The Retirees Travel Guide Series

There is a saying in Thailand: "Same same but different." I asked a Thai lady once what the meaning was and she answered "You and me the same, but different", which I think sums it up. It has become quite a catchphrase here in Thailand, and it is seen on tee shirts, coffee mugs and heard all of the time, wherever you go. You might ask a local what's the best beer in Thailand, Chang, Leo or Singha?  And the answer would generally be "Same same but different", or what's the difference between Thai red curry and Thai green curry? "Same same but different". So when I am asked what's it like retiring to and living in Thailand compared to Australia, England or the USA?  My usual answer is, "Same same but different", very different, very cheap and very enjoyable. Thailand is a magical place and I feel blessed that I can live here. Thailand is within easy reach of many other Southeast Asian countries by airplane, car or bus, and I travel to these areas and try to have new experiences whenever I can. Being a retiree I have to look after my money to make sure that it doesn't run out before I do, so I always travel within my means, on a budget, and with a plan. It has been eighteen eventful months since I first arrived in Thailand to start my retirement. The time I have spent here has been full of highs and lows (mainly highs), and I know now that I made the right decision to make Thailand my new home. It hasn't been easy, in fact, if you have already read my first book, The Retire in Thailand Handbook (The first six months) you would have seen that it was quite difficult to establish myself here and sometimes very frustrating and time-consuming. That was then and this is now. After the first six months everything seemed to fall in to place. I moved from Phuket to Koh Samui and rented a nice villa on the beach. I met and fell in love with a beautiful Thai lady, who is now my partner. This book starts where the last one left off, in Phuket and will take you on an exciting journey through Thailand, stopping off at many of the cities and towns expat retirees now call home. I decided to take the road trip to find the ideal town in Thailand to eventually settle down and call home. Thailand has so many beautiful places to choose from, tropical Islands, beach resorts, rural towns, farming towns, large bustling cities, and fishing villages. The choice of where you may want to live depends on your outlook on life and how you want to enjoy spending your new life once you have retired. As Thailand is 95% Buddhist a lot of the attractions around Thailand's rural and inland areas revolve around Buddhist temples, markets and national parks are also a big feature in rural Thailand. Bangkok, the coastal areas and the beautiful islands offer more entertainment, amusements, and nightlife, but if you want to see the real Thailand, not just the Thailand that the tourist see you should head to the heartland, to places like Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Nakhon Ratchasima, Udon Thani, and Khon Kaen. Being on a pension, it was important for me to live within my means and within my budget, but I still wanted to be able to travel when I want to, and live my life to the fullest. To be able to do this and get the best deals you have to shop around. I am amazed at the people I have spoken to on my travels who have just booked their trip with a local travel agent, and not checked prices elsewhere. Though we may have traveled on the same airplane, gone on the same tour or be staying in the same hotel, the price I paid was sometimes half of what they had paid. This book will give you some great ideas on how you can save money when you travel, as well as an insight into great retirement areas within Thailand. The way I look at it, the more you save the more you can travel and enjoy your life and your retirement.

If you have read my third book "Same Same but Different" in The Retirees Guide series, you will know that when I returned from my adventures in Cambodia, Vietnam, the Philippines and Laos (book three in the series), that I settled back in Koh Samui. A few weeks after I returned from my trip, on Valentine's Day 2017, I met and later fell in love with a beautiful Thai lady called Jin. Within a few weeks of meeting we were on an extended driving trip around Thailand. On our return from our Thailand road trip we decided that we wanted to travel overseas for three months of the year, every year, to visit all of the countries we wanted to see together. Jin had never been out of Thailand before, and I wanted her to see some of the countries I had been fortunate enough to be able to visit over the years, either on holidays or when I was working at sea or in hotels around the world as a chef. We decided that for nine months of the year we would live on a budget that would hopefully still allow us to have a good life in Koh Samui, and also allow us to travel and explore Thailand, and at the same time save up for our next three months overseas trip. This book is a journal of our first overseas trip to Myanmar, Singapore, Bali and Malaysia by rail, road and air and sea. We stayed in some beautiful hotels, visited many local attractions, and ate in some fine restaurants well within the budget that we set for ourselves. We did this by checking out websites and advertisements to ensure that we got the very best value that our money could buy. By shopping around and surfing the internet, we managed to chance upon, a week's accommodation in Bali, as well as return flights from Singapore to Bali for less than US$600.00, and many other bargains that we managed to source, for accommodation, flights, and restaurants. I love shopping for bargains; I consider it a challenge not to pay the full price when travelling. The money we save enables us to travel and experience more out of life than we normally would if we paid the full asking price. Many people just book their travel and holidays through a travel agent, hotel chain, cruise ship companies or airlines without looking to see if there are better options available at cheaper prices. Being retired and on a pension it is important for me to stretch my money as far as I can, to enable us to travel more extensively. My motto is "You need to be frugal not cheap, look for deals and don't waste money, but don't miss out on great experiences or walk miles just to save a couple of dollars. Time is money, spend them both wisely".

The Retire in Thailand Handbook 2023…The Next Six Years, is a follow-up to the original book I wrote and published in 2018 on living or retiring in Thailand, The Retire in Thailand Handbook...The First Six Months. The book is an updated version because so much has changed since covid arrived in 2020 and devastated the country's economy and tourism industry. This book covers the six years that I have lived here and guides the reader through the procedures and protocols of establishing oneself in a new country. The book is crammed full of advice on all aspects of relocating to a new country, including... What to bring, and what not to bring to Thailand with you. * How to apply for a Retirement Visa from your own country. * How to apply for a Retirement Visa from within Thailand. * How to open a Thai bank account * Transferring your pension to your new Thailand bank to avoid bank fees. * How to buy a vehicle. * How to apply for a Thai driving license.  * How to rent a condo or a house. * How to buy a property in Thailand. * How to obtain suitable medical insurance coverage. * Healthcare and dental costs * Best retirement locations within Thailand * Advice for single retirees. The book is also filled with cost comparison charts, helpful tips on living here and the best areas to live or retire in Thailand as an ex-pat.

With 60 being the new 40 many retirees don't want to retire gracefully they want to retire disgracefully and have some fun in their lives while they still can. While researching my retiree travel books series I have met retirees, who much to the dismay and sometimes disgust of their children and grandchildren, decided to move away from the comfort of their hometowns to start new lives far away in the mystical Far East and change their lives forever. One of them now rides a Harley Davidson motorbike, something that he had wanted to do since he was sixteen years old when he saw Peter Fonda ride one from California to New Orleans in the movie "Easy Rider". Another retiree I interviewed was in his mid-60s and had married a 28-year-old bar lady, 14 months later she gave birth to a baby girl and he was loving the responsibility of being a father for the very first time…and yes they were very happy together. Another retiree I talked with had bought a sailing boat and learned how to sail at the age of 63 (41 in new years) and now spends his time sailing around South-East Asia. You don't have to go to those extremes, but if you have secretly longed to do something different in your life while you were working and raising a family now is the time to do it…you don't want to die wondering what might have been. You may be retiring soon or maybe you have already retired after working hard all of your life and you will have the time and money to live your life to the fullest. Well, you hope that you will have enough money to live your life to the fullest. Many people that have retired or are retiring had well-paying jobs, a healthy superannuation account, invested wisely and saved enough money to live out their retirement years in comparative luxury. Unfortunately, many more retirees have not been so lucky or so foresighted and only have their government retirement pension and whatever savings and investments they have managed to accumulate over their working lives, and for them, the thought of living in retirement can sometimes be quite scary. For those retirees, retiring to an overseas country has become a real consideration, because they can spend a lot less money, and get a whole lot more due to the lower cost of living than they would be able to by staying in their home countries. Add to this the tempting incentives of tropical climates and exciting new experiences to spice up your life and you can see why more and more retirees from all over the world are looking for alternative retirement options abroad. This book lists the ten best countries in the world for retirees to live where they can enjoy their retirement to the fullest on their pensions. • Thailand • Malaysia • Vietnam • Bali • Cambodia • Spain • Portugal • Costa Rica • Belize • Panama The ten countries are all waiting to welcome you; it will be up to you to decide which is the best country that suits your circumstances.

THE EIGHT BEST RETIREMENT LOCATIONS IN THAILAND Thailand is one of the most popular countries to live in for retirees and expats from all around the world, and there are plenty of reasons why that is so. For pennies in the pound, you get low-cost living where your income or pension will stretch much further, a tropical climate, beautiful palm-fringed islands, friendly smiling people, inexpensive housing and affordable high-quality medical care. A country where Buddhist monks, golden beaches, palm trees, monkeys and elephants become part of your everyday life. The problem with Thailand is you're spoilt for choice. So where do you start to look for the best place to live or to spend your golden years? The book is a comprehensive look at eight towns that I consider to be the best areas for expats to live in Thailand. Of course, where you may want to live in this fascinating and diverse country will depend on your outlook on life, hobbies and the lifestyle that you want to achieve in your new country and many more towns might tick the boxes for where you may want to live These are just my personal favourites, places that I have either lived in or spent a considerable amount of time in. My eight favourite places for retirees in Thailand in no particular order are: • Chiang Mai • Koh Samui • Bangkok • Phuket • Hua Hin • Krabi • Chiang Rai •  Pattaya