Moving to Thailand – how I did it

Hey, hi, hello – I’ve had quite a few people (bc I’m an influencer obviously) ask me how to move to another country from the US. Girl, idk what to tell you – every country is different but I can tell you what I did and you can go from there.

Steps I took:

1. Visit Thailand and stayed for 2 months.
2. Went back to the US to decide if I actually wanted to live outside of the US for the near and/or distant future.
3. Applied for the DTV (and paid $400) and got approved
4. Booked a flight, sold a bunch of shit, put shit in a storage unit, figured out the rest of my life then left.
5. Now I live in Thailand (for the next 5 years if I want to on the current visa I have).

First and foremost, we chose Thailand after being in Phuket for 2 months at the end of 2023. I felt safe, loved the culture and the Thai people and could see myself living here for at least a few years. Phuket is like the Florida of Thailand, it’s pricier than other parts of Thailand, lots of beaches, high traffic tourist seasons, very warm year round, and has a chill “island time” vibe. If you don’t like that then don’t move here?

VISA: I got the DTV and applied using my own company for the remote work aspect of the visa. Use this link to the (US) Thai Consulate website to navigate and see what visas you might be eligible for or might want to apply for. I applied for my own visa and submitted the paperwork myself, lots of people choose to use an agency for ease but I like paperwork and had no trouble.

You CANNOT work in Thailand including remote work or even volunteering without the proper visa and/or work permit. Plenty of people do it, yes, but if you get caught the penalties can be severe (fines, deportation, not being allowed back into Thailand for a period of time, etc). Work permits are difficult to get btw and there are many, many jobs that are protected for the Thai people (which I FULLY support). A quick google search can help you narrow down what you can/cannot do in Thailand, I have a visa that allows for remote work so I don’t have to worry about that tbh.

Once you’re here, yay – hi! You aren’t finished, you’ll need to periodically check in with immigration and other government organizations for multiple reasons (for me: 90 day report for every 90 days I am in Thailand without leaving, residency certificate I needed to get my Thai drivers license, DLT for my license, etc). On my visa I have to leave the country every 180 consecutive days in Thailand then I can get a new 180 day stamp upon re-entering the country. Annnnnd if I live here 180+ days per year I am responsible for paying Thai taxes (don’t worry I’m not exactly being double taxed between the US/Thailand).

Here’s how much we’ve spent in 6 months and 1 week of living in Thailand INCLUDING the flights to get here from NC in the US: $17,992.98

This number is for two adults and includes literally everything: food, coffee, flights, deposit for our condo, rent, motorcycle rental, going out with friends, 1 year gym membership ($450 each), cost for getting our drivers licenses, shopping, EVERYTHING.

For the first 3 months we used Airbnb for our apartment ($800 per month) but in December we got a traditional lease for a condo and spend $380 per month for that and our motorbike is $150 per month (that hasn’t changed).

I have the first 9 weeks of living here financials tracked and recorded in weekly blog posts so you can get an idea of the breakdown, got tired of doing them after that tbh. You can find those here: https://www.lindseylay.com/blog/

The struggles:

• Making friends in a new place is hard af, especially when the majority of people here are transient. Don’t give up, you’ll find your people.
• Staying busy without spending $23,948,234. It’s much more affordable to live in Phuket BUT if you’re going out for every meal, going to get bougie coffee daily, and drinking then you’ll rack up a giant debt quickly. We go to a coffee shop to work every other day, order meals 5-7 times per week and live our best lives but we have a budget we stick to. Every dollar is accounted for, we spend $1,995 per month or less on everything. This, in my opinion is only possible because we have a long term (1 year) lease vs month to month or short term. Quality of life and experiences are high priorities for us so we spend our money on those things!
• The time difference between Thailand and the US is 12 hours before spring daylight savings and 11 hours after, soooo if it’s Monday at 3pm EST it’s Tuesday at 3am Thailand time. Talking to friends/family, calling to make a dr appt for when you’re back, calling to fix a banking issue, etc is difficult.
• Flying back – that’s my biggest struggle. Not only is it a big expense ($1,100-$1,500 round trip) but it’s a giant time commitment and adjustment for your body. It’s 27 hours including layovers from Phuket to Charlotte, NC but then you factor in the 1 hour drive from my condo to the airport, getting their 2-2.5 hours before the flight, going through customs/immigration when I land in the US, getting bags, it’s easily over 31 hours ONE WAY. Once you’re back for whatever length of time you’ll go back to the US for you’ll be adjusting to the 11-12 hour time difference, temperature difference, allergies, etc just to head back home shortly thereafter. Annnnnd you’ll still be paying for expenses for your condo, transport, and other bills while you’re back in the US.

None of this is a complaint, just a reality check 🫣 I am spending $3,500 just for my flight and 2 weeks of accommodation in the US. Lmk if you have any questions, I’ll try my best to answer them. You can message me on insta!