The REAL Reasons Why Expats Leave Thailand !! (2000-2020)

I get a surprising amount of comments/messages concerning this subject both on my FB page and YouTube channel. The question of ‘why so many expats leave Thailand’ or are there any downsides etc. hasn’t really been addressed and what I have seen on YT is mostly utter BS. Although it could be seen as a hot potato especially when people want to come here so much during the pandemic period, I thought I’d give it a go.

I’ve lived in Thailand for the most part since 2000 and I draw from my own experiences and from the many expats I’ve met over the years. I try to explain delayed culture shock, visa /cost of living changes and the not often talked about boredom/loneliness and addiction problems which can effect expats living here. With the Covid outbreak still causing mayhem, my thoughts and opinions are from a pre-covid time period/perspective (2000-2020). However, I think much of what I discuss will also relate to a post-pandemic Thailand.

Thailand is a fantastic place but when you’re going to make a permanent move to any country it’s good to take on board all angles, the good, the bad, the ugly and problems/issues others may have faced. Hopefully guys will find this useful and also help deal with any problems they may stumble across. All the best.

Useful links for those having serious issues.

[tonychapman]

I have been living here for seven years in retirement and love every minute of it. I live on my old age pension from Australia and find it is enough to lead a decent life style. As to loneliness well that's up to the indervidual. Thailand is a great place to live as long as you accept it for what it is. By the way, thanks for the video.

[Kikiyayazengardens]

I am a women, retired at 35 and moved to Asia. 7 years in India and then to Bangkok. Never for love. I prefer to be alone. I loved living in India but wanted something different after 7 years. I had been to Thailand for visas and met some nice Thai people from Bangkok. So I moved to Bangkok to experience big city life. I enjoyed it. I also enjoyed my trips to Prachuap. i moved back to Holland after 5 years after the protests, bangkok burning in end of 2010 and a violent robbery. Also to take care of my aging mother. My family is dead now, I feel lonely here in Holland. The grim situation with gas prices, house prices and overal mood is depressing. I dont need to hit nightlife anymore. I'm 57 and I well to do. I am now dreaming of getting a retirement visa and enjoy a few years in Thailand. I have learned not to plan 10 years ahead. I hope I will enjoy it for 5 years. If I want to stay longer, I will. And hopefully I can.

[wordimobi]

When the negatives outweigh the positives, move on - that is an individual decision dependent on your own circumstance and background. For many of us, who CAN move on, we've come to the conclusion Thailand is a great place for a holiday but not to live. And YES we are leaving. Thais have a pathological need to overcharge or take advantage of foreigners at EVERY opportunity, even if it makes no sense. Phuket seems to represent everything that's bad about Thailand but tenfold. A few months back they said anyone (foreigners or Thais) entering the island would have to take a PCR test, that would cost 300 baht. People were outraged, so they changed it - there would be no charge - for Thais, but foreigners would have to pay 500 baht! Remember there are no tourists here, so the foreigners they're talking about are the ones who have stayed here throughout and helped the economy by doing so. The government had a tourism stimulus program last year to help hotels get customers. They would pay 50% of the cost of a stay. Foreigners here were excluded. Made no economic sense as the aim was more guests in the hotels, but they just couldn't bare to share this privilege, it's like it's in their DNA, they hate it if they're not getting something extra from us. All national parks charge foreigners up to ten times more, including foreign children. Despite vaccines being produced by foreigners and foreign countries donating vaccines to Thailand, they even tried to exclude us from the vaccine program, until someone pointed out that this would be a counter-productive if ending the pandemic was the goal. In Phuket, as ever the worst, they begrudgingly gave foreigners the 'left-over' vaccines, yes they literally used that word in the announcement. The towns and cities are dirty, trash ridden and for the most part ugly. Stray dogs are everywhere, the education system is lamentable and corruption is the norm. But hey, massages are great.

[TRIPLET]

This is the most informative, honest analysis of expat life here in Thailand that I have ever seen. 100% spot on!

[ThaiTalkwithPaddy]

Fantastic video James! Always really enjoy your analysis

[livinginpast]

Even in the west you have to adapt to retirement. A lot of people are bored when they dont have a job anymore and are confronted with themselves 24/7. Here in Germany many people have a garden or something that needs their daily attention. Drinking and partying in Pattaya isnt a fulfilling activity for any retirement. Of course there are exceptions to that. But you have to find something that fulfills you and makes you happy. It doesnt matter where you are.

[sahacking]

Excellent video. You're spot on with everything you talked about. I think so much depends on your Thai partner and/or social network. If your relationship isn't good, everything else is going to feel much worse. While Thailand has become less desirable in the past few years, it's still what you make of it, as well. Finding a good hobby--other than drinking and debauchery--is very important.

[ronaldsimmons]

I've been in Thailand about 20 years, and have taught in both schools and universities for 15 years of that. There are both narrow (individual) and broad (affecting wider group) factors that weigh heavily on foreigners, mainly those from western countries. A narrow reason is that I simply cannot get shoes in my size (US 15 / Euro 49.5) anywhere in any shoe store and no staff have ever helped me. Even the underwear here that is designed for an adult male would be a tight fit for a European teenager. The Thai medicines are dosed for the Asian body (I was told that by a Thai doctor) so we need a higher dose than normally supplied in packets. The wider reasons described here are spot-on right. The worst are the immigration woes, and when Thais tighten rules, they rarely relax them. But as a teacher, I can concur that the education system here is a disaster. It is by and large administrated by Thais deliberately and if any non-Thai wishes to make changes, they are sidelined or removed very quickly. As for marriage, and this is by no means a broad statement because there are genuinely nice ladies here, but relationships in most Asian countries are a financial rather than a romantic / emotional concern, so they are much more practical which makes it appear the female spouse still appears to act like a prostitute. The husband is still the ATM. I don't know what Thailand will look like after the pandemic, but it will certainly never go back to the pre-pandemic Thailand. In fact, it will be much worse, and for reasons that I cannot discuss for fear my internet will be disconnected (most recent draconian law) or I'll be carted off to prison, and it's that very fact that I'll leave you with the words of an old French man who I met when I first arrived, "You'll eventually learn that you are coming FROM a paradise, not TO one." He was right.

[mikementzer]

Thank you for your realistic upload.
Taking the plunge in 3 months, wish me luck!

[photographerjonathan]

When I first came to Pattaya jomtien area around 2008 it seemed like such a fun place to be. I once referred to it as Disneyland for men, but most of that excitement is all gone. especially with Covid, , but even before Covid foreigners stopped coming hear. it seemed like Thailand was making it harder and harder for us. just the police stops alone are enough to make you want to go home. people come hear for a holiday and have to spend there day being harassed and in a police station paying a fine for different things like no helmet or even worse. before covid it was getting so out of hand I couldnt ride from Jomtien to Pattaya and back without sometimes getting stopped up to three times in one day. but I think the thing that has recently bothered me more than anything is how rude thai people can be when you have a problem with something you bought and you are trying to deal with them. they will ignore you like you are not even standing there. and the language barrier makes you just want to scream, or when dealing with management of a building and many situations where you are just powerless and the thai people you are dealing with just shit on you. it has happened to me multiple times. and I am getting to the point where I can't stand thai people and the way they handle situations so rudely. and it makes me fantasize things I won't even put into writing, unfortunately for me I am stuck in Thailand because of investments I made that I would need to sell before I could leave. and that has become almost impossible because of the over building of new condos Thailand, if it wasn't for that I would've been out of hear long ago. most of the original charm of this place is gone in my mind.

[hereandnow]

Well I am living here for 2 years now and I feel quite happy and relaxed. What helps me do that is these two things: 1) I don't go into LTR with any Thai girl. 2) I don't argue with Thai people trying to introduce my Western values to them.

[jeffreysivyer]

Thank you for your video, all interesting . Been here in Thailand for seven years and by far the worst problem is the driving on the roads . I have driven in many countries yet Thailand is on its own .

[GoWithJingJo]

One of the keys to success living here is to continue to pursue the hobbies and interests you had back in your home country…..and know when it’s time to take time out either returning back to the west for a reset or just getting away to interact with your countrymen to whinge about the frustrations, it’s important. For me personally it’s hobbies ie hiking, motorbike riding and home country music and TV that keep me sane.

[david-reason]

This was a well balanced video, well done, James. When I lived in Kazakhstan a guy said to me, "We have to remember that we are guests in this country. We could be asked to leave at anytime."
These are wise words. We are immigrants and we don't have an automatic RIGHT to be here.
Best wishes, D.

[mrexceptiontherule]

So true. If your discipline isn’t in order, its very easy to get sucked in while living in Thailand. The friends you meet will be a fleeting thing because most people are just passing through. I’d recommend that an expat should join an activity or sport to stay busy, constructive, and build friendships.

[Edgeofdavid]

I love Thailand. Lived in Ratchaburi during my English teaching days back in 2012. Built an online business and moved to Bangkok for 2 years and have lived in different cities since then. I'm glad I got to see Thailand before the pandemic.

[HeyKidItsDad]

That was a nice, sober analysis, James. Thanks for the insight.

[adamhend]

Excellent video. I have warned a few friends of these issues, but they didn't listen and learned the hard way.

[HotCarTrack]

Great vid mate, can't wait to go back again and call Thailand home.

[kabatake]

just stay as a tourist for a short period and move around. one should never stay in any county for too long. do not over-stay your welcome as a farang.