# Phuket options - from USA



## Pletch (Oct 22, 2013)

Hi all, new to the group here.

Well I am sure you have all heard how poorly our government is managing the economy. Well that spurs the idea of escaping to brighter skies.

I am a retired military guy, 23 years, and working as a civil servant living in Germany. So, I have a pretty decent retriement; with diisability its about $3200 a month in pocket.

While I don't think I'm done working, I am thinking that the 60 to 70 hour weeks have reached their limits. So, the question that has been asked a million times here I'm sure; canmy wife and I live pretty comfortable in the Phuket area on that income?

Ideally I would like to get into a business deal with someone, maybe run a small scooter or jet-ski business (although I am sure they are everywhere, so I would have to try and add something extra to it to make it stand out). The wife is German and speaks English better than I do, so maybe a part time teacher thing.

So, all you folks living the dream...what are your thoughts?

Thanks,
Dan


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## stednick (Oct 16, 2011)

Pletch said:


> Hi all, new to the group here.
> 
> Well I am sure you have all heard how poorly our government is managing the economy. Well that spurs the idea of escaping to brighter skies.
> 
> ...




Dan:

Have you visited Thailand? Living in Thailand is significantly different from vacationing. 


Short answers;	you can live comfortably on USD $3,200/month

Forget the business deal until you've lived in Thailand for some time and are certain that you enjoy the lifestyle, can and will stay. 

You need to do a serious investigation into the legal aspects of owning and running a business in Thailand. The restrictions and legal requirements are considerable. Read through this forum, the subject, and the details, are covered many times.


Part time teaching English as a second language can be done, it is not lucrative but can be a satisfactory pass-time. 

Good luck.


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## Song_Si (Jun 11, 2010)

Hi

As per Stednick, your $3200 a month is more than enough for most people to live a luxurious life - but sure there are people who couldn't get by on that! It's far in excess of what we lived on when living on Phuket (though we left 3.5yrs ago and all costs have risen in that time)

One 'red flag' though was mention of *jet skis*.
Google 'phuket jet ski mafia' and you'll quickly see why that will never be an option. Guns, violence, intimidation, corrupt police and officials it (along with the taxis) is about the worst example of corruption aimed at tourism in Phuket. 

The US Department of State warns about hiring jet skis. The jet ski men are a constant area of complaint from other embassies for their scams. The idea of a foreigner being involved, starting a competing business - no chance!

*Scooter hire* - they are everywhere. Mostly as an add-on to an existing business, any Thai can buy a few bikes on low deposit and set up a 'business'.A main/year-round business is needed as tourism has such a short 'high season' bikes will be sitting unused most of the year. Would be a very difficult area to break into with so many established and having links to other businesses/customer sources eg the Chalong, Phuket language school I did a Thai language course at offered bike rentals at discount through a rental agency further up the street, as did a dive shop i used, the school and shop would have been getting a percentage of any rental from their referrals. I took a long-term rental arranged through a barber! everyone knows someone . . . 

Three Phuket news sources online to assist in your local research, have classified for property rentals etc

*Phuket*
phuketwan http://phuketwan.com/
Phuket Gazette http://www.phuketgazette.net/
Phuketnews http://www.thephuketnews.com/

More *Phuket threads*


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## Pletch (Oct 22, 2013)

Wow, ummm o.k. thanks. I read up on the jet-ski problems, o.k. that doesn't seem like a good option. As well the scooters don't seem like a smart choice either.
We are headed to Phuket in Feburary for three weeks. She'll be on the beach most of the time and I'll split my time between diving and looking into challenges associated with living there; rental property contacts, living expenses, good areas to live, etc.
My biggest concern I guess, is entertainment. I love to snow ski and I know that is gone in Thailand, but my knees will probably thank me. Sky diving and scuba are two other fun things, and I know diving is no problem there, but sky diving I'm not so sure of. The other hoby is motorcycling. I live in Germany now, and almost every weekend in the summer I am biking through the Alps, Bavaria, Czech Republic and so on. In the Phuket area I know there isn't much riding, but what about furhter north?
I am ready to call it quits and retire, spend some 'us' time and relax. I am relatively certain I have the money to do it comfotably, only question remaining is where. I think Thailand is the answer, but decisions still need to be weighed.
She is understandably worried about the 'ladies' of the area, but to me it's not a concern, takes two to tango kind of thing.
Thanks all for the comments.
Dan


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## stednick (Oct 16, 2011)

Dan:

Over the past 25 years I've resided in Thailand and I've vacationed in Thailand (two entirely different scenarios). It is a wonderful place to vacation and it is a place to retire (for some). There are many pro's and there are also many con's. 

You need to visit, 3 month tourist, then one year on a retirement visa. After that you can decide if Thailand as a retirement location is good for both you and your wife. 

I believe you will find there are many other places that will provide more for you, a better fit. Only you (and your wife) can decide.

There are many negatives that are not apparent until you've spend considerable time in the "Land-of-Smiles". Bring along a large supply of tolerance. Rapid repatriation is a topic touched on in several threads of this forum. It does take a somewhat unique mind set for Thai expat retirement to work. Do everything on a temporary and exploratory basis and always have a "bailout" plan should things go south.

I also suggest you check out some of the Thailand VFW Posts for US military retiree services in Thailand.

Good luck.


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## Wayward Wind (Aug 28, 2011)

My wife and I retired to Thailand two years ago, after careers in humanitarian assistance in various countries. We live in Naklua, just north of Pattaya, about 90 minutes out of central Bangkok.

If you are 50+, as a US citizen you can enter and live here quite easily on what are known as retirement extensions of a non-immigrant visa. A detailed explanation of the process can be found at Getting a retirement extension in Thailand.

You would more than meet the financial requirements for that process, and certainly can live decently on $3200 per month. We do fine on that and less each month, living in a very modern condo (rented) and wanting for nothing.

We have visited many areas of Thailand over the years of coming here, and I would suggest you do the same. We chose the Pattaya area for ease of travel to other locations with the expectation that we would then explore other areas and find the place where we wanted to spend our retirement. After pretty extensive travel, we decided to stay put in Naklua, as it had everything we thought important.

Phuket is very nice, but the traffic there can become wearing. Costs for everyday items seem to be a bit higher there than in other places. It is also more work to get to Bangkok for a weekend break, as we can easily from here.

As for the "ladies" problem, there are very few places in Thailand that don't have such services available. My attitude is like yours - I don't need it, and therefore don't patronize the areas where the establishments are located.

End of the day, my suggestion would be to set aside thoughts of starting an enterprise, rent a condo in a base location, then plan on spending a year looking around Thailand before you decide where you and your wife want to spend your retirement.


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## Thai Bigfoot (Aug 29, 2009)

Welcome!
I'm 65. Retired 4 years ago to Phuket. You're right about the sad state of affairs in America. Unfortunately, it foretells the inevitable slide of a world power down to secondary ranking, such as England, France, Spain and Italy. Watch out for China and India. It's their turn, next.
Anyway. $3200 a month (65,000 baht) would allow you to live quite comfortably here. I live off 1/2 of that in Phuket. I am single, but, that does mean I spend money on things I wouldn't if I was married.
The business thing can be very risky. The jet-ski industry mafia would make sure you would fail. They don't like competition. And, for all practical purposes, to have a real business requires that you have a Thai on 51% ownership. Horror stories abound about how these end up.
My advice would be to be very patient, learn to speak Thai, and don't attempt to partner up until you've gotten to know the prospect for a year or more.
If you want any more info, let me know.


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## Thai Bigfoot (Aug 29, 2009)

While there are teaching jobs, they really are all in the Issan provinces.

Everyone comes to Phuket to teach because it's the tourist center. As a result, actual jobs are extremely scarce. I'm a lucky one. I got my job three years ago and still going strong.

One shouldn't rely on the TEFL schools promising guaranteed job placement. If so, they're always going to be up north. No beaches. Poor infrastructure. Few western toilets. The real Thailand.


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## Thai Bigfoot (Aug 29, 2009)

You should be a little leery of the classified ads in the Phuket Gazette.
In my 4 years here, I have made some purchases through them.
In every case, the ad continued to run for up to 6 months after. The P-G, apparently, does this for filler. Motorbikes, cars, jobs. So, don't get your hopes up without actually contacting the advertiser.


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## Thai Bigfoot (Aug 29, 2009)

I've been a biker since 1964. Great short rides around Phuket. Krabi and Ko Samui a day's ride. Big bikes, though are very expensive here. A 500cc Honda is $B200-220k baht ($6k-7k). A Honda Gold Wing is $B1.6 million (451k). BMW, H-D, even more.

As far as the "Two to Tango" part, you must remember that there are thousands of potential Tango partners in Phuket and the dance ticket will be less than a good dinner for one in Germany.

The advice to visit for a month is the best thing for you. At least, for now.


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