Thailand in Southeast Asia, has long been a popular destination for luxury breaks, backpackers, gap-year students and adventurous families. With an endless supply of cultural and environmental wonders, travellers can relax on southern idyllic beaches, trek through northern jungles or navigate the country’s energetic cities, particularly the bustling capital, Bangkok.
A Dream Destination
Many visitors choose to experience a combination of these activities with a multi-centre trip, made possible by (often long) domestic train or bus journeys, island ferry transfers or very convenient internal flights. Whilst visitors to Thailand can book a package or resort ahead of travelling for a set duration, it is also a destination where you can arrive, meet like-minded travellers and embark on an unplanned amazing adventure.
The Skyscanner website lists that there are an average of 105 flights to Thailand from the UK per week, with 31 possible destinations. The airlines that offer direct flights to Thailand from the UK include Air Canada, British Airways, Eva Air, Iberia, Norse Atlantic Airways, Air Portugal, Thai Airways, TUI and Virgin Atlantic.
The average flight time from the UK is around 11 hours and 56 minutes (based on flights from London). The cheapest return flight at the time of research was stated to be £327, with one-way fares from £209 (prices will vary depending on when and where you go and are subject to change and availability). Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK) is reported to be the cheapest airport to fly into.
Living the dream
For some, rather than just a holiday or extended travel break, this dream destination can become a permanent home. Travel Radar spoke to Daisy and Phil Drake, a British couple in their early 50s, that decided to call time on their careers, sell their house and retire in Thailand.
They found themselves in a rare position of having no children or parents to worry about in the UK, so decided that when their beloved dog died, they would put their plan into action. They “sold almost everything, invested some money, took the rest in cash and away we went”. They spent their first year travelling around Thailand and the Philippines and whilst they say they loved the adventures and new experiences, they found travelling was hard work and costly. So they came back to Thailand, found a lovely fishing village (about an hour from Bangkok on the Gulf of Thailand) where they have been welcomed.
Daisy said: “We stayed here mainly because whenever we go away, we are always happy to get back, which just wasn’t the case in the UK.” She says they often joke about “living the dream” when they still have to do laundry or go shopping, but its still much more pleasant than in the UK.
Moving retirement
Phil says of the couple’s retirement abroad: “We are just moving our retirement to a time when we are still fit and able enough to enjoy it. If we have to move back to the UK because have spent all our money and need to work, we will still have up to ten years left to work (before current UK retirement age). At least we will have enjoyed our lives.”
He also has advice for anyone else considering to retire abroad (as it is complicated for foreign nationals to work in countries such as Thailand).
“People should keep a safety net in their home country. Whatever property you can afford, rent it out and then if you need to return you can move back in. At least you’ll have somewhere to live and that makes a big difference for people on tighter budgets.”
Recent flooding
According to the Climates to Travel website, Thailand has a tropical climate and typically experiences three distinct seasons. Winter runs from November to February and is dry and relatively cool but can still feel hot in the south and on the coast. The summer or ‘very hot’ season, runs from March to mid-May before the rainy monsoon season, which generally runs from mid-May to October.
This year however, travellers who are planning a trip, should be aware that Thailand and particularly Bangkok, is currently experiencing severe flooding. Daisy and Phil confirmed that the recent floods have affected roads, even in Pattaya, which is approximately 1-2 hours from Bangkok. However, despite this risk, life continues but with some inevitable delays around travel.
The good, the bad, the bizarre
The good bits about retired life in Thailand (according to Daily and Phil) are: The lovely food, that life can be as easy or exciting as you want it to be. There are lots of well-looked after community street dogs. Clothes, fresh fruit and vegetables are cheap. It is easy to make trips to exciting places nearby. They love the laid-back Buddhist culture and the overwhelming generosity of Thai people when you try to integrate. Also learning scuba/free diving.
The bad: Doing official things like arranging Visas is difficult if you cannot speak Thai, but the couple say you can easily arrange for an agent to do this for you, for a fee. Western comfort foods and cars are (understandably) expensive.
The bizarre: The variety of vehicles on the roads and number of occupants, for example it is not uncommon to see five people, a dog and shopping bags balanced on a scooter! Thai people also don’t tend to walk very far. They don’t like to say ‘no’, they say dogs ‘honk’ – a Thai word (rather than bark) and they call pork ‘Moo’.
To sum up, the much-missed couple say that after three years, “we can honestly say we have never been better emotionally, physically and mentally.”
This brings to mind the Thai phrase ‘Mai Pen Rai’, which means “don’t worry, be happy.”
Have you ever been to Thailand and would you consider retirement there? Let us know in the comments below. Travel Radar would like to express thanks to Daisy and Phil for sharing their experiences and photos.
