So I asked everyone on my email list to send me any questions they would like to know and I’d do my best to answer them. So here they are.
Note: if you have signed up for my email list, I recently changed my provider and lost some contacts so please enter your email address in the form at the bottom to get all my blog updates.
How much would I need to live okay on in Thailand to look after my girlfriend and family?
How long’s a piece of string? There’s really no black and white answer.
If your girlfriend is Thai you should certainly make her get a job, otherwise she will leach off you and I’ve known that to kill a lot of relationships.
Assuming you have a girlfriend and at least 1 child, you’re going to want around $2,500 minimum. Schools aren’t cheap.
If by family you mean her family, I would get out of the relationship now to avoid yourself becoming a personal ATM for her family.
Whenever you get into a relationship with a Thai girl, make sure she is working a job otherwise you’re asking for trouble.
See here for the cost of living in Bangkok.
Best day/night markets to meet regular Thai girls?
I really enjoy going to JJ night market, it’s open Friday and Saturday night and packed to the gills with girls.
Day market, Sorry I don’t visit them as I’m not a homosexual.
Is there a way to work has diving instructor freelance because I would like to work with many dive schools not just one not to open a company?
No you cannot. To work for a dive company you will need a work permit which means you have to work at least 20 hours a week or more. You cannot freelance at several schools legally.
Question that needs a straightforward answer is the retirement visa and the requirements?
There is no straight forward answer to any Thai visa related question. Don’t think that the Thai visa system works like the US or UK.
What the official website says and what a consulate in Vietnam or Laos will tell you’re are two completely different things.
If you want to apply for a retirement visa, choose the country you would like to apply for it in, then study up as much as possible on the requirements as it will vary from country to country.
How does one go about setting up a bank account if you want to transfer money monthly to yourself from your home country?
The same rules apply here as above. You can walk into 20 K-bank branches and 19 will reject you while the the last one lets you.
Nowadays with all the visa lock downs it’s getting very hard to setup a bank account. I’d advise anyone who doesn’t have a work permit and plans to stay in Thailand long-term to get one setup ASAP because it gets even harder.
Check out my website sponsor Bangkok Helper, who guarantees all customers a Thai bank account.
What’s the best city to get a new visa after 3 months stay? I mean, there are a lot of places where people travel to get a new tourist visa, but some of them are more expensive or hard to get than another. What is the best option?
The easiest places in order are:
- Laos
- Cambodia
- Vietnam
Laos being several times easier than Cambodia and Vietnam. The following places are known for much stricter standards:
1. Singapore
2. Hong Kong
3. Malaysia
The cost of getting a visa in all the countries is more or less the same price.
Laos is by far the easiest and have the more relaxed requirements. I would never advise anyone to go to Singapore or Hong Kong if they are just coming off a free tourist visa.
How difficult is to make genuine friends when you’re in Thailand?
It’s very hard.
I was lucky because I networked with a group of poker players. While it’s not impossible, it’s very hard to make solid relationships. You can learn more about why by reading the following articles:
Are Thailand expats fruitcakes?
Psychological problems living in Thailand
Do you think is it realistic to expect to have “friends with benefits” in Thailand or the only options are P4P/Girlfriend?
Yes for sure, the term here is called gik. This is pretty much a friends with benefits situation. You can talk to girls on sites like Thai Cupid to find yourself a gik.
Where is market about John Smith t-shirt?
Uw0tm8?
Best time to go to the north?
Avoid February to April as it’s when the North has its smoke season which makes it very smoggy and hard to breath.
South?
Anytime outside of rainy season, which makes October-March the best times of year to visit.
And best place to have a chance to smoke opium in Thailand?
You can get it anywhere, but the North is the easiest as I believe that’s where it’s grown.
I don’t advise anyone to do drugs in Thailand.
If one wanted to move to Bangkok is it better to just save money in the US, pack up and leave, and try to find a job? Or is it better to see if you can get a work permit over here and then start applying for jobs?
There’s a very high chance that you will never get a work permit unless you want to become a teacher, or work for a business that is more than happy to relocate you to an office in Bangkok.
As for which option is better to save or to just pack up and leave, both are just as good as each other. A lot of people say they are saving up to move to Bangkok but never do.
My advice is to do what your heart tells you.
Related reading: 6 people who moved to Thailand and their stories
Interested to hear the tax and legalities of being a nomad selling ebooks or gaining income from a website.
For instance your book, people pay via Paypal, you cash out. I know Thailand does not tax offshore income once it is not remitted in the year it is earned(not that it would be enforced anyway). So that is easily complied with in your position.
But at what stage does a Nomad consider income from a book a wage versus a business generating profit. And if selling eBooks becomes a business does one not need to worry more about tax compliance?
I see small time bloggers treating selling eBooks as income, but any bigger blog or website selling stuff is usually a registered business somewhere. At what point does one make the crossover?
This depends on the which country the person is from. For me, as a UK resident I don’t have to pay any tax in the UK as I’m no longer classed as a tax-resident, as I spend more than 6 months of the working tax year outside of the UK.
Thailand has no tax laws for digital nomad.
Every person varies based on how long they stay in a location and what country they are from.
And no, most travel blogs are not registered businesses. I would go to say that 95% or more of bloggers have not registered themselves as a business. It would make no sense to do so.
Related reading: how to make money online in Thailand.
I have been thinking about this for a while, expatriate to Thailand for a while and work. Probably teach English. I’m not certified, but I am a native speaker of American English. Once in 1998 when I was in Bangkok, I went for a teaching job and got hired based on that alone.
They even had me sing a Police song to a class and they clapped. Is this still possible?
Yes it is, but I really don’t suggest anyone to teach in Thailand unless they love teaching.
The job is not paid so well unless you land a gig at a intentional school which you won’t. It’s changed a little since 1998, you will need all the correct paper work and work permit to work in a lot of schools. You may get away with not having the correct paperwork in smaller towns, but in the main areas you’ll find it hard to get a job.
Related reading: Q&A with two English teachers in Bangkok.
I’m planning to visit Thailand in the near future I ‘m looking to contact a beautiful and sexy Thai woman for love open minded; affectionate and sweet tender. Where can I find one?
I’ve heard about recent bombings in Bangkok and military occupation. I visited Thailand in 2011 and it was very safe. Is it safe enough to visit in 2016?
Thailand is pretty safe for the most part if you understand the culture and don’t be a dick. You should read my article on how safe is Thailand for further information.
There are lots of Uni’s in Bangkok. Which one is the best to live near/hang out (coffee shops, libraries, parks) to meet the Thai Uni Unicorn (smoking hot, fun personality, smart, FREE)?
Join a Thai dating site, it will be much easier than living in a location near a university. But if you really want to game girls, shopping malls are your best bet.
What is a truly “undiscovered” night life area/place in Bangkok?
If you want to find undiscovered nightlife in Thailand, visit a smaller city because you won’t find much of them in Bangkok.
Ever go on the surfing/wave riding stuff around Bangkok?
Never heard about people surfing in Thailand, you can wake board though which I’ve done and it was very fun. Would stick to the Philippines or Bali if you want to surf.
That’s all of them, if you have any questions, feel free to ask them below!
