I had an amazing run over the last two or so years in Chiang Mai, Thailand.
I got in the best shape of my life. Wrote my second best-selling book. Met a wonderful woman. Made lifelong friends. Invested and gave away thousands of dollars. Visited exotic locales.
It was one life-changing adventure after another.
I’m extremely thankful for it all.
But the end has come.
Thailand’s decision to become far more restrictive with broader immigration policies has made it very difficult for me (and many others) to continue living here long term.
This led to Oh and I having a series of lengthy discussions on how we could and would respond.
Ultimately, we both concluded that traveling abroad for the foreseeable future was our best choice at this time.
I’ve been very comfortable here in Thailand. Perhaps too comfortable.
Truth be told, left to my own devices, I wouldn’t be leaving. Not right now, at least. I’m honestly not a huge fan of traveling. I like having structure, visiting my favorite haunts, and feeling a sense of ownership over my local domain. I’m a creature of habit. Furthermore, I find the whole “digital nomad” thing extremely overrated and not sustainable for very long.
However, being forced out of my comfort zone is a blessing in disguise in many ways. I’m looking forward to pushing myself, overcoming new challenges, and experiencing different adventures. I’m excited to grow.
Here’s where I’m going, when I’m leaving, and what’s next.
Leaving Thailand On December 27
I’m leaving Thailand this Friday, December 27.
My ED visa expires in early January. However, I didn’t want to push things to the very last minute.
Moreover, I didn’t want to pay for another month of rent, gym membership, mobile phone, etc. Not for just a few days of the month. I could try to get into daily rates for certain things, but I didn’t see the point of going out of my way to delay the inevitable.
This date worked out well with Oh’s schedule. And Friday tends to be a pretty light day on the productivity front for me.
Going To Kuala Lumpur
I’ll be setting up shop in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, flying in directly from Chiang Mai.
Kuala Lumpur is, in my opinion, a fantastic option in Southeast Asia for early retirement (if you can get past the heat and rain).
The city is well developed, clean, safe, and very cheap. In some ways, it’s cheaper than Bangkok. And Bangkok is already one of the best bang-for-buck megacities in the entire world.
I’ve arranged to be there until at least late March. I could (and might) extend things in KL past that point, but I have limited visibility on that for right now.
Kuala Lumpur is the perfect base for the next few months. That’s besides the fact that I’ve been wanting to check it out for myself.
I’m waiting for Oh to sell her house, quit her job, and tie up a number of loose ends in Thailand. She can’t come along on adventures until all of that is done. I believe it’ll take her at least a couple months to square things away.
Seeing as how Malaysia is one of Thailand’s bordering neighbors, it’ll be very easy for her to join me when she’s ready. I’m just a short plane ride away. And she gets an easy visa on arrival.
From Kuala Lumpur, we can disembark for the next leg of our journey when we’re ready.
Departing alone like this gives also gives Oh some space and time to think about things and be really sure that she’s ready to commit to the travel and future plans that we’ve sketched out. I already told her that I would totally understand if she were to change her mind. I’d be sad. And disappointed. But I’d understand.
The Rest Of 2020
The rest of the year is still up in the air at this point.
Much of it comes down to how much I (we) like Kuala Lumpur, when Oh is able to join me, and what kind of mood we’re in down the road.
But I think it’s likely that we end up in Tbilisi, Georgia for a good chunk of the summer and fall.
I think it might just be the best city in the whole world for early retiree expats.
Istanbul could make sense for a month in the late fall. Turkey is right next to Georgia. It’s a little warmer that time of year. And Istanbul looks fascinating.
Beyond that, we may skip around Southeast Asia together for a bit. Hanging out in Vietnam in the springtime, before heading off to Georgia, is a potential option. Frankly, we have a lot of options.
Finally, returning to Thailand later in 2020, around the holidays, is something we’re keen to do. We’ll reassess life at that point and decide if we want to travel more or settle down.
I’ll See You In 2020
This seems like a great juncture to conclude 2019 for Mr. Free At 33.
I’m going to spend the next few days wrapping things up in Chiang Mai, reminiscing, and having a great time with Oh before I leave. Then I have to spend time this weekend getting my bearings in a totally new city.
I’ll have my usual UDGSOW article going live this Sunday. Otherwise, the next full post here on the blog will be late next week, when I update the FIRE Fund for January.
That will be my first full blog post from Kuala Lumpur. I hope it’s the first of many.
I’m looking forward to putting out new content over the next few months relating to Kuala Lumpur, how it stacks up as a city for Western early retiree expats, and even how it compares to options in the US and Thailand.
The whole of 2020 should be a very interesting year for new content and ideas. It’s exciting stuff.
Conclusion
As I look back on my time in Thailand, I’m proud of everything I’ve done. I’d be disappointed if I had let the last two years go to waste, but I don’t believe that was the case at all. I accomplished so much. I really do feel like I took maximum advantage of everything this place had to offer me. And I also feel like I gave as much as I possibly could have to everyone around me. I leave with no regrets. I lived my best life.
Thank you for all of your support this past year – and every year that came before it.
Being able to help, motivate, and inspire others is a dream come true for me. Providing value to people and showing them what’s possible in this life is an honor that I take very seriously.
Thank you very, very much for your ongoing readership.
I wish you and yours a Merry Christmas and happy holiday season.
I’ll see you all in 2020 after I’m settled into my new home in Kuala Lumpur!
What do you think? Ever been to Kuala Lumpur? Any thoughts on it?
Thanks for reading.
P.S. If you’re interested in becoming financially independent and geographically independent, check out some fantastic resources that I personally used on my way to becoming financially free at 33!
Jason,
Good luck! Can’t wait to hear about life in KL!
Sixty Months
SM,
Thanks a lot. I’ll be sure to share my experiences as I go. 🙂
Cheers!
Hello Jason, I am a regular reader, but very seldom comment.
I would like to take the opportunity to thank you for your very interesting blog, wish you all the best going forward and also a nice holiday period, even if moving to a new country will not make it too peaceful I guess.
I look forward to reading about your adventures in 2020.
All the best,
Egon
Egon,
Thank you very much. Appreciate the support! 🙂
Should be an interesting year. I’m looking forward to the change and growth ahead, even if it’s not something I would have necessarily chosen for myself at this particular time.
Hope you enjoy the upcoming content. Happy holidays!
Best regards.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year !
Bob
Bob,
Same to you and yours! 🙂
Cheers.
Merry Christmas Jason! And thank you for your time earlier this month. We are now back home att the Åland Islands.
Markus,
Hey, it was my pleasure. Glad you and your family are back home safe. 🙂
Merry Christmas!
Best wishes.
An old supervisor of mine who was in inpat referred to her native home as “the village”. We thought she grew up on a beach in a hut with tiki torches. She was from KL…
Enjoy the adventure!
fv,
Wow. That’s an interesting way to describe a global city with a bigger population than Philadelphia.
It’ll be fun to explore. It’s a big world out there. A lot to see and do for sure. 🙂
Cheers.
I am interested to read about your next adventures. I recommend Malaysia and it’s where I have been based the last 3 1/2 years – you should check out Penang as well as this is more laid back than KL and could be cheaper too. What Penang lacks in buzz you get a chilled out vibe with amazing food.
If you make it to Penang then give me shout, more than up for meeting up.
Cheers Adam
Adam,
Hey, thanks for the invite!
I don’t have any current plans to make it over to Penang, but I’m glad you’re enjoying yourself over there. 🙂
It’ll be interesting for me to compare a slice of Malaysia to a slice of Thailand. I’ve spent quite a bit of time in Bangkok, too, so I think I’ll have a decent frame of reference for comparisons. Should be fun.
Best wishes.
Having spent time in both KL and Penang, I would recommend Penang over KL.
At least check it out.
You can also visit Langkawai from there (or pop back to south of Thailand if you miss Thai food too much!)
In the other direction, Malaka is also probably worth checking out.
sean,
Appreciate the recommendation.
I took a good look at Penang before I came here. It didn’t appeal to me at all. Kuala Lumpur certainly didn’t knock my socks off, either, but I thought the additional amenities might offset at least some of the cultural concerns. I was wrong. To be fair to me, a lot of people downplay the cultural tension in Malaysia. I don’t think it should be downplayed at all. Undoubtedly my worst experience in all of SE Asia. I have zero desire to see any more of Malaysia, and I’ll leave at my first opportunity. Love Bangkok. Saigon is great. Kuala Lumpur is definitely not my cup of tea.
Best regards.
Good luck on your adventures. I’m looking forward to reading more about KL and Georgia.
Happy holidays!
Joe,
Thanks a lot. Should be fun!
Happy holidays to you and yours, too. 🙂
Best regards.
Good Luck on the move .
desidividend,
Thanks so much! 🙂
Cheers.
Hi Jason, I hope everything turn out well for you and Oh. Visiting other countries is always intriguing and interesting. You guys are young and now is the time to do it. Keep us posted on your new journey away from Thailand. Best wishes; your friend from WP, Fl Omar
Omar,
Yeah, we have the time and money to do something like this right now. So why not? 🙂
I think I’ll miss Thailand very much while I’m gone. All the same, though, I’m excited to evolve, grow, and go through new challenges and experiences. Just part of life.
Best regards!
Thanks for the update! I’ve been excited to see where you’ll head to next! I guessed Georgia but I guess I was kind of half correct since you might be heading there later in the year. I also think the snowbird option might work out for your situation, eventually.
I was in KL years ago but it was years ago so I’ll be happy to see how it’s changed via your blog.
Also, It’s cool that you’re still considering Vietnam. It’s one of my favorite countries and probably has the best/cheapest street food in the world.
BTW, did you ever end up meeting the guy from Awol Geordie? I saw on his comments that you two were planning to meet up for coffee. Seems like quite the character!
Best of luck in 2020! If things go well there’s a small chance that by the end of the year my freedom fund will finally catch up with yours!
Matt,
I never did meet up with him. I think he kind of had one foot outside of Thailand already at that point. He was on his way to Cambodia. Certainly wish him well.
I might be more excited to see Tbilisi than Kuala Lumpur, to be honest. I only say that because Tbilisi is so different to SE Asia. It’ll be fun to mix it up, try new foods, and experience a radically different culture.
Should be a fun year. I’m just fortunate that I have opportunities like this to go off on adventures. It’s something that I don’t take for granted.
Best of luck to you in 2020, too! 🙂
Cheers.
Agree on Georgia. After you mentioned it I checked some Youtube vids on it and seems super interesting and shockingly cheap! Looks like the lax visa policy applies to Thais as well as Americans so I think you’ll find yourself there sooner rather than later 😉
Matt,
The one-year visa on arrival does also apply to Thai passport holders. I noted that here:
https://www.mrfreeat33.com/tbilisi-georgia-might-be-the-best-city-in-the-world-for-retiring-early-as-an-expat/
It’s the only place in the world quite like it, which is why I highlighted it and am so interested in it. Not sure I’d want to live there or anything like that, but I’m keen to spend at least a summer there.
Cheers.
Congrats Jason! I’m really excited to read about your adventures in Georgia! I’ve never visited the region and am really pumped to hear about your experiences there. Safe travels to KL!
DP,
Appreciate that.
Should be fun. I’ve been looking at both KL and Tbilisi for some time now. It’ll be nice to finally experience the cities for myself. It’ll also be very nice to share those experiences with everyone else. I’m obviously a huge fan of geo arb, and it’s exciting to think about reporting on some of the different options out there in order to give readers some perspective on possibilities.
Big year ahead! 🙂
Best wishes.
What a year 2020 will be! Best of luck on your new adventures! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! 🙂
MDD,
Same to you and yours. Have an awesome holiday season! 🙂
Best regards.
Best of luck in your new adventure! Looking forward to reading about them next year.
Ali,
Thank you. Lots to look forward to and report on. I’m ready to go! 🙂
Cheers.
Hi Jason a inspirational story of taking what life has given you and keeping a positive attuide for the future. I hope you and OH have a prosperous and a joy filled 2020 as your continue your journey through life. I wish you and OH a merry Christmas and a Happy new year.
Cheers
Michael,
I’ve never let life get me down. Been through much worse than changing visa restrictions, so this is nothing. Just gave us a reason to go on some adventures and kick things into the next gear. I’m excited. 🙂
Merry Christmas!
Cheers.
Merry Christmas, Jason.
I hope the next chapter in your and Oh’s life will be productive and exciting.
All the best,
Mike
Mike,
Merry Christmas to you and yours. Hope you have a wonderful holiday season. 🙂
One chapter may have ended, but I’m looking forward to writing the next one. Much to see and do.
Best regards.
Istanbul is awesome. It’s beautiful – absolutely the best city to watch a sunset I’ve ever been to- the people are friendly, the cuisine is great, and there is a feeling of permanence, for lack of a better word, that the city has more than any other place I’ve been. It can also be cramped, noisy but that’s part of the charm IMHO, and it’s so huge there are plenty of quiet areas that are more chill. A lot of people say NYC is the “center of everything” but I think Istanbul deserves that tag more. You should definitely check it out.
Merry Christmas from Chicago!
HW,
Sounds like you just described Bangkok. 🙂
We might have a chance to scope out Istanbul while we’re up that way. Not sure how many more times in life I’ll be that close to Turkey, so it could be just the right time to take advantage of an opportunity. Partially depends on how much we like Georgia and what we have in mind in terms of coming back to Thailand later in 2020. We’ll see.
Merry Christmas!
Cheers.
Jason – first of all, good luck with your move – I think you are moving today! I have been to both, Istanbul and Tbilisi several times and definitely highly recommend both cities for cultural exploration. Istanbul is actually on par with NY, Rome, Mexico City – it’s gigantic in terms of population and urban spread. I reckon it’s easily close to 20 million people.
If you end up living in Tbilisi, there are several daily flights between these cities and you can get a visa on arrival. Georgian language is notoriously difficult to pronounce/master, but almost everyone there speaks Russian and to the lesser degree English. You may want to pick up a Russian phrasebook, it will come in handy when you travel away from the big city.
Take and post more photos of your new place and of your travels!!!
Alex
Alex,
Both Istanbul and Bangkok have about 15 million people in their respective metros. But Istanbul is more dense because it packs that population in an area that is about 1,000 square miles smaller.
I do hope we get a chance to check out Istanbul. Looks very interesting. Really depends on how much we enjoy Georgia, as well as how the climate is treating us in the late fall. I have a feeling we’d both be homesick for Thailand by that time, though. We’ll see! 🙂
Tbilisi doesn’t strike me as a place that I could see myself living in, but it does appeal to me as a place to go visit and check out. At the very least, it might make for a nice summer locale. I really would prefer to make plans to settle down in Thailand long term. But I’m looking forward to the travels until we can figure out a more viable way for me to live in Thailand.
Best regards.
Looking fwd to the updates Jason, it’s been a fascinating read so far; thanks
Baz,
Looking forward to sharing new experiences and providing more insight on potential options for the FIRE lifestyle. 🙂
Best wishes.
Can’t wait to hear about your new adventures. We were there in October. Cranes, lots and lots of cranes. They are building and growing like crazy. I think there is a shopping mall every quarter mile.
We really enjoyed Bali. It is comparable to Thailand in cost and there is so much natural beauty to see. Also the people are just great. You might put it on your radar.
Have fun, I hope we can meet up again somewhere on this awesome world.
Shane,
Hmm. I think it depends on where in Thailand you’re talking about. The cranes are everywhere in Bangkok. I couldn’t believe how many there were down there when we visited a few weeks ago. But it’s not like that up in Chiang Mai.
Looked at Bali/Indonesia before I decided to relocate abroad. Not my cup of tea, but I’m glad you guys enjoyed it. 🙂
Should be a good time. I’ll make sure to share as I go along!
Best regards.
All the best Jason! Look forward to hearing about your adventures from KL 🙂
DG Tech,
Thanks so much. Appreciate it!
Off to a rough start thus far. It’s a city that looks better on paper than in person. Will share more over time as I gain experience here. 🙂
Cheers.
Best wishes to you! Been a follower for years.
Don,
Thanks for the readership. Hope you continue to stop by and enjoy the content. 🙂
Best regards.
Hey man, I really wish you the best of luck. I’m actually in a similar position in regards to having a Thai gf but being ready to leave Thailand. She’s currently in the process of clearing her debts for our last 3 months here then we’re off.
I’m actually missing family and wanting to go stay in Mexico and Latin America instead of staying in Asia. But as you know, it’s far and each flight path crosses different countries.
The problem here is the transit visa. Do you know if getting a transit visa for a Thai citizen to Canada is easy at all? It saves 500 usd/person to cross Canada instead of going to South Korea to Mexico so an extra thousand would be amazing if not for the visa worries.
The Mexico visa, I’m pretty confident she can get easily. It’s just the transit visa to Canada I’m worried about.
Thanks for reading and sharing your story. Good luck on your move today!
Felipe,
Unfortunately, I can’t help you there with the Canadian transit visa. It’s not something I’ve ever had to look into. But I’m sure it’s not too difficult to do the research and find out what’s possible for you guys. 🙂
Best of luck with your upcoming travels together. Exciting stuff!
Cheers.
Good luck Jason.. looking forward to reading your updates from KL.. keep ’em coming!
Jessie,
First day in KL is a wrap. Can’t say I’m enjoying it, as my social media feeds will indicate. But maybe it’ll get better. 🙂
I’m going to settle in, experience it for a couple weeks, then put some thoughts together. Stay tuned!
Best regards.
Hello, I road tested KL for 4 months (May to Aug). Wait until you run into the homeless people that mutilate themselves for offerings. It is just too hot, humid, dirty, rainy and hectic for me. Hopefully you have a better experience. Oh yeah, first week I was there I got food poisoning and was sick as a dog for 2 weeks – lots 15 pounds thou downside was I did not know anyone and had to fend for myself.
Dave,
I actually ran into a homeless guy last night that tried to fight me, as I quickly recounted on Twitter and Facebook. He backed down after I squared up on him. The homeless situation here in KL is insane.
The heat and humidity don’t bother me, but the rain, as I noted before, is pretty extreme. Even by SE Asian standards. It makes Bangkok look dry by comparison.
My first two days have left me highly unimpressed with Kuala Lumpur, but I always knew I’d like it much less than Bangkok/Thailand. That’s why I moved to Thailand in the first place. Thailand was the best option for high QOL at a low COL, in my opinion. And I remain convinced, after traveling more, that my initial conclusion was correct. I think what’s surprising for me about KL is just how much LESS I like it than everywhere else I’ve seen in SE Asia. It may as well be in a different geographical location, because it’s nothing like most of the other places in the region. I’m only here because Oh and I have to get her loose ends wrapped up and then figure out a more viable way to live in Thailand full time once we’re more unleashed. Ran out of time with the visa situation. And she’s tied down more than I am. Once she’s free of her house and job, we’ll be in a better position to navigate the future. As of right now, I have no good visa option and she’s not mobile. So I’m buying time and in a holding pattern here.
Best regards.
Jason, Thank you for everything you do!!! Wishing you an incredible new year and I’m excited to follow your journey! Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and Happy New Year! Safe and prosperous travels!
Ian,
Thank you. Appreciate that. Looks like you’re killing it over there. So happy for you. 🙂
Happy New Year to you and your family!
Best wishes.
Bit of a shame about the way Thailand is going, particularly with a view to long term expats. The country has made it clear it wants short term vacationers, preferably from high spending countries like China.
I am currently in Penang and love KL too. Can highly recommend both as a good base. The 90 day visa on arrival makes things very easy and it’s well situated to get to all of Southeast Asia!
One last thing about Thailand – I do find it expensive these days mainly due to the very high Baht. I travel mainly on GBP so it can a real struggle finding value in places like Thailand.
Good luck and selamat datang to Malaysia!
Ant,
Definitely agree with you on Thailand’s immigration changes. It is a shame. But I think it was inevitable. Frankly, I’d probably be going in the same direction if I were Thai and in charge of Thailand’s immigration system. The only thing is, Thailand might want to be careful about who they’re siding with. China is starting to kind of take over the region. And that has numerous facets to it. I think Cambodia and Vietnam are just now starting to recognize what’s happening, especially in areas like Sihanoukville. I guess when you have 1.4 billion people in a relatively small area, expansion seems logical. But, you know, Thailand’s not my country. I’m just a guest.
The currency thing doesn’t bother me, but that’s because I’m on the USD. It’s roughly the same rate as it was 10-12 years ago. But the pound, AUD, and a number of other currencies have been hit hard against the baht over the last few years.
As for Kuala Lumpur, it’s highly unimpressive. Definitely my least favorite place I’ve been to in SE Asia. Ranks only slightly above San Salvador for me in terms of worst places I’ve ever been to. I’m only here because I’m waiting on Oh to tie up some loose ends, and KL is close to her. Plus, I’ve been wanting to check it out for myself. Well, I checked it out. If Oh were free now, I’d bounce. But I have to wait on her to take care of her house and whatnot, so I’ll do my best with what I’ve got over here.
Cheers.
Hi Jason,
I don’t understand why you could not get served in street food vendors ” they’d just stare at me until I would go away” (???).
Never been in Malaysia, I don’t feel confortable in a majority islamic country, even if it’s “moderate” islam as can be in asian country.
I might suggest if you really love Oh the best you can offer is a flight to US, because it’s not easy for a thai girl to leave job and sell house just in order to travel around Asia.
It could be the best for both, to live in US for 6 months, and fly back in Thailand as holiday for the next 6, just my opinion.
cheers.
praya,
Yeah, it’s unfortunate here in KL. I’m getting some really bad vibes from the locals. First time in SE Asia I’ve experienced this. Thankfully, it’s just a short-term thing. Never had any desire to live here. And I now know my intuition was correct.
Oh and I won’t be traveling for years on end or anything like that. I’m not even a fan of travel in the first place. I thought I was pretty clear on that. This is just a short-term solution to bridge the gap between where we’re at now and where we’d like to be in the future. We’ve already discussed what we’d like to do over the long run, which is something we’ll start to dig into at some point in the near future. However, the visa situation rapidly changed, and I ran out of time there. In addition, her house had to go, either way. There was no future for us in which that house existed. I’m basically in a holding pattern here until she’s freed up. Then we can get on with the rest of our life together.
Best regards.
Wow KL must be bad for you to be so negative about it as that is not your usual style. I have not been to Malaysia since the mid 90s and although I did not hate the place I just find it kind of pointless from a foreigner’s perspective when in Asia you have such superior places such as Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Philippines Taiwan, even Japan. Muslim countries are so joyless and boring.
cat793,
It’s unfortunate. I came here as an open-minded and optimistic person. And I actually have pretty low expectations. I’m happy if you can simply give me reliable wifi, decent coffee, nice people, a gym, and some good/cheap local food. I don’t set the bar high. That’s partially why I’ve been so happy in Thailand. However, Kuala Lumpur doesn’t really deliver any of that, especially on the people aspect. I’ll do my best to remain respectful while I’m a guest in this country, but I won’t ever return.
Bangkok is superior in almost every way to Kuala Lumpur. Unless someone legally cannot live in Bangkok, I struggle to see why anyone would ever come here. Frankly, I can’t imagine any other large city in SE Asia as being less desirable than Kuala Lumpur.
Best regards.
In my opinion Thailand is pretty unique. There isn’t really a direct replacement for it sadly. It is one of the few countries never to have been colonised by Europeans and that means that Thais, for all their quirks, lack the inferiority complex prevalent in most other non western countries. They genuinely have confidence in their culture and way of doing things however bizarre and crazy it might seem at times to foreigners. It means they can interact with foreigners without the cringe. They reference to their own cultural standards and history not to ours.
My feeling is that geo-arbitrage is only going to get more difficult for westerners. We are stagnant or even going down whereas the more attractive countries are getting richer and pricier all the time. Thailand is the most famous example of this but most of the rest of Asia is on the same track. I feel from my own experience that the 90s and early 2000s where the golden age when it was normal that anyone with the ability to earn hard currency in the West could live like a king in most parts of the world. As they get relatively richer and more and more westerners try and escape the problems at home then visa restrictions are going to become more of a problem. Just the last couple of days and the Philippines is saying they are going to restrict Americans It is not all doom and gloom as opportunities still exist but now is the time to enjoy them before they disappear. Ironically increasingly the best value places in the world are not now in non western countries at all. Two of the best value places I have been recently are the UK and Germany. Many prices in these two countries are already lower than in third world places and the quality is vastly superior. Western levels of productivity, efficiency and quality are rarely matched in most less developed countries.
cat793,
I agree with you across the board.
I’ve noted a few times now that Thailand is very unique and special. That’s for a number of reasons, some of which you just listed. It’s why I moved there in the first place. It’s not like I randomly picked it. It was a very methodical decision to go there. I felt like Thailand was the best possible intersection between QOL and COL, as well as the best place in the world for me to build out wonderful relationships (both romantic and non-romantic). Mission accomplished.
Unfortunately, you’re also right on your other point. The golden era was a number of years ago. I wasn’t born early enough to achieve FIRE any sooner than I did, so I kinda missed out. Doing FIRE and geo arb in tandem, like I’ve done, would have been an even more phenomenal combination about 20 years ago or so. Regardless of how you look at it on the stock end, the COL, currency, and visa situations were really advantageous back then. Of course, things are still great if you want to achieve FIRE and move abroad. Technology and the availability of some Western amenities/foods make living abroad much easier and more comfortable. And there are still opportunities. Places like Thailand are still available. It’s just getting ever-more difficult to live as a long-term expat in some of these countries as local living standards rise and as more tourists (especially from China) create increasing demand. With these growing immigration lines putting stress on some of these countries, I foresee stricter immigration regulations. It’s evolution. And it’s inevitable.
My best overall option for settling down in Thailand long term is to marry Oh. However, there’s no future life for us in which her house still exists. So the house has to go. Moreover, the marriage visa situation is anything but a cakewalk. And I suspect, as I noted, that’ll only become more difficult over time, too. Marrying a Thai citizen is certainly not a promise of an easy visa situation in Thailand.
Best regards.
I wish you the best on your journey!
Pengabingen
Thanks a lot! 🙂
Cheers.
Friends went to KL last year for the Grand Prix and were surprised how cheap it was
Baz,
Yeah, I guess it depends on where you’re coming from. It’ll be super cheap coming from the West. Not so much coming from Thailand. In my opinion, from what I’ve seen, the value for money is significantly higher in Thailand. Bangkok is superior in almost every way to Kuala Lumpur.
Best wishes.
Jason, this is great. Thanks for it. It is challenging to NOT be a citizen of the country you are “settled” in. Is there any chance that the U.S. would be on your list of possible places to settle if your passive income (just dividends) was say $75K a year.
DD,
I’m not against living in the US. I might come back at some point in the future, if the right circumstances were to present themselves. But a lot of the reasons I left the US didn’t have anything to do with money. I could live very comfortably over there with all of my income counted in – I do very well with my online stuff – so I didn’t feel pushed out due to financial reasons. In fact, I left the US in a relatively wealthy position. The US just wasn’t doing it for me.
Cheers.