Latest news with #DestinationThailandVisa
Business Insider
15-05-2025
- Business Insider
A former flight attendant found unexpected peace in Bangkok. She left the Midwest to move there alone.
What began as a short trip to Bangkok ended with Antoinette Yvonne moving there alone in 2023. She is now living in a $660-a-month apartment with views of the Thai capital's skyline. She said that while things may cost less in Bangkok than in the US, people shouldn't assume everything is cheap. When Antoinette Yvonne arrived in Bangkok in 2023, it was supposed to be just a two-week trip. It was her second visit to Thailand 's capital city, but this time, something clicked. Those two weeks stretched into three months, and by the end of that extended stay, the full-time YouTuber and boutique travel agency owner knew she'd found her new home. "The skyline literally is what sold me on Bangkok. I knew that I wanted to live in the city, where it's just so beautiful. And the cost of living here, I mean, it didn't hurt. So I was like, 'OK, let me do it,'" Yvonne, 37, told Business Insider. She returned to the US for the summer and got ready to make the big move. By November 2023, she was back in Bangkok — for good. The allure of living abroad Yvonne is no stranger to living abroad. Originally from Indiana, she moved to Spain in 2013 and lived there for about three years. Part of the reason she made that move was because she was burned out and looking for an escape from her corporate investment banking job. "I saw the movie 'Eat, Pray, Love,' and I was like, 'OK, I want to be Julia Roberts and go abroad.' Six months after watching that movie, I was living in Barcelona," Yvonne said. That experience of living abroad gave her a taste for adventure. She became a Delta Air Lines flight attendant for three years. When the pandemic hit, she left her job and spent two years exploring the US and Mexico while living in a van she had converted. Her parents weren't shocked when she told them she was planning to move abroad again. "I always followed through with crazy ideas," she said. But it did surprise her parents, who still live in Indiana, when she told them where she was going. "When I mentioned Bangkok to them, they were like, 'What? Bangkok?' A lot of people are shocked to hear that," she said. Bangkok has long been a hot spot for expats. Data from the Bureau of Registration Administration of Thailand indicates that there were 102,189 foreigners living in the city as of the end of 2024. Compared to many Western cities, Bangkok offers a relatively low cost of living. With two well-connected international airports, it is also a hub for travel around Asia. Several Americans who moved to the Thai capital previously told BI that they were drawn to the city's vibrant lifestyle, good food options, and relative affordability. In July last year, Thailand also introduced the Destination Thailand Visa, or DTV, in an effort to attract remote workers and digital nomads. Building a life in Bangkok Apartment-hunting was a breeze since Yvonne already knew what she was looking for: Unobstructed views of the city skyline, a balcony, and a convenient location. "I wanted to be near a 7-11, within a 5-minute walking distance. I knew I wanted to be near a regular grocery store, and as far as the unit itself, I needed a washer and dryer," she said. Thanks to a real estate agent she connected with through a Facebook group, Yvonne found her one-bedroom apartment within a week of her move. Rent is 22,000 Thai baht, or about $660, each month. She finds it hard to pick a favorite spot in her apartment. "I love being in my bedroom because it has floor-to-ceiling windows, and the view is absolutely amazing," Yvonne said. "But I also love my balcony too." Her building has a gym, a pool, and a large coworking space with private call booths. Yvonne didn't know anyone in Bangkok before she moved. When she first arrived, she started using Bumble BFF — the friendship version of Bumble — as well as an expat Facebook group to connect with new people. "You go to different meetups, and then one friend literally turns into two, and three, and four. You just build from there," she said. Yvonne has been working on learning Thai, as the language barrier has been the biggest challenge of living in Bangkok so far. "When I speak their language, they just light up, and they're more welcoming. I just feel like you connect more, and I think that's important," she said. Finding peace in the Thai capital city Yvonne says she feels more relaxed compared to when she was living in the US. "In 2019, when I was still a flight attendant, I was on the go so much. It was always fast-paced. I was go, go, go, go, go. Even when I was off work, I was still trying to keep up with the Joneses," Yvonne said. "Whereas now, although Bangkok is a city — and a busy city at that — I find peace in the city. It's so weird." Part of it, she says, is due to the flexibility of her job. Being an entrepreneur gives her the freedom to arrange her schedule. Apart from filming and uploading videos onto her channel weekly, Yvonne also travels often, both for leisure and as part of the group trips that she hosts under her travel agency. Although things in Bangkok are relatively affordable compared to the US, it would be a generalization to assume that everything is cheap, she said. "While it can be very cost-effective, and for us Americans, my dollar stretches further, it doesn't necessarily mean that it is cheaper," she said. "Especially if you're going out and spending so much money on dinners and things like that, it can add up." That ties into the biggest piece of advice she has for anyone who wants to move to Thailand. "A lot of people come and think that $2,000 will get them by for several months at a time. No, I think that doing the proper research on condos and what it really costs to live here is the way to go," she said. Yvonne also encourages people who move here to get to know the locals. "I think having local friends is a great way to get familiar with a country. They can help you when your expat friends are not able to," she said. Regarding her long-term plans, it's hard to keep her wanderlust at bay. "People ask me, 'How long will you be in Bangkok?' I don't know. I'm here until I'm not," Yvonne said. "So it is just until I feel like I'm called somewhere else, but for now, it's Bangkok."
Business Insider
11-05-2025
- Business
- Business Insider
I'm 44 and want to retire by the time I'm 50. I can't do that in the US, so I moved my family to Thailand.
My Gen Z children's view and attitude toward work were a wake-up call. They taught me a whole new way to live by not making work my entire identity. Of course, that was easier said than done. So, I went to therapy, and my therapist challenged me to think about my long-term goals, how I want to spend each day, and my purpose. I realized I spent too many years of my life making work a significant focus. I let what happened with my job affect my mental health because work was my identity. I missed special moments with my children growing up because of work, which I could have put off since I'm a business owner. I came to understand that my career is part of my purpose, but the main goal of my business is to create financial freedom. I want my business to generate enough revenue to make work optional. With this healthier view of work, I set the goal of retiring early by 50. I'm 44 now, and that'd give me six years to push hard, save, and invest enough money to retire early. I realized that wasn't feasible in the US. I'd need multi-millions to retire early in the US I was born and raised in Wisconsin and have lived in Florida for the past six years. I've raised six children in the US, helped support family members, and, like everyone else, witnessed the rise in the cost of living. Life in the US is expensive, and retiring early means needing multi-millions, at least. Early retirement typically involves a 4% stock portfolio withdrawal each year, so the invested money would need to be large to pay for everyday US living expenses. My wife and I talked about this. She's older than I am, at 52, and has a goal of retiring early at 55. We realized it's not realistic (for us) to retire early in the US, so we started looking at where in the world we could move to accomplish our goal. In our relationship, we've traveled extensively and have even lived in places with lower living costs, such as Medellín, Colombia. We decided to move to Thailand When we thought about the cost of living, quality of life, access to great healthcare, delicious food, safety, and access to amenities and goods, we settled on Thailand. We got to work on the planning and logistics of leaving the US. The most shocking part has been discovering that it's costing us as much to leave the US as it costs us to live there. Now that we're leaving, selling our vehicles is an issue because their value isn't the same. We have to take out personal loans to pay for the difference in what we sell the cars for. There's also getting rid of the physical items and other costs associated with the move. Leaving the US was so complicated that it reaffirmed our decision to leave for good. The cost of being a human being shouldn't be this high. We're slowly setting up our lives in Thailand My wife, two 22-year-old daughters, and I were approved for a five-year Destination Thailand Visa. We're also moving with our dog and two cats. My wife and I came to Thailand ahead of our daughters and animals. We also signed a two-year lease on a beautiful apartment in the center of Bangkok. The apartment came fully furnished, but we purchased a few items, like an 86-inch TV, to make it feel like home. We also set up our cellphone plans and everyday items, and hired a cleaner. Thailand is giving my family a better quality of life, a lower cost of living, and the opportunity to explore the rest of Asia. Thailand's low cost of living will help us retire early Our monthly expenses in Thailand are less than $3,000. That price covers our monthly rent, electricity, phone plans, cleaner, WiFi, water, groceries, and entertainment. Compared to what I paid living in the US, these savings mean I can save and invest more of my earnings. I can now allocate the bulk of my income to my retirement fund. Living in a country where dollars stretch far is how I'll achieve my goal of retiring by 50, and I can do so without sacrificing our quality of life. My wife loves Thailand so far, and I'm sure our daughters will also when they get here next month. I had to ask myself how I wanted to spend my limited days on this earth, and it wasn't working in the US. I want to write, create art, travel more, romance my wife, and do many other things besides work. Moving to Thailand checks all the boxes to live a more fulfilled life and accomplish my early retirement goal.
