I dumped stressful NHS job for new life in budget holiday paradise…rent is £150, a meal out is £2 & my garden is a beach

Scottish Sun

24-04-2025

Gloomy weather, long hours and no money left at the end of each month… Beth felt completely overwhelmed before her huge move
TROPIC WONDER I dumped stressful NHS job for new life in budget holiday paradise…rent is £150, a meal out is £2 & my garden is a beach
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window)
Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
WALKING back from her daily shop Beth Maitland, 32, isn't worried about traffic jams, beeping horns or the cost-of-living crisis.
She's more concerned about a local elephant trying to steal her bag of fruit.
16
Beth Maitland, 32, has no regrets about leaving the UK
16
Beth has been living in Thailand for the past twelve months
16
Thailand has become an increasingly popular destination for Brits looking to ditch our rainy weather
Credit: Getty
It's Beth's 'new normal' since fleeing Britain over twelve months ago to begin her new life in Thailand, where rent is a fifth of the price, a dinner out costs just two quid, her front garden is a beach and her backyard rice paddies overlooked by a mountain range.
Thailand is routinely voted one of the top twelve destinations for Brit tourists where the pound goes a long way.
It's estimated 55,000 Brits, from backpackers to retirees, have chosen to bail out of Britain, trading cold, gloomy weather for the tropical paradise and beaches known as the Land of Smiles.
Relocations have soared by a staggering 255 per cent since 2018, driven by Thailand's Long-Term Residence or LTR visa which offers 10-year residency with tax exemption.
Beth, a former NHS maternity support staffer moved from Plymouth, Devon to the island oasis of Koh Samui in southern Thailand in March last year.
Talking exclusively to The Sun, Beth revealed: 'I rent a two-bedroom cottage in the jungle, there are rice fields on one side, jungle on the other and it's 15 minutes to the beach. From the roof I can check out the surf or plan a mountain hike in the other direction.
"If I paid the price I was paying in the UK, which was £700 for a studio flat in Plymouth, I could get a four-bedroom house with five bathrooms, a pool and a garden on the island's outskirts with elephants as neighbours.
'The first month converting pounds to Thai currency - the Baht - was a nightmare and so was finding the perfect place to live.
'Now it's like I have lived here all my life. I am always shocked at how cheap food, accommodation and transport is compared to Britain.
'The cost of living is so cheap I eat out for lunch and dinner every day. I haven't had a ready meal since I moved here.
Restaurant offers diners a bigger discount the SKINNIER they are
16
Beth can afford to eat out almost every night
16
Beth rents a cottage in the jungle with rice fields on one side and the beach just 15 mins away
'Everything except British food is cheaper. For the first time in a decade, I feel I have a positive future, can buy a home, and achieve my career goals."
Millennial Beth grew up in Plymouth and loved surfing in the summer months when the weather was good enough.
She spent the next seven years working twelve-hour shifts as a nursing home assistant in Exeter before spending six months backpacking in Australia and Asia.
'I felt inspired by the Asian culture but thought I'd never be able to work or move there.
'I came back home in December 2019 to miserable winter weather and started work as an NHS maternity support staffer."
Brighter future
When Covid hit, Beth says she found herself re-examining her life.
'Working during lockdown for the NHS was a privilege but it took its toll. I lost friends and patients."
16
The cost of living crisis made Beth question if her future would be in Britain
16
Beth and her friends slowly felt the goals they had in their twenties no longer felt achievable
16
After backpacking around Australia and Asia Beth returned to the UK in 2019 - and to miserable winter weather
Credit: PA
When the cost-of-living crisis hit Beth felt overwhelmed by work and a feeling her future wouldn't be the one she wanted if she stayed in Britain.
'After rent and bills were paid, I was saving no money at all. When I hit 30, I knew if I didn't act, I'd been in the same place with no savings when I hit 40. I couldn't let history repeat.
'The government wasn't offering young people like me hope. My friends could only buy a house if their parents helped.
'Other friends were marrying and having children admitting that they felt the goals they wanted for their twenties were no longer possible."
It was when two of her close friends left to become digital nomads in Thailand and Bali in January 2024 Beth was inspired to act, realising she had a choice - commit to miserable weather, rising prices and a job in the NHS which wasn't offering career development, or take a gamble, pursue a new career and move to Asia herself.
'Many of my work colleagues were shocked," she says. "They couldn't comprehend moving overseas, let alone to Thailand.
'It was terrifying and exciting for me but having friends living and working there already kept me going."
Beth isn't the only millennial making the life-changing decision to flee to a new country instead of settling down and concentrating on their career here.
I sometimes think I have a career and life whiplash at the speed and dramatic change which occurred
Beth
The Currencies Direct's British Expat Report 2024 revealed nearly 40 per cent of Brits are considering moving overseas due to the cost of living while a fifth, like Beth, feel a fresh start in another culture would be beneficial for their wellbeing and mental health.
And it's the young who are leading the great British brain drain, and more than a third of people under 24 are planning to leave Britain in the next five years.
Dramatic change
After a tip from a friend based in Thailand, Beth applied online as a full-time travel manager running group tours.
Just two Zoom interviews later and she was offered the job and within two months was living and working in Thailand.
Beth says even she was shocked by how quickly her life changed.
'I sometimes think I have a career and life whiplash at the speed and dramatic change which occurred."
She explains: 'I used to work part-time at holiday camps during my teenage years. As a maternity support worker, I was good at helping people before, during and after labour with all ranges of problems.
16
Beth oversees organised tours for holidaymakers
16
Beth could afford a four bedroom house on the island's outskirts for the same price she'd pay for a studio flat in Plymouth
Now two weeks of every month Beth travels with 30 holiday makers, overseeing their organised tour of Thailand's islands and regional areas.
'Imagine running a creche on wheels for people of all ages and from all different countries on their first overseas holiday. I love it," she says.
'There is never a dull moment. People want to know if we are there yet, where the meet up point is, what the Wi-Fi code is, if they need sunblock, can they borrow a charger and when we are stopping for food. Or the loo.
'I must be a mother, nurse and organiser. I tell people making kittens and squirrels walk in a straight line is often easier."
Beth then gets two weeks off and either spends time at her rented cottage or using it as a base to travel to other Asian countries.
She pays £150 a month rent for the two-bedroom countryside cottage which includes her water, electricity and air conditioning, as well as use of communal pool and gym.
'There are ten cottages and it's full of long-term Brits based here. My phone bill is £20 a month and I share it with a friend."
Beth says she now rarely cooks because the price of food at local restaurants and roadside food carts is so cheap.
My diet has improved dramatically. I haven't had a microwave meal since I moved here. It's fresh fruit and vegetables every day
Beth
'I have fruit or cereal for breakfast. I eat lunch and dinner out. It costs £2 for lunch or £3 for dinner. I usually grab stir fry, curry, Thai soup or rice dishes as well as a dessert, usually a sorbet, fruit platter or ice-cream.
'My diet has improved dramatically. I haven't had a microwave meal since I moved here. It's fresh fruit and vegetables every day."
Cheap living
Grocery shopping isn't the weekly trek to the supermarket like it is in Britain.
'I go to the local markets and buy bags of fruit and fresh meat if I plan to cook, which isn't often.
"A pint of milk costs the equivalent of 56p, a large loaf of white bread is around 90p, a dozen eggs are 90p, a half a kilo of red meat is £7, chicken is just £1.85 a kilo. Cheese is the most expensive item costing £7 to £8 for half a kilo."
Beth admits she does miss her British staples and those that are available come at a price.
'HP sauce costs £6 a bottle, Heinz Baked Beans are an eye watering £4.50 while a Lindt chocolate bar sets you back a fiver," she says.
16
Beth can grab all her essential groceries for around the equivalent of a fiver
16
Thailand is ranked as the 114th most expensive country in the world, making it an attractive option for people like Beth
16
Beth was also impressed by the quality of healthcare in the country
'I usually grab bread, milk, some cheese and a huge bag of vegetables and fruit for a fiver. Fortunately, good quality tea bags only cost £1 for a box here."
Beth says wine is expensive costing £12 to £15 a bottle but local beers cost £1-£1.20 for a half litre bottle and cocktails are between £2 and £3.50, depending on the spirits you choose.
'If you go to a five-star hotel you will pay more.
"Gym membership is £22 a month and a trip to a foreign cinema is £5.60 if you are missing home.
'I had to hunt down a good cafe for a cappuccino and it costs £1.70 for a catch up with my mates. I was paying £5.60 for a posh coffee at Starbucks in the UK, I can't believe it."
Beth says she doesn't need a car and uses the local car or bike service called 'Grab', which is similar to Uber, to book travel online.
'A bike, which means I am a pillion passenger, is 50p and a taxi is around 78p a mile.
The standard of health care is better than Britain
Beth
'When I first moved here, I refused to use the motorbike 'cab' - now it's second nature.
"If you do own or rent a car it costs 96p a litre to fill up the tank. A new Toyota Corolla sedan costs on average £19k new."
Beth says if you have children private preschool starts at £275 a month per child and the private international primary school begins at £4,500 a year.
'I was stunned by the brilliant quality of healthcare available here in Thailand. When there was no delay to see a dentist or doctor I was gobsmacked.
'The standard of health care is better than Britain."
Beth recently paid £50 to see a dental hygienist and £150 for a tooth extraction and filling. Back home I'd either be forced to wait one or two years to get an NHS dentist or pay more than £500 plus for the dental work.
Dinner splurges
According to financial website livingcost.org, Britain is ranked as the 11th most expensive country in the world while Thailand is the 114th most expensive.
Beth told us: "The cost of living is a lot cheaper - from shopping, to petrol, accommodation to food.
16
Most of her clothes shopping is done at the local market
16
Marijuana legalisation has made Thailand even more popular among backpackers
16
Living in Thailand has helped Beth feel calmer and less stressed
"If my friends and I went out for a splurge dinner, that costs us around a tenner for food and drinks all night plus the cab home."
Beth usually buys her clothes at the local market but if she wants a retail hit H&M have stores in Thailand.
'If it gets hot, I peel off a layer. It can get cold during the equivalent of the winter months, and I pop on a sweater.
'It's the wet season that causes problems but you learn to keep umbrellas handy."
According to Beth, Thailand is now extra popular on the backpacking must-visit list with marijuana being legalised.
I feel calmer, more centred, and less stressed living here than I did in Britain
Beth
'Holiday makers are often shocked that pot cafes exist and pot is legally sold here," she said.
Many of my thirty-something friends are moving here because Thailand is well known for its amazing spiritual and mental health clinics and holidays.
'It's a very spiritual country. For people in their thirties moving here often means setting up wellbeing businesses or mediation and other fitness styled retreats.
'I feel calmer, more centred, and less stressed living here than I did in Britain," she said.
'Everyone is meditating or trying a new yoga or healthy living trend.
'It's a way many Brits not only embrace a new way of living, but a new career counselling or operating healing centres others move here to set up online businesses."
The World's 50 Best Beaches
The World's Best Beaches consulted more than 750 judges including travel journalists, influencers, and beach ambassadors to rank the beaches. Lucky Bay, Australia Source D'Argent, Seychelles Hidden, Philippines Whitehaven, Australia One Foot, Cook Islands Trunk, US Virgin Islands Honopu, Hawaii Reynisfjara Beach, Iceland Navagio Beach, Greece Balandra, Mexico Cala Goloritze, Italy Pipe Creek, Bahamas Pink, Indonesia Grace, Turks & Caicos Gardner, Ecuador Mcway, California Turquoise, Australia Le Morne, Mauritius Sancho, Brazil Seven Mile, Cayman Islands Lanikai, Hawaii Maya, Thailand Moro, Spain Kelingking, Indonesia Meads, Anguilla Flamenco, Puerto Rico Arena, Dominican Republic Little Hellfire, Australia Lazio, Seychelles Vaeroy, Norway Horseshoe, Bermuda Myrtos, Greece Hidden, Mexico Grand Anse, Grenada Xpu Ha, Mexico San Josef, Canada Matira, French Polynesia Capriccioli, Italy Pasjaca, Croatia Boulders, South Africa Salines, Martinique Champagne, Vanuatu Marinha, Portugal Balos, Greece Achmelvich, Scotland Kaputas, Turkey Radhangar, India Varadero, Cuba Piha, New Zealand Pink Sand, Bahamas
Beth loves her new career path and says she is saving to buy a property on Koh Samui.
'You can spend £70k for a basic three-bedroom apartment with four bathrooms, a communal pool and a countryside view.
'When you consider that wouldn't get me a static caravan in Britain it's a brilliant option."
Beth admits she misses her family and friends.
'I was homesick for the first six weeks. I try to come back to Britain once or twice a year.
'Once you make a few friends, join the various social media groups for expats and get yourself into a routine it becomes a new normal.
'I have hope again. I thought I would never feel this way. It turns out sun, surf and wrangling tourists is the perfect tonic.'