Many people visit Thailand on holiday or on a business trip and fall in love with the wonderful “Land of Smiles”. Thailand has so much to offer: beautiful women, delicious food, great climate, fantastic beaches, tropical islands, outdoor sports activities, a dynamic social life and amazing travel opportunities. It’s a wonder anyone returns home! Some don’t. In this article I look briefly at six of the more common mistakes people make when they finally make the move to Thailand.
Deadly Mistake #1: Incorrect visa
Having the incorrect visa can be an expensive mistake. It’s particularly important to make sure you have the correct visa if you are intending to work or start up a business in Thailand. Seek proper visa advice before leaving home. If you are in the UK I recommend checking Thaiconsul-uk.
They provide excellent support. Of course the same visa rules apply to most other Western countries.
Deadly Mistake #2: Insufficient income
Job options in Thailand are somewhat limited in supply. The vast majority of jobs available to Westerners are low paid English teaching jobs. These can range in salary from 25,000-35,000 baht per month. The better paying IT jobs, which are quite rare, may pay 40,000-60,000 per month. At more prestigious private schools teaching jobs may attract around 50,000 Baht per month, but these are very hard to come by.
If you are a qualified teacher recruited from UK for one of the International Schools in Thailand, you will get UK type rates of around £25,000 – £35,000 per year, depending on experience. This amounts to about 200,000 Baht per month – that is a LOT of money in Thailand. Often the school concerned also provides accommodation and food, much like private schools in UK, which means it’s an even better deal, allowing you to save reasonable amounts of money for the future.
So typically, if you go into a reasonable local English teaching job you might expect around 35,000 Baht per month. To put that into perspective the average monthly salary in the UK at time of writing is equivalent to over 136,000 Baht per month. So expect to take a bit of a pay cut!
On the other hand the cost of living in Thailand is considerably cheaper than the UK. You can live on 35,000 Baht per month in Bangkok. Of course what is considered by some to be living may be considered by others to be a frugal existence. If you want to be out gallivanting in clubs or travelling over Thailand, or live in a better apartment you will need more money according to your tastes and requirements. I personally budget 70,000 Baht per month whenever I stay in Thailand, but then I spend quite a bit of time playing golf, diving and travelling.
The other option that people go for is setting up a local business in Thailand. Some people make a moderate success of this. A minority can make a lot of money with glitzy nightclubs, hotels and bars. Of course this requires a lot of knowledge and capital.
I don’t particularly recommend starting a business locally in Thailand unless you have a track record of business success outside of Thailand. I think there are better and safer ways to make money in Thailand, such as running your own online business. An online business that generates passive income has the added advantage that you have a lot of free time to enjoy Thailand – rather than being chained to an office or business all day long.
If you are a retiree you need to make sure your income meets the legal requirements for the retiree visa. This needs to be checked by the authorities on an annual basis and they will expect to see satisfactory evidence of your overseas income.
Deadly Mistake #3: No objectives
If you make the move to Thailand it’s important to have specific goals in mind of what you’d like to achieve during your stay. There are many people who, after relocating, waste a lot of time and never really achieve anything in Thailand. Too late they realise they’ve squandered their life savings. It’s very important to have some idea of the things you’d like to achieve. These could be specific travel objectives – diving in a certain reef, visiting an interesting area such as Chiang Mai. Hopping to places like Malaysia and Singapore. There could be business or financial objectives you want to achieve.
You may have personal objectives such as finding a wife, getting married and starting a family. You may want to learn Thai or another language. Perhaps you always wanted to write a book or learn a new skill or study for a new qualification.
Don’t waste your time in Thailand – make it really count for something. Always have a clear idea of what you’d like to achieve during your stay in Thailand – otherwise after a couple of years you will be moving back home and wondering why you ever went to Thailand in the first place.
Deadly Mistake #4: Mismanage money
A big problem here is that people tend to convert Baht back into their Western currency in their heads. This gives them the impression that they are spending less money than they really are. When you do the conversion everything sounds so cheap – it is – if you are earning a Western salary.
It’s also easy to fall prey to other Westerners living in Thailand. If you are freshly arrived with money in your pocket be prepared to have others try to relieve you of it. All kinds of “can’t lose” business ventures will come your way, as well as requests to “borrow” money. Loans somehow never get repaid. Keep a very tight hold of your money. I always recommend keeping the bulk of your money out of Thailand. Simply draw what you need to live via an ATM and pay your main bills with your credit card.
If someone asks me if I’m interested in investing money in some project of theirs I always just tell them I don’t have any, or it’s tied up in property in the UK (which is something I recommend you do anyway). They soon lose interest.
Deadly Mistake #5: No appreciating assets
One of the problems with selling your house to fund your move to Thailand is that you are losing an appreciating asset. Owning a freehold property in Thailand can be done but it is not without its complications. Even if you do manage to end up owning a property in Thailand it is unlikely to increase in value as much as, say, a property in the UK – especially over the long term.
By purchasing a property in Thailand you are also exposing yourself to a number of other potential problems: what happens if the laws on property ownership change (again), what happens if the visa rules change (again), what happens if your visa is not renewed, what happens if there are legal complications, what happens if you want to sell up and move back home? Rental property is very widely available and good value in Thailand, so I suggest most people go that route.
If you currently own a house in the UK (or West) I strongly urge you to keep it. Crunch the numbers and see if it’s possible to let the property out, taking into account rental income, tax, management fee and periodic repairs. If the numbers work that’s fine. If not you might be better off delaying your move to Thailand until you’ve paid off a bit more of your mortgage – enough to bring the numbers in favour of letting the property out. There are many options on variations possible here – but ideally you should have an appreciating asset of some kind outside of Thailand.
Deadly Mistake #6: No escape plan
You need some kind of escape plan. The very least this should be is backup money for a ticket home. Ideally keep this money in a different account and don’t touch it. Better still, give your escape funds to a parent or sibling and tell them not to give you the money unless it’s for a ticket home – preferably they should actually buy the ticket for you. Westerners can get themselves into all kinds of hot water in Thailand – for a wide range of reasons. They might fall foul of the law, lose their money in a failed business, have their heart broken or be robbed blind by a scheming gold-digger. It’s at this point many people can get desperate and get themselves involved in drugs and other crimes. Don’t get into that position – always make sure you have a clear and bullet-proof exit strategy before moving to Thailand.
Summary
In this article I’ve looked at some of the most common things than westerners get wrong when moving to Thailand. No one can live a perfect life – but you need to make sure your foundation (mentally, physically and financially) is solid before attempting to relocate overseas to Thailand. The same advice goes for other countries in Asia or even to other countries in the West.
Living in Thailand can be a fantastic experience, with a bit of planning ahead you can avoid all the most common errors.
Short days and long cold nights, Christmas is on its way. If you are willing to escape the cold UK Christmas and spend this vacation in some Far East countries, under sun and enjoying Christmas to its fullest, here are the two best options.
Thailand:
Thailand is attracting most number of tourists and visitors in Far East Asia. Spending Christmas holidays in Thailand means exploring and enjoying mesmerizing landscapes along with colorful and rich culture. Thailand has a lot to offer every tourist visiting during Christmas.
Thailand is highlighted with stunning monument, exotic beaches and nature’s fresh beauty attracting a lot of tourists throughout the year.
Suitable for all tourists ranging from those who are looking for a budget Christmas vacation to those who are looking for a luxury holiday.
Thai people lead a very traditional, contemporary style of living. During Christmas, the climate here is dry and clear with no signs of shower or humidity. Thus a very ideal climatic condition for enjoying a great Christmas with photography.
If you want to see elephants playing soccer, you must visit Thailand a little before Christmas. This traditional festival of Thai is known as Elephant Roundup and is worth viewing.
Christmas in Thailand has a wide array of activities to offer such as trekking, scuba diving, deep sea fishing, sailing, wind surfing, sea canoeing and parasailing as well.
Thailand Christmas cuisines include a very tempting and inviting range of cuisines enhanced with various flavors of spices and herbs. You can try a variety of chicken, beef, and pork, along with salads, noodles and vegetables on a base of fried rice or boiled rice.
Singapore:
Singapore is a perfect, pleasant and idyllic spot for spending this Christmas. The Lion City has a very unique combination of cultures thus making your vacations more exotic.
While visiting Singapore, You must visit China town, Marina Bay, Little India and Sentosa Island. Little India is an Indian market place with small shops selling some Indian goods at a very cheaper rate. Sentosa Island has ten most popular attractions including the most famous dolphin lagoon. This island also has three beaches named as Palwan beach, Siloso beach and Tanjong beach
You can witness a spectacular view of dazzling fairy and pipe lights along every street of the city. But you can experience the best sight along the Orchard road. Orchard road has the largest concentration of elegant and posh shopping malls, hotels and eateries.
Christmas in Singapore is celebrated with a great enthusiasm and the main attraction during Christmas is the gala events that are held. Such events usually include countdown parties, dancing, live performances and various shopping promotions and treats.
You can also be part of the colorful and vibrant parade of decorated lighted floats. You can also enjoy shopping in Singapore’s most famous Orchard road and Marina Bay.
If you are interested in learning about ancient civilization, then Singapore has something for you too. It has renowned art galleries and famous museums. To name a few are The Asian Civilization museums and Royal Selangar Pewter Museum. Both the museums display various cultural and archaeological Chinese treasures.
Visiting these destinations will be wonderful Christmas gift for you and your family.
Chiang Mai in Thailand is a wonderful location visit, be it for the beaches, the delicious foods or to enjoy the local culture. Below we look at ten interesting things to do in Chiang Mai.
1. Visit the walled city – This is a beautiful ancient place that is home to about thirty temples which boast Burmese, Sri Lankan and Lanna Thai influences. Here you can see beautiful carvings, intricately built staircases and golden pagodas.
2. Visit Wat Phrathat Doi Suthep – This is a splendid temple situated on a hillside. It has an intriguing history: The temple site was chosen by an elephant, which was allowed to roam at will. When it reached a particular site, the elephant trumpeted loudly, circled around several times and finally knelt down – an auspicious sign.
3. Take a trip to Maesa Elephant Camp – This is an elephant camp located on the hillside. Here you will be treated to a fascinating elephant show and even have the option to go on elephant rides.
4. Take a stroll around Bhuping Palace – This is a royal winter palace located on a hill. It has wide beautiful gardens and splendid architecture. It is open to the public whenever the royal family is not in residence. You will have to pay a small fee and abide by the dress code.
5. Interact with the animals at Chiangmai Zoo – The zoo is home to more than five thousands animals. These animals are housed in a cheerful open environment which gives you the illusion of actually being in a forest. Definitely a place the kids will enjoy.
6. Relax and go for a Thai Massage – If you want to relax, a Thai massage will definitely help you out in that department. Some massage parlours may be sleazy and dubious, so pay a little more for the legitimate ones that will have clean environment with relaxing music and scents in the background.
7. See Muay Thai fights at Kawila Boxing Stadium – Muay Thai is Thai boxing, and is the national sport of Thailand. The fights feature young amateurs, seasoned fighters as well as matches pitting local boxers against foreign ones.
8. Head for the Royal Floral Exposition – This is an exhibition which features more tens of thousands of species of orchid plants, and will be sure to interest even those who are not orchid lovers.
9. Shop at the Night Bazaar – This is a night market which goes on for miles and miles on Chiang Khlan Road. It is a must for shopping fanatics, who will be delighted with the low prices.
10. Head to Chiang Mai City Arts & Cultural Center – This is a modern multimedia centre which will educate you on the different aspects of Chiang Mai’s history and culture.
Currently there are 8 View talay projects in Jomtien and Pattaya. With View talay 8 due to be completed by the middle of 2010. So I thought it was time to look once again at where it all started some 15 years ago with View talay 1.
This condominium complex was the first to be built and when finished was an instant success. As one of the first modern condominium complexes in Jomtien Pattaya its designers introduced many interesting features such as shopping areas on the ground floor of both buildings and a large swimming pool sat between them. The pool is much larger than most other condominium projects in Pattaya and there is also a restaurant area serving food and refreshments. Being surrounded by shrubbery and palm trees the pool has a very relaxed feel about it
View talay 1 is a 15 story building and from the mid to high floors gives good views of Jomtien and Pattaya. The standard room size is 32sqm. Many owners have bought rooms side by side so it is possible to rent 64 and 96 sqm apartments.
In the last two years both buildings 1A and 1B have under gone a complete refurbishment program, with many improvements both inside and outside been undertaken. All this is good news if you’re looking to rent an apartment in Jomtien Pattaya. View talay’s 2, 3, 5, 6 and 7 are all more expensive to rent because they are newer and offer slightly bigger room sizes but View talay 1 since its refurbishment is equally as pleasant to stay and if your budget is not vast well worth considering. Below is a list of pro’s and con’s and when you consider the difference in price View talay 1 is not so bad at all as a holiday rental.
Con’s:
15 minute walk to the beach
Room size: 32sqm
Pro’s:
Relatively cheap rent
Large swimming pool
24hr Security
Key card entry
Easy access to Pattaya
Newly refurbished
Children’s play area
Various shops and internet
Car and motor bike hire
The cost of renting a 32sqm apartment in View talay 1 varies between 7500Baht to 15000Baht for something special. Compare that to renting a 48sqm apartment say in View talay 5 at 18 – 23000Baht a month.
Location, location, location. Yes location is important. View talay 1 may not be as close to the beach as some others but you do have easy access to the baht buses that pass by the main entrance every few minutes. From the entrance you can walk down to the beach at Jomtien. No more than 15 minutes or! For just 10Baht, catch a Baht bus and be at Jomtien beach in less than 5 minutes. By baht bus from the main entrance, Pattaya is only 10 minutes away. Yes location is important and View talay 1 is in one of the best.
This article has been written by: James Lamborn.
For more information about holiday rentals in Jomtien and Pattaya Thailand please visit. http://www.thaiholidayhomes.com
If you’d like to comment about this article then please contact the author at enquires@thaiholidayhomes.com
Ayutthaya is an ancient capital city of Thailand and it was founded by King Ramathibodi I in 1350. It stayed as the capital of Thailand for nearly 417 years. Ayutthaya was ruled by 33 kings of five dynasties. The city was named for Ayutthaya after the home of Rama from the Indian epic Ramayana, and it means the undefeatable.
During the first 180 years, Ayutthaya was a very peaceful city and did not get into wars with the neighboring countries. The main activity of the city was trading. However, after the death of King Ramathibodi I, for the first time, the city got involved in a war with Myanmar in 1529. Thereafter, the city ended up fighting many wars. Ayutthaya was first defeated by the Burmese in 1569. After fifteen years, the city was regained by the King Naresuan. The city continued to flourish for the next 118 years and after which it was invaded and destroyed by the Burmese army in 1767. The capital was later moved to Thonburi by King Tuskin who defeated the Burmese. After his reign, the capital was shifted to Bangkok by King Rama I.
The destroyed city was left untouched in the jungle for over a hundred years. Ayutthaya was 85 kilometers from north of Bangkok, where one can still find the ruins of this ancient city. The ruins indicate that Ayutthaya was one of the precious cities of Thailand. The city covered an area of 2,556 square kilometers.
In modern times, tourists can conveniently access it by road, river, and railways, and it is one of the famous sightseeing spots of Thailand.
