# Thinking of moving to Thailand



## maxineter (May 16, 2010)

Hi, I am new to this site. We are thinking about moving to Thailand, but do not know much about the place from an expats view. Are there good british schools and universitys? Which is the best area to live for shopping and also beach life? I know about alot of the tourists areas, but which are the 'real' areas. Is there a good expat community there? Any replies would be greatly appreaciated. Thankyou


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## Serendipity2 (Feb 22, 2009)

maxineter said:


> Hi, I am new to this site. We are thinking about moving to Thailand, but do not know much about the place from an expats view. Are there good british schools and universitys? Which is the best area to live for shopping and also beach life? I know about alot of the tourists areas, but which are the 'real' areas. Is there a good expat community there? Any replies would be greatly appreaciated. Thankyou




maxineter,

Are you over 50 years old? Getting retirement visa isn't difficult but getting any other visa as a tourist is - so far as trying to make Thailand your home. If you think you have that handled, ie you're over 50 years. Here's a link that outlines the basics.

Detailed Information about Retirement Visa in Thailand

As for a road map of best areas to live, that depends on you and what interests you. There seem to be three types of people/geographies, Bangkok, beach areas and northern Thailand - most notably, Chiang Mai. Those who like the excitement and activity opt for Bangkok and beaches are reasonably close as are universities and medical. Bangkok is the commercial and financial hub of Thailand but it's more tourists and workers - not retired expats. Those who love to live near the beaches have a huge range to chose from. There are dozens and dozens of stunning beaches, each with it's own ambiance, so that's a matter of what you like. If you're a party animal [probably not] then Pattaya is for you. If you aren't then it isn't. It's your closest beach to Bangkok. There are many islands you could retire on or beaches on the mainland but none are close to major hospitals or universities that I'm aware of. The last is northern Thailand - predominantly Chiang Mai but also Chiang Rai and other smaller towns and cities. Chiang Mai is the favorite for most retired expats as it's cooler, cheaper, quieter and a great place to live. There are many universities but not sure if there are British universities. Probably not.

I would suggest reading a lot of different threads on this site. Virtually every subject is discussed and you can gain a lot of great info. Then come for a visit, travel around and see what feels right. 

Serendipity2


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