to sell, as most Thais will not be buyers, one has to find a Westerner. However many Westerners have bought apartments, just look at all the retired people established in Hua Hin, for example.
4. I have travelled by road many, many times in Thailand, including mini-buses, motor bike taxis and ridden a motor bike myself and nothing ever happened to me, instead of reading statistics it is better to make the personal experience!
5. I eat in restaurants in India, Thailand and Indonesia. Indonesia is the worse for MSG. In northern India I cannot eat in local places because of too much chili, Thailand is definitely the best, you can avoid the MSG. The best guide for eating in restaurants is to avoid the ones where there are lots of Westerners and go to ones full of Thai people. (Westerners don't come back, but Thai people are there every day, so they have to serve good food!)

I wrote how much money do you have to invest which sounds logical doesnt it, but my post was removed as a spam because I mentioned as an example that in the current situation I have got $500 which -believe it or not- is absolutely true. Wheres the spam, I wonder.

01: Have a good Health / accident Insurance, Or have enough money to pay your self, It can be a nightmare not have this here in Thailand.

02: Have a plan and money for fast way home to your "real" country, money for private car to airport no where in Thailand your are at that point, Money for a plane ticket here and now, Some extra $$, So if you need to get home, you all ways have that money to help out.

03: Make Thai friends, and let them be you guide in live here, Not get you information only from Internet / Other foreigners, For me i can tell you, That 99% i read before come here, and what i was told in big Tourist place from other foreigners was not the way i experience Thailand and Thai people at all.

04: Learn to eat the Thai / Asian food, So when you Thai friends / Thai family invite you to there home and have make food for you, They be super happy you try it.

05: Learn some basic Thai, Make live a lot easy.



Some extras, Have a good network back home, Here in Thailand, best if it is Thai people, As they general know who to contact, Help you out and so on.

Get a Thai  GF / BF / Spouse if you not have all ready / married all ready.
He / She can be a big help in every day live.
Don´t be afraid by they many people write / tell you bad things about Thai spouse.
Us people that have a great Thai spouse, Don´t have the need to write about it, like people have bad experiences with Thai spouse.

Thai street food is the best food for me, i love it, No "real" restaurant can´t make it that good, Yea i know taste is different, But i love it !!!!!

Again for me, Live a way from big Tourist place, Live between Thai people, stay away from  foreigner "Village".

Use your common sense here.

Remember Thai people in general are open heart, open mind, kind, and love to  eat. he he he

1. get a Lawyer that can understand and translate documents for you - never try to save a few baht and do it yourself. Lawyers are not expensive here and I would rather pay one a few thousand baht to look over some documents than to get a bill for more later as I didnt do my due diligence.

2. if you are going to get married sign a pre nuptial agreement as you are not really a hansom man you are old and stupid and a money tree.

3. Buy a condo or a house and save rent -

4. Enjoy yourself, eat out, drink out, watch the people, never lend them money unless they give you some asset. If you lend then get their land title deed and keep it somewhere safe.

5. If you take women back to your condo then always have them give their ID card to the front desk. No ID card then dont trust them otherwise you could wake up 2 days later and all your things are gone.

The first and foremost is to realise that you have to accept the way the Thais do things and accept this (if you can)
You are a guest in their country and cannot and will not change them to fit in with your way of living in your previous country
Otherwise do not come to live here.It took me a year to accept this with a lot of frustration and even anger at times.
Barry

I agree with "never done that" because one can see by what he writes that he has a deeper experience of life in Thailand. He says:
": Make Thai friends, and let them be you guide in live here, Not get you information only from Internet / Other foreigners, For me i can tell you, That 99% i read before come here, and what i was told in big Tourist place from other foreigners was not the way i experience Thailand and Thai people at all."
This is my experience also: in order to appreciate Thailand and have the good experience one has to have some affinity for the culture and drop Western a-priori.
If people only hang out in places like Khaosan Road, only mix with Westerners, don't speak a word of Thai, they will only get a warped view of Thailand.
A lot of problems that have foreigners simply come from incomprehension of a traditional society with forms of social etiquette and respect unknown now in the West, without a minimum of Thai words it is very difficult.
Let's put it clearly: Thai people don't speak English generally speaking or when they do it is so basic that a normal conversation is impossible, so if you want to know Thailand, learn Thai!

Hello all

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Thank you

Kenjee
Expat.com Team

I have been trying to learn from discs but I find it very difficult. I will be spending a month in Chiang Mai in June with a view to spending extended periods there and I really want to learn thai but how did you do it? Was it going to classes in Thailand?

Try "Thai for Beginners" by Benjawan Poomsan Becker with the CD, Paiboon Publishiing, they have also a very good dictionary, and other publications on pronunciation, for example. It is a long process to learn Thai but even a few spoken words make a lot of difference in the daily encounters!

Thanks Tony. So how long did it take you to be able to make conversation on. A basic level? Did you take lessons face to face in Thailand too?