First off let me say that there’s nothing more annoying than people throwing about the term digital nomad in Thailand. Who ever coined the term is a douche bag and anybody who refers to themselves as a digital nomad is a f*****ing k***. I have nothing against people working online and think it’s a great way to earn money and be have more freedom, but the term ‘digital nomad’ makes me mad, and you wouldn’t like me when I’m mad.
But anyway, let’s discuss the topic of digital nomads in Thailand. With all the stuff popping up in the news lately, I figured it would be a good topic to write about.
Why pick Thailand to work remotely?
Why not? The living costs in Bangkok or Chiang Mai are pretty cheap, you can get a cheap apartment in Bangkok for under $300, that has a super fast Internet connection. Pretty much everything is good value and you can have a very nice life for under $1,000 if you wished. Currently there are thousands of digital nomads in Thailand, with most of them heading to cities like Bangkok and Chiang Mai.
Bangkok – Has several co-working spaces for digital nomads, a ton of coffee shops and other areas that are suitable for working in. City has a great infrastructure, fast WiFi in apartments and good 3G.
Chiang Mai- Digital nomads in Chiang Mai are quite popular, there’s a few co-working spaces, Facebook groups and a lot of networking. Chiang Mai had a boom recently in the amount of digital nomads moving their to work. Infrastructure is not as good as Bangkok, but apartments have fast WiFi and good coverage of 3G.
My own personal opinion on anyone working in a coffee shop or a co-working space is that you’re a f*****ing P******. Personally, I couldn’t find anything more annoying than working next to other ‘digital nomads’ who are being all nice, friendly and super helpful in regards to giving me great advice for my sites. God, just thinking about it is making me vomit in my mouth. I’d rather sit in my cold room with no lights on in front of a fan, churning out generic blog posts than too interact with other expats. Eugh, no thanks Jeff.
What visa do you need to work online in Thailand?
Nobody really knows, but according to this thread here, and this article here, you can work in Thailand on a tourist visa and it’s okay. Don’t take this for fact, you can search the Internet for days trying to find out what the actual law is, but the truth is it’s a grey area and nobody really knows. The officials don’t seem to care and why should they, digital nomads living in Thailand are doing nothing wrong.
If anybody asks you what you do in Thailand, it’s best to say you have a business back home than to say “I work online in Thailand”. There’s a 99% chance nothing will happen if you tell expats and locals alike, but you never know.
Getting your money into Thailand
As a digital nomad in Thailand, technically you cannot open a bank account, but it’s really not that hard too. You just keep going bank to bank until they say yes. Using PayPal and Skrill, you can directly send money from your eWallet to your Thai bank account. Other options would be to get paid in Bitcoins or use your credit or debit card at the ATMs.
Things to think about if you want to be a digital nomad in Thailand
Here’s some tips I would suggest for anyone who wants to become a digital nomad in Thailand.
Savings: Aim to have at least $4,000 before you come here, you never know if your spammy websites (like mine) or crappy eBooks (like mine again) might stop selling. Being broke in Thailand is not fun. Always have money for a return ticket too.
Get insurance: Thailand hospitals are expensive, get insurance before you arrive.
Network: Search the web and find other digital nomads in Chiang Mai or Bangkok, start networking and make friends before you arrive. There are literally thousands of nomads living here, it’s nice to know people from the get go.
Have discipline: If you’re coming to Thailand to work on your new online start-up, remember that there’s a lot of distractions in cities like Bangkok that can temp you away from that. That’s why digital nomads move to Chiang Mai to work online, the place is boring and there’s nothing to do than sit in coffee shops or co-working spaces circle jerking each other off.
Well that’s it for now, I’m sure when I think of more things to write about being a digital nomad in Thailand I will add too this great article. By the way, I don’t hate Chiang Mai or digital nomads, I’m just making jokes. If you have a problem with that, go f*** yourself.
