My three-bedroom Chiang Mai requires maintenance, just like houses everywhere. This is my home maintenance diary, with costs and mistakes that come with caring for houses regardless of where you live.

Electrical Work

Last week my bathroom light went out and, since replacing it required going to the electrical supply shop for a replacement, balancing on top of a stepladder, unwiring the LED ring and ballast, and rewiring the new one, I took the coward’s way out and called the electrician. He came, took a look, vanished, returned with the new unit and installed it–all within 40 minutes. The bill? 250 baht ($8.80). I gave him 500.

Painting

I got tired of looking at my fence and decided to repaint it. Two guys and a lady showed up and started by pruning my giant hedge back so the sliding gate can roll easily. Then they welded four decorative metal arrows (along the top of the gate in picture) back on. Then they painted the metal parts of the fence and gate white and gold, and painted the concrete fence–both front and side–gray, to match the house. Then, for good measure, they re-plumbed my kitchen sink so it doesn’t leak any more. Total: 7,500 Bt. (US $227.00).

Moving into my house in Chiang Mai was a little tricky. Here’s a list of what our Concierge service provides. Before you part company with your realtor and the owner–who should both be present with you at the signing–here’s the minimum:

• Cash–to pay your first and last month’s rent.
• Your new address in both English and Thai–typed into your smartphone and checked by both of them. You will need both for different audiences.
• Mail delivery arrangements–especially if you are in a condo with a front desk. You’ll be receiving all kinds of important mail in the first week or two and you don’t want it piling up under the desk because the clerk was too shy to tell you that they don’t deliver it.
• TV/Internet subscription–get the agent to set up the appointment (if any) for the installers because it’s a pain in the ass doing it yourself.
• Ditto water and electricity–get them to handle it while they’re still your friends, preferably before you even hand over the money.
• Your TM-30 Form, the Proof of Legal Residence that must accompany your permanent visa application and must be filled out and signed by your landlord.
• Your new address, in English and Thai. She also emails this to them
• The names and addresses of your new electricity and water suppliers and how to pay their bills.
• Your cable company. (She helps them subscribe).
• Your trash collector and how to pay them.

The Cost of Living in My House in Chiang Mai? When clients ask about houses and the cost of living in Chiang Mai the first place we visit is my house In the picture): It’s a useful place to start, for several reasons. It’s a real, typical house and we can walk around inside and discuss how much everything costs. It’s very significant to new arrivals that they can repaint an entire house for 15,000 Baht ($500) because now they;’re not afraid to take on a place that needs some renovation or whose color scheme doesn’t suit them. And to know how much each piece of custom-made furniture cost, because now they can think realistically about renting an unfurnished place (most Thai houses are furnished). Ditto appliance costs, my custom electrical work, fiberoptic internet and bottled water delivery. That’s why I call it ‘useful’: in a matter of minutes they have a down to earth, dollars and cents budget in mind, they understand the tradeoffs between location (mine is so-so), size, quality and monthly rent. If you’re planning to move to Thailand I recommend getting inside a real house and asking the owner every question imaginable before you start looking for your own place.

Back Story: My Thai house is on a quiet (no through traffic) street in a mixed neighborhood with expensive houses, a small bus depot and an ice factory. All neighborhoods are ‘mixed’ here: there’s no zoning. Three bedrooms, 2 tiled bathrooms, small Western kitchen, solid concrete that’s cool in summer and warm in winter for 10,000 Baht (US$300)/month. Ten minutes from Chiang Mai Old Town. I’m slowly getting it livable. Before I  moved in 12 months ago I had the interior repainted for 14,000 baht; installed new, custom-made drapes to match the color scheme (8,000 Baht) and a new garden and lawn (2,500 baht).

At dinner last month Christophe admired my windows, “Wow! You’re lucky that your house is sealable. You could run an air purifier!” I grunted and forgot about it until the local Hill People started burning the underbrush two weeks ago. The hills that protect Chiang Mai from violent weather also prevent smoke from blowing away so I followed Christophe’s advice. Siam TV, an electronics chain, has the deepest range of purifiers and I bought the cheapest. My 3,000 Baht (US$100)

Hatari has now been running 24×7 for three weeks and I’m delighted. Its 3-stage filter – mechanical + plasma + ionization – has relaxed my nasal passages and I breathe easier day and night. Highly recommended! I also spent 60,000 Baht on line for a new 27″ iMac from Apple Thailand. It arrived three days later, freight and duty free, by UPS from China! Very cool to see that the ASEAN duty-free market is starting to deliver – literally.

Knowing I was planning to spend Christmas-New Year in Australia a Thai friend suggested that, for 10,000 baht, he’d handle some tasks I’d put off: touch up the 1-year-old interior paint; get some scrapes on the car resprayed; remove the failed outside garden and its brick wall; replace the door tracks….
I returned this week to find that – if the jobs had been done at all – they’d been done half-assedly. The garden was gone but the bricks remained; the door tracks were removed but not replaced; my friend had discovered the car’s insurance policy in the glove compartment, located a body shop accredited by my insurer and charged God knows how much to the policy as an ‘accident’ (the difference will, no doubt, end up in my friend’s pocket) and, though the work was minor, the car won’t be ready for another week. My request that we cancel the job and pick up my car was met with changing excuses, so I’ve rented a car. You get the picture…

An expat friend called and I mentioned my to-do list. “None of it was done, right?” he asked. We both laughed uproariously. I would have been pleasantly surprised if the work had been completed, of course, but I wasn’t surprised at the outcome. There’s a good reason mai pen rai is the national mantra: Thais’ handling of responsibilities is unlike ours. My friend is still my friend. I still love Thailand.  I tell you this story now so that, by the time it’s your turn you’ll be relaxed and humorous about such matters. Now, here are some prices for

Services

• Water delivery costs 30 Baht/case of 24 one-liter bottles.
• Garbage collection (almost unlimited quantity) 30 Baht/week
• Electricity 900 baht/month
• Internet: 30 Gb download fiberoptic: 1200 baht/month.
• iPhone: unlimited service 960 baht/month.

Furniture

I ordered the furniture from a furniture cooperative in the countryside south of Chiang Mai. A very cool place and their solid teak stuff was amazing to look at and amazingly affordable. More on that in my next post. Meanwhile, here‘s a video of the arrival of the plants and the first of the furniture:

Reading

• 3 Phase Power – TeakDoor.com – The Thailand Forum – If you want to build a luxury house in Thailand then this is the forum for you.

January 2015: I Just Found My House in Chiang Mai. I’ll move in next week. Here’s the story:

My house in Chiang Mai was an accident. I’d saved $70,000 from the business over the past 2 years and resolved to buy an ordinary, 2 bedroom condo in a nondescript part of the inner city. But tying up my meagre capital in a piece of (very ordinary) real estate raised some problems:

1. I’d be back to square one – zero capital – while still needing to grow the business (I’ve had two requests to franchise it).
2. ‘Used’ real estate is much harder to sell in Thailand. People don’t like moving in with the former occupants’ vibes (phi) – especially foreigner vibes!
3. There’s a building boom going on with no end in sight. The economy is running very nicely (unemployment is under 1%/ Yes, that’s a’1′.) and Chinese cash is seeping in under the doors and over the transom. Everyone here is suddenly rediscovering old Chinese cousins….
4. I’d be in the middle of a grimy (Asian air quality is OK, but grimy), noisy city.
5. To go for a walk I’d have to walk to somewhere via narrow streets in the pre-dawn light.

So when a client recently told me he was moving out of his 10,000 Bt/mo., 3 bedroom, 2 ba, Western kitchen house with a lawn and off-street parking in a very quiet neighborhood 10 minutes from the city, you can guess my response. And since he was moving out 12 months into a 24 month lease, he offered to pay my first month’s rent so I could make a smooth transition.

Which is what I’m now doing. I’ve had it repainted – interior and some outside changes. The whole job cost me 15,000 Bt ($500) and took 3 days.

I hired three Thai ladies to spend a day cleaning it. They did a great job. The entire bill for that was 900 Bt ($30). I bought lunch, so that added 100 Bt to the total.

Then Aimie took me down to the curtain and drapes shop where I ordered a custom made set of handsome drapes for every window in the house, and the sliding doors. 14 separate pieces. Installed. 15,000 Bt.

Next, it was off to the furniture factory for some custom built teak furniture. And that’ll be the subject of the next episode of this piece about my house in Chiang Mai.

I also get food delivered to my house in Chiang Mai. Here’s how..

The post My House in Chiang Mai appeared first on Thai Retirement Helpers: Retiring in Thailand Made Easy.

The regulations say, “In order to open an ordinary checking or savings account, Bank of Bangkok requires that I get a notarized letter from the US Embassy in Bangkok, stating that I’m a US citizen and that I reside in Thailand at a certain address. The Embassy requires an appointment and a $50.00 document fee, not including the cost of transportation to and from Bangkok, or a hotel and meals. And there’s no guarantee the bank will even accept it.”  R. Butler.

Thailand Retirement Concierge clients, of course, do not have this problem, since we act as your guarantor.

This video shows just how infuriating it can be:

New money-laundering regulations require you to establish and prove permanent residence before you can open a Thai bank account. You can imagine the Catch-22 situation this creates: how can you pay the deposit on your new place if you don’t even have a bank account?, More at paydayloansmonster.

We’ve struggled with this since the regulations came into effect and now, with the help of our angelic bank manager, have created a completely legal process that allows Concierge clients to open their permanent account as soon as they arrive.

We go to the bank together and you’ll have your ATM card and bank book when you leave. Best of all, apart from signing a few more forms, it requires no effort on your part: we’ll be waiting with the completed forms as soon as you step off the plane. Here are some simple steps that will make opening your Thai bank account a breeze:

• Except for businesses, checking accounts are not generally used in Thailand. Thailand Bank Accounts are structured a little differently, like everything in Thailand so, when you ask to open an account the bank will open a savings account without even asking you. The administration of bank accounts and the security procedures are slightly different, too, so here’s a brief primer:

  

• When you go to the bank, take your passport, your permanent Thai address and Thai cellphone number
• Joint accounts are very difficult, so get the account in one name and then get two ATM cards. Trust me, this is the better option.
• You will have to pay for your new (chipped) ATM card. Cost is up to 1,000 baht, depending on the bank.
• Ask for online banking while you’re opening the account. The bank officer will usually not suggest this (don’t ask me why) which means you’ll have to go back again later if you don’t do it on the spot.
• Ask the bank officer to show you how to navigate your Thai online account. They’re set up differently from those at home but work quickly and well once you’ve mastered the interface
• The bank will give you a savings account passbook. Don’t make the mistake I made and throw it away or lose it. Passbooks are extremely important in Thailand and are used for all major withdrawals. So keep it in a safe place.
• Update your passbook regularly. It’s your legal proof of transactions and balances. There are Passbook Update Terminals alongside most ATM transaction machines at all bank branches. When you correctly insert your passbook they will read your account number from the barcode on its cover. Ask your bank officer to show you how to use it before you leave the bank. Then use it at least once a month, and after every significant deposit.
• When you get home, start setting up online bill payment accounts immediately, so you don’t forget how to use the interface. You can pay all your regular bills online. The easiest are your Internet and cable providers, and your cell phone provider. If you haven’t opened those accounts yet, remember to ask for their online billpay account name when you’re setting up the account. Otherwise, you may need to call their customer support line to get that information and enter it into your bill pay account. You’ll only need to do this once.
• I use (and strongly recommend) Bangkok Bank. This is a link to their online banking which, once you learn the interface, is a fast and convenient way to pay all your bills. As with all things to do with banking in Thailand, the trick is choosing a bank manager. My guy works miracles for me and for clients…
• If receiving payments from a US Government Agency: Download the “Direct Deposit Sign-up Form (SF1199A)” from http://www.socialsecurity.gov/online. Complete the form to sign up for Direct Deposit with your relevant US government agency and include information which are your name and physical address in Thailand; your bank account number and the name and address of your Bangkok Bank Branch in Thailand; 9-digit routing number 026008691 of Bangkok Bank New York  Branch. Complete a “Direct Deposit Service Application” form, which you can pick up at any Bangkok Bank branch (except micro branches). You can also choose to fill out an SMS Remittance Alert Service Request Form to receive an SMS notification on your mobile phone when funds have been successfully transferred into your Bangkok Bank account.
  Submit all forms to Bangkok Bank with the following supporting documents:
  Identification Card/Government Official ID Card/Passport together with a customer identification document such as your Social Security Card, Annuitant ID Card etc.
  A document from the relevant agency giving evidence of your right to receive the payments.
  After verifying your documents, Bangkok Bank will submit your application to the government agency, asking them to approve your request to receive the funds via Direct Deposit.
  After the request is approved by the US Government Agency, your payments will be electronically deposited directly into your Bangkok Bank account.
• International Fund Transfers for Americans: Bangkok Bank ACH (Automated Clearing House) transfers from the US via their NY branch will end April 1, 2019 and online US ACH domestic transfers will no longer function after that. Bangkok Bank says this will not affect existing Social Security or other federal government direct deposits. The Bank says that, after April, Americans should use an online banking facility called IAT (International ACH Transfers), though no one seems to know of any U.S. banks that currently provide consumers online access to IAT or any U.S. banks/CUs that have announced plans to support it for consumers. Stay tuned and we will let you know as soon as we know more on this. In the meantime, for transfers of $3K or less, Transferwise puts more baht into your Thai bank account when  both exchange rate and fees are deducted.  For larger amounts use an International Wire/SWIFT. Charles Schwab gives you free transfers of $1000 per day and has modest fees, $25, for wire transfers.
• The Bangkok Bank account must be one that is not accessible by ATM so you have the hassle of going into a Bangkok Bank branch each month (any branch is OK, not just your home branch) and presenting your passport in order to withdraw the funds and move them to another account with ATM/internet access.  But, if you’re suddenly incapacitated, Bangkok Bank will visit your hospital bed and get your thumbprint to release the funds to pay hospital bills. If you’re more conscious, but still can’t make it to the hospital, they’ll give you whatever you request to pay rent, give your GF her allowance, etc. (They won’t do this if you can’t give consent, just pay the hospital bill without consent.) If you have your SS direct deposited to a U.S. account it can be a joint account, with internet access and often it’s very easy to move the money into Bangkok Bank using online ACH transfer. But, if you become incapacitated, no U.S. bank will release your funds unless a court-appointed guardian initiates the request and there is no easy way to set up a guardian for an incapacitated foreigner in Thailand.  So, if you’re using the method of manually transferring money from the U.S. to Thailand, make sure you have the process documented so that someone could do it for you should you become incapacitated.
• If you are living in Thailand, the point of contact for more information or to ask questions about SSA benefits is the SSA Federal Benefits Unit (FBU) at the US Embassy in Manila, Philippines. You can contact the SSA through the following channels: Tel: (63 2) 301 2000 ext. 9 Website: http://ph.usembassy.gov/u-s-citizen -services/social-security/.  E-mail: FBU.manila@ssa.gov
• If receiving payments from a private organization. Request the “Authorization Agreement for Automatic Deposits (ACH Credits)” form or “Related Direct Deposit” form from the organization or the agency that will be making the payment to you. Complete the form to request the Direct Deposit service.
  Open a savings account at any Bangkok Bank branch in Thailand. If you already have an account with Bangkok Bank, you can use your existing bank account for this service.
  Request your home branch to issue a bank reference letter to certify your bank account details such as account type, account number, date of account opening and current balance to be provided to your agency.
  Include your name and physical address in Thailand;,your bank account number and the name and address of your Bangkok Bank Branch in Thailand;  and the 9-digit routing number 026008691 of Bangkok Bank New York  Branch in your Direct Deposit Signup Form.
  Indicate the Routing Number 026008691 of Bangkok Bank’s branch in New York and your account number with Bangkok Bank in Thailand on your “Authorization Agreement for Automatic Deposits (ACH Credits)” form or “Related Direct Deposit” form.
  Submit the form with the required information such as your Identity Card or Social Security Card, or evidence of your right to receive the payments from the company, together with Bangkok Bank’s Reference Letter. Mail the signed form to the US company asking it to approve the request and initiate direct deposits into your account.
  After the request to receive direct deposits is approved, your payments will be electronically deposited directly into your Bangkok Bank account.You can read it here.

Thailand Bank Accounts for Australians

• Look for a credit card (Mastercard) that doesn’t charge fees for overseas transactions or a percentage of the transaction and visit loans green for monthly deals
• Make sure you pay its balance off every month so you don’t pay interest.
• Only use it in reputable locations.
• You’ll find the exchange rates between Oz & THB comparable to those offered by the major banks in Thailand
• And better than the exchange rates of the banks offered in Oz.
• Incidentally, if your Australian ATM card has a Maestro or Cirrus logo it will work with Thai ATMs.
• But Visa cash advances  attract a 3% surcharge
• For larger amounts T/T (telegraphic transfer bank to bank) is quicker but costs  $35–$100.
• For larger amounts interbank is slower (overnight) but most economical at $20 per transfer, regardless of amount.
• If you instruct your bank to send Aussie dollars (rather than Thai Baht) you’ll get a better exchange rate.
• If you’re sending more than $10,000 you can negotiate a better exchange rate with your local branch manager – if you tell him 24 hours in advance.
• If you withdraw money from an ATM in Thailand, draw at least 25,000 Baht. Your fee ($7-10) remains the same.

The post Thailand Bank Accounts appeared first on Thai Retirement Helpers: Retiring in Thailand Made Easy.

If the cost of owning , insuring cars in Thailand seems steep, then consider a scooter. The cost of a good scooter ($1500) and operating it in Thailand is laughable: the 5,000K service at the dealer costs $7! My scooter days were generally great fun, but much less fun at night, in the rain, or on a freeway: those were white-knuckle times I won’t miss. Then, last year, after cheap thrills and 3 spills, I switched to a car.

I bought my Toyota Yaris, above, with 45,000 km on it, in excellent condition, with a 6-month warranty, from a farang who deals in cars, for 138,000 Baht cash. (Car loans for farangs are possible in Thailand, but require a Thai national co-signer). Since the switch I’ve had no regrets. Here are the pluses:

• It’s made in Thailand so parts and labor are very cheap.
• It’s small enough to fit through the local alleyways without scraping paint.
• A full tank, 11 gal/42l., costs 1,344 baht
• It gets 40 mpg on 91 Octane fuel so a tank lasts 400 miles.
• It’s front seats are big and roomy and the back seats are fine around town.
• It’s air-conditioned. Thailand is hot. Need we say more?
• A killer Alpine stereo (included in the price) starts playing my iTunes collection as soon as I start the car.
• I arrive at my destinations cool and relaxed, regardless of weather or time of day.
• When I have an accident (Thai roads are among the most dangerous on earth) I do not come in contact with the ground!
• It’s easier to get dates. The social cachet alone, in Thai eyes, is worth it.

What do Used Cars Cost in Thailand?

Here’s a 2014 Suzuki Swift, a surprisingly good car, often compared to the Mini (298,000 Thai Baht is about US$8,800:

What are the Operating Costs of Owning a Car in Thailand?

I’ve been taking my Toyota to the dealer for years and being ripped off. Now I’ve found a great alternative, DKT Car Repairs. Phone 053-2022-6970.  205/3 Mahidol Rd, Tambon Pa Daet, Amphoe Mueang Chiang Mai, Chang Wat Chiang Mai 50100. Mahidol is a split highway, so plan your approach carefully and be alert especially as traffic moves fast on the highway. It’s down a lane on your left, so slow down as soon as Google Mapssays you’re close. An oil and filter change with 10,000 km oil costs 1,440 Bt. I took my Yaris in at the busiest time of the morning and it was ready in one hour. They did far more than I asked and yet did not charge for it. The front clip of my car (the entire nose section) had gotten torn loose by a low stump as I reversed into a parking spot. I was planning to take it to a body shop after the oil change but, when I returned, they had replaced and refastened the nose clip and the car looked new again!

Another great service and repair shop is PRO-AUTO. Like DKT Car Repairs, above, Pro-Auto is a great place to get your car fixed. My A/C was blowing warm so I pulled into Pro-Auto in Hang Dong, on Highway 108, east of Highway 121. Fifteen minutes later, I pulled out with the air conditioner blowing so cold I had to dial it down to the minimum. The bill was 500 baht. The map is here. The phone is: 089 838 8899. Facebook page here. If you’re traveling south on Hang Dong road, pass BigC and continue south thru the intersection. Take the first U turn just beyond a 7/11, and pull over, you will be almost outside another 7/11 which is adjacent ProAuto.

Fuel costs around 30 baht/litre, or US$5.74/ US gallon based on 91 regular.  A Yaris will travel 400 miles on a single tank, making long trips both convenient and affordable. To put that into Southeast Asian perspective: you can drive from lovely Chiang Mai, Thailand, to exotic Vientiane, capital of Laos, without stopping for gas. Makes you think, donnit?

Auto insurance is affordable. My ‘first class’ (i.e., all risks, no fault) insurance cost 16,000 baht for the first year. It’s included, by law, in the cost of all new cars which is very cool. Friends who’ve made claims on these policies, though they used different insurers, all report exemplary performance from their insurers. Local Rhys Bonney, who is familiar to our Concierge clients, collided with an oncoming u-turning car and spent 3 weeks in hospital repairing the fractures to his feet, ankles and lower legs. His insurer picked up 100% of the bill and paid it immediately. Rhys is fine, now, incidentally.

Four Michelin tires, mounted and balanced, cost 12,000 baht. When I went to my neighborhood Michelin tyre shop last week the lady manager (never ask the male staff anything; men are for decorative purposes only) told me to come back when the rainy season starts because there’s plenty of tread on my tires right now.

“How do you like your car’s handling?” she asked.

“It’s pretty disappointing,” I confessed.

She laughed. “When you come back I’ll put the correct size tires on. Your tires are the wrong size. That’s what’s causing your handling problem”.

So good service is definitely not a problem! If you need a certificate of residence so you can buy a car or get a license, US citizens can download this form and take it to the Consulate to be certified. [ddownload id=”5761″].

Update March 2017: The Yaris headlights were starting to yellow from exposure to the tropical sun and there were scratches and dings on all sides so…off to my car guys to a refresh. I drove it there, they drove me home and dropped it off the next day and it’s looking quite spiffy. Here’s the itemized bill:
Front head light fixtures (L,R) 2×2,400.00 = 4,800 Baht
Labor / service charge = 675 Baht
Buffing and paint touch up the whole car = 1,500  Baht
Vehicle delivery service = 300 Baht.
TOTAL: 7,275 baht, or US $206.

The Cost of Car Insurance in Thailand

My friend Rhys had a very bad car crash last year, on a freeway, when a car attempted a suicidal U-turn at high speed. The other driver ran off and was never found and the car turned out to be unregistered. He was in hospital for weeks and hobbling around for months with lots of metal holding him together. There’s an important element to the story: in order to get his one million baht medical costs covered, Rhys had to go to the police station and admit liability! If he didn’t, then the police would have to investigate the accident, which can take months–or forever. He discovered this because my insurance broker was on top of his situation, calling the hospital, the police, and the insurer (BUPA in this case). BUPA wouldn’t pay until they’d received the completed police report then, even though the police reported that Rhys was to blame, they paid the hospital promptly.

As they were loading Rhys into the ambulance the police administered a breathalyzer test. He was clean, but he learned something valuable: if he’d had passengers at the time the police would have given all of them breathalyzer tests and, if one had tested over the limit, most insurers would have denied his claim. So remember to ask your broker (or mine) for a policy that does not contain that ridiculous stipulation. The other thing he learned was the wisdom of having a perfectly bilingual insurance broker: the guy had to be able to win the cofidence of the police and the hospital and the reluctant insurer… over the phone!

I asked my broker, who has lots of clients, whether he does that for every such accident and he said he does. In the worst year he remembers, he had 48 client accidents (out of thousands of clients) and said he really only spends 2-3 hours on the phone for each accident, so it’s not as big a deal as it sounds. But it was a big deal for Rhys. Remember this about  good brokers: they cost no more than bad brokers or no broker at all. Get a good broker!

Here’s a reminder that driving in Thailand is a unique experience:

The post Owning, Insuring Cars in Thailand appeared first on Thai Retirement Helpers: Retiring in Thailand Made Easy.

Most companies oppose the government’s plan to raise the minimum daily wage nationwide to Bt400, US$13, or $300/month, as it will hurt small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), according to the Thai Chamber of Commerce. Chamber chairman Kalin Sarasin said that from the chamber’s discussions with many business operators, it was found that most of them worry over the impact of a further wage rise. He said that only the major companies could make the adjustments to accommodate higher wages due to their massive capital holdings. Most of the companies canvassed by the chamber would rather see the government focus on upgrading labour skills. Kalin said the government should promote more border trade, which is a key way to boost exports. After the government’s policy announcement, the chamber will talk with Deputy Prime Minister Somkid Jatusripitak to propose its opinions on economic issues. Remember, folks, unemployment among native born Thais is 1%. That’s right: one percent!!

Wages in Thailand seem low to Western visitors, but Thailand’s official unemployment rate, 0.56 percent, is among the lowest in the world, (it’s 9.4 percent in India and 6 percent in the Philippines. for example). The jobless rate in Thailand has been under 1 percent since 2011. How did it get so low?

Bank of Thailand spokesman Chirathep Senivongs Na Ayudhya explains: ”Our unemployment rate has been low not because of a different definition from other countries, but because of structural problems,” said . “The agricultural sector absorbs laborers and those who can’t find work can always look for jobs in the informal sector or do something on their own.”

Thai unemployment benefits are 50% of final salary – for a maximum of 180 days. Thai wages are low (see MDs’ salaries, below) so there’s little incentive to stay jobless. Those who lose their jobs often enter the ‘informal sector’ or seek out a part-time job, and so they’re counted as employed.

And 40 percent of Thais are engaged in agriculture, where there is a high percentage of underemployment and seasonal unemployment. The underemployed – estimated at about 0.5 percent – are counted among the employed. So if you lose your job as a store clerk and return home to help out on your family farm for at one hour a week, you are counted as employed.

Then, too, Thailand’s fertility rate from 2010-2015 is estimated at 1.4 by the United Nations Population Fund compared with 3.4 in the Philippines. Plus, its population aged 60+ rose from under 7 percent in 1994 to 15 percent last year, so more people are retiring and fewer entering the workforce. (in Japan, more than a quarter of the population is over 65, has 3+ percent unemployment. There are thought to be 3 million mostly undocumented migrant workers in Thailand from Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar. The government is beginning to register foreign workers, but the language barrier and lack of skills is a challenge to increasing their numbers.

And here’s the biggie: the informal sector of the Thai economy – anyone who’s not covered by formal work arrangements – accounted for more than 64 percent of the total workforce. This includes everyone from street vendors to taxi drivers, self-employed: they’re counted as employed.

The government doesn’t plan any major labor-market policy changes this year or next, and the inflation rate is falling (it’s forecast to breach 1 percent) there are no worries about the jobless rate, so expect it to stay very low.

What are Thai doctors’ wages?

Let’s look at the salaries of upper middle-class professionals: physicians, whose salaries vary depending on whether they work in public or private hospitals. Public hospital salaries range is 20,000 – 30,000 Baht/month.

Overtime on 1 or 2 evenings and, say, Saturday, can add another 20,000 to 30,000. Depending on experience or expertise there may be some extra income from pharmaceutical manufacturers for various services which could bring in a further amount of money a possible range 10,000 to 30,000 Baht/month. A private, Bangkok, hospital like Bumrungrad pays 60,000 – 150,000 depending on hours, experience and skills. With some private clinic work on top (most physicians spend time at these), a private sector doctor could earn 2 – 3 million baht a year, or $100,000. Given the purchasing power parity of the Thai baht, that’s an effective income of about $250,000.

Thai Luck,Wages and Dowries

More on Thai Wages

• For more on the state of the Thai economy, look at this sobering article from the Bangkok Post: Household debt keeps Thailand Southeast Asia’s sick man
• For more statistics on the cost of living in Thailand, take a look at this site, Numbeo
• For a video about the cost of living in Thailand, watch this.
• For more reading:
• • Cost of Living in Chiang Mai, Thailand – A Little Adrift – A full breakdown of the cost of living in Thailand as an expat living in Chiang Mai. Includes food, rent, internet costs and what those expenses buy you there.
  • Thailand Cost of Living | Expats in Thailand | Expats in Thailand – Thailand Cost of Living. One of the most important things to take into account when picking a place to live has to be the cost of living. The most wonderful spot on the planet can only be the place to live if you can afford it.
  • Thailand cost of living | Travel via Thailand – CURRENCY. Thailand’s currency is BATH (THB). $1 is about 32.75THB. COSTS. Thailand is one of the countries with the lowest cost of living. The prices depends on where you are. Like a bottle of beer in the Silom or …
  • Cost of Living in Thailand | Chiang Mai Solicitor – Cost of Living in Thailand, 10.0 out of 10 based on 2 ratings. Incoming search terms: chiang mai cost of living · chiang mai thailand cost of living · cost of living in chiang mai thailand. Related Posts. Amphur Offices in Thailand (1.000) …
  • 4 Countries Where Expats Can Live For Cheap – Business Insider – Seventy-four percent of survey respondents consider Thailand’s cost of living to be good or excellent, well above the global average of 35%. Housing is cheap, too: 85% of expats report that they are happy with the affordability …
  • How To Live Like a VIP in Bangkok for $285.06 Per Month – Сейчас […] Reply · Useful links for working & living in Thailand : Thailand Lad says: April 11, 2013 at 6:55 pm. […] http://migrationology.com/2011/07/cost-of-living-in-bangkok-thailand/ – Cost of living in Bangkok, Thailand […].
  • The real cost of living in Thailand – Keyframe5 – Thailand cost of living for a single man. Please note: this post was created on December 2014 with the currency rate at $1 USD = ฿32.9 THB. For the sake of this post and to make it easier to calculate, I’ll covert the currency as …
  • Thailand – Cost of Living – FlippTravel – Price List of the Basic Commodities – Average Costs in $ Milk (regular,1 liter) – 1.41 Loaf of Fresh White Bread (500g) – 1.13 Rice (white, 1kg) –

Wages in Thailand seem low to Western visitors, but Thailand’s official unemployment rate, 0.56 percent, is among the lowest in the world, (it’s 9.4 percent in India and 6 percent in the Philippines. for example). The jobless rate in Thailand has been under 1 percent since 2011. How did it get so low?

Bank of Thailand spokesman Chirathep Senivongs Na Ayudhya explains: ”Our unemployment rate has been low not because of a different definition from other countries, but because of structural problems,” said . “The agricultural sector absorbs laborers and those who can’t find work can always look for jobs in the informal sector or do something on their own.”

Thai unemployment benefits are 50% of final salary – for a maximum of 180 days. Thai wages are low (see MDs’ salaries, below) so there’s little incentive to stay jobless. Those who lose their jobs often enter the ‘informal sector’ or seek out a part-time job, and so they’re counted as employed.

And 40 percent of Thais are engaged in agriculture, where there is a high percentage of underemployment and seasonal unemployment. The underemployed – estimated at about 0.5 percent – are counted among the employed. So if you lose your job as a store clerk and return home to help out on your family farm for at one hour a week, you are counted as employed.

Then, too, Thailand’s fertility rate from 2010-2015 is estimated at 1.4 by the United Nations Population Fund compared with 3.4 in the Philippines. Plus, its population aged 60+ rose from under 7 percent in 1994 to 15 percent last year, so more people are retiring and fewer entering the workforce. (in Japan, more than a quarter of the population is over 65, has 3+ percent unemployment. There are thought to be 3 million mostly undocumented migrant workers in Thailand from Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar. The government is beginning to register foreign workers, but the language barrier and lack of skills is a challenge to increasing their numbers.

And here’s the biggie: the informal sector of the Thai economy – anyone who’s not covered by formal work arrangements – accounted for more than 64 percent of the total workforce. This includes everyone from street vendors to taxi drivers, self-employed: they’re counted as employed.

The government doesn’t plan any major labor-market policy changes this year or next, and the inflation rate is falling (it’s forecast to breach 1 percent) there are no worries about the jobless rate, so expect it to stay very low.

What are Thai doctors’ wages?

Let’s look at the salaries of upper middle-class professionals: physicians, whose salaries vary depending on whether they work in public or private hospitals. Public hospital salaries range is 20,000 – 30,000 Baht/month.

Overtime on 1 or 2 evenings and, say, Saturday, can add another 20,000 to 30,000. Depending on experience or expertise there may be some extra income from pharmaceutical manufacturers for various services which could bring in a further amount of money a possible range 10,000 to 30,000 Baht/month. A private, Bangkok, hospital like Bumrungrad pays 60,000 – 150,000 depending on hours, experience and skills. With some private clinic work on top (most physicians spend time at these), a private sector doctor could earn 2 – 3 million baht a year, or $100,000. Given the purchasing power parity of the Thai baht, that’s an effective income of about $250,000.

Thai Luck,Wages and Dowries

More on Thai Wages

• For more on the state of the Thai economy, look at this sobering article from the Bangkok Post: Household debt keeps Thailand Southeast Asia’s sick man
• For more statistics on the cost of living in Thailand, take a look at this site, Numbeo
• For a video about the cost of living in Thailand, watch this.
• For more reading:
• • Cost of Living in Chiang Mai, Thailand – A Little Adrift – A full breakdown of the cost of living in Thailand as an expat living in Chiang Mai. Includes food, rent, internet costs and what those expenses buy you there.
  • Thailand Cost of Living | Expats in Thailand | Expats in Thailand – Thailand Cost of Living. One of the most important things to take into account when picking a place to live has to be the cost of living. The most wonderful spot on the planet can only be the place to live if you can afford it.
  • Thailand cost of living | Travel via Thailand – CURRENCY. Thailand’s currency is BATH (THB). $1 is about 32.75THB. COSTS. Thailand is one of the countries with the lowest cost of living. The prices depends on where you are. Like a bottle of beer in the Silom or …
  • Cost of Living in Thailand | Chiang Mai Solicitor – Cost of Living in Thailand, 10.0 out of 10 based on 2 ratings. Incoming search terms: chiang mai cost of living · chiang mai thailand cost of living · cost of living in chiang mai thailand. Related Posts. Amphur Offices in Thailand (1.000) …
  • 4 Countries Where Expats Can Live For Cheap – Business Insider – Seventy-four percent of survey respondents consider Thailand’s cost of living to be good or excellent, well above the global average of 35%. Housing is cheap, too: 85% of expats report that they are happy with the affordability …
  • How To Live Like a VIP in Bangkok for $285.06 Per Month – Сейчас […] Reply · Useful links for working & living in Thailand : Thailand Lad says: April 11, 2013 at 6:55 pm. […] http://migrationology.com/2011/07/cost-of-living-in-bangkok-thailand/ – Cost of living in Bangkok, Thailand […].
  • The real cost of living in Thailand – Keyframe5 – Thailand cost of living for a single man. Please note: this post was created on December 2014 with the currency rate at $1 USD = ฿32.9 THB. For the sake of this post and to make it easier to calculate, I’ll covert the currency as …
  • Thailand – Cost of Living – FlippTravel – Price List of the Basic Commodities – Average Costs in $ Milk (regular,1 liter) – 1.41 Loaf of Fresh White Bread (500g) – 1.13 Rice (white, 1kg) –

Wages in Thailand seem low to Western visitors, but Thailand’s official unemployment rate, 0.56 percent, is among the lowest in the world, (it’s 9.4 percent in India and 6 percent in the Philippines. for example). The jobless rate in Thailand has been under 1 percent since 2011. How did it get so low?

Bank of Thailand spokesman Chirathep Senivongs Na Ayudhya explains: ”Our unemployment rate has been low not because of a different definition from other countries, but because of structural problems,” said . “The agricultural sector absorbs laborers and those who can’t find work can always look for jobs in the informal sector or do something on their own.”

Thai unemployment benefits are 50% of final salary – for a maximum of 180 days. Thai wages are low (see MDs’ salaries, below) so there’s little incentive to stay jobless. Those who lose their jobs often enter the ‘informal sector’ or seek out a part-time job, and so they’re counted as employed.

And 40 percent of Thais are engaged in agriculture, where there is a high percentage of underemployment and seasonal unemployment. The underemployed – estimated at about 0.5 percent – are counted among the employed. So if you lose your job as a store clerk and return home to help out on your family farm for at one hour a week, you are counted as employed.

Then, too, Thailand’s fertility rate from 2010-2015 is estimated at 1.4 by the United Nations Population Fund compared with 3.4 in the Philippines. Plus, its population aged 60+ rose from under 7 percent in 1994 to 15 percent last year, so more people are retiring and fewer entering the workforce. (in Japan, more than a quarter of the population is over 65, has 3+ percent unemployment. There are thought to be 3 million mostly undocumented migrant workers in Thailand from Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar. The government is beginning to register foreign workers, but the language barrier and lack of skills is a challenge to increasing their numbers.

And here’s the biggie: the informal sector of the Thai economy – anyone who’s not covered by formal work arrangements – accounted for more than 64 percent of the total workforce. This includes everyone from street vendors to taxi drivers, self-employed: they’re counted as employed.

The government doesn’t plan any major labor-market policy changes this year or next, and the inflation rate is falling (it’s forecast to breach 1 percent) there are no worries about the jobless rate, so expect it to stay very low.

What are Thai doctors’ wages?

Let’s look at the salaries of upper middle-class professionals: physicians, whose salaries vary depending on whether they work in public or private hospitals. Public hospital salaries range is 20,000 – 30,000 Baht/month.

Overtime on 1 or 2 evenings and, say, Saturday, can add another 20,000 to 30,000. Depending on experience or expertise there may be some extra income from pharmaceutical manufacturers for various services which could bring in a further amount of money a possible range 10,000 to 30,000 Baht/month. A private, Bangkok, hospital like Bumrungrad pays 60,000 – 150,000 depending on hours, experience and skills. With some private clinic work on top (most physicians spend time at these), a private sector doctor could earn 2 – 3 million baht a year, or $100,000. Given the purchasing power parity of the Thai baht, that’s an effective income of about $250,000.

Thai Luck,Wages and Dowries

More on Thai Wages

• For more on the state of the Thai economy, look at this sobering article from the Bangkok Post: Household debt keeps Thailand Southeast Asia’s sick man
• For more statistics on the cost of living in Thailand, take a look at this site, Numbeo
• For a video about the cost of living in Thailand, watch this.
• For more reading:
• • Cost of Living in Chiang Mai, Thailand – A Little Adrift – A full breakdown of the cost of living in Thailand as an expat living in Chiang Mai. Includes food, rent, internet costs and what those expenses buy you there.
  • Thailand Cost of Living | Expats in Thailand | Expats in Thailand – Thailand Cost of Living. One of the most important things to take into account when picking a place to live has to be the cost of living. The most wonderful spot on the planet can only be the place to live if you can afford it.
  • Thailand cost of living | Travel via Thailand – CURRENCY. Thailand’s currency is BATH (THB). $1 is about 32.75THB. COSTS. Thailand is one of the countries with the lowest cost of living. The prices depends on where you are. Like a bottle of beer in the Silom or …
  • Cost of Living in Thailand | Chiang Mai Solicitor – Cost of Living in Thailand, 10.0 out of 10 based on 2 ratings. Incoming search terms: chiang mai cost of living · chiang mai thailand cost of living · cost of living in chiang mai thailand. Related Posts. Amphur Offices in Thailand (1.000) …
  • 4 Countries Where Expats Can Live For Cheap – Business Insider – Seventy-four percent of survey respondents consider Thailand’s cost of living to be good or excellent, well above the global average of 35%. Housing is cheap, too: 85% of expats report that they are happy with the affordability …
  • How To Live Like a VIP in Bangkok for $285.06 Per Month – Сейчас […] Reply · Useful links for working & living in Thailand : Thailand Lad says: April 11, 2013 at 6:55 pm. […] http://migrationology.com/2011/07/cost-of-living-in-bangkok-thailand/ – Cost of living in Bangkok, Thailand […].
  • The real cost of living in Thailand – Keyframe5 – Thailand cost of living for a single man. Please note: this post was created on December 2014 with the currency rate at $1 USD = ฿32.9 THB. For the sake of this post and to make it easier to calculate, I’ll covert the currency as …
  • Thailand – Cost of Living – FlippTravel – Price List of the Basic Commodities – Average Costs in $ Milk (regular,1 liter) – 1.41 Loaf of Fresh White Bread (500g) – 1.13 Rice (white, 1kg) –

Thailand’s official unemployment rate, 0.56 percent, is among the lowest in the world, (it’s 9.4 percent in India and 6 percent in the Philippines, for example). Thailand employment is high and doctors’ salaries are low. The jobless rate in Thailand has been under 1 percent since 2011. How did it get so low?

Bank of Thailand spokesman Chirathep Senivongs Na Ayudhya explains: ”Our unemployment rate has been low not because of a different definition from other countries, but because of structural problems,” said . “The agricultural sector absorbs laborers and those who can’t find work can always look for jobs in the informal sector or do something on their own.”

If you’ve been making regular payments into the national unemployment program, Thai unemployment benefits are 50% of your final salary – for a maximum of 180 days. Thai salaries are low (see MDs’ salaries, below) so there’s little incentive to stay jobless. Those who lose their jobs often enter the ‘informal sector’ or seek out a part-time job, and so they’re counted as employed.

And 40 percent of Thais are engaged in agriculture, where there is a high percentage of underemployment and seasonal unemployment. The underemployed – estimated at about 0.5 percent – are counted among the employed. So if you lose your job as a store clerk and return home to help out on your family farm for at one hour a week, you are counted as employed.

Then, too, Thailand’s fertility rate from 2010-2015 is estimated at 1.4 by the United Nations Population Fund compared with 3.4 in the Philippines. Plus, its population aged 60+ rose from under 7 percent in 1994 to 15 percent last year, so more people are retiring and fewer entering the workforce. (in Japan, more than a quarter of the population is over 65, has 3+ percent unemployment.

There are thought to be 3 million mostly undocumented migrant workers in Thailand from Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar. The government is beginning to register foreign workers, but the language barrier and lack of skills is a challenge to increasing their numbers.

And here’s the biggie: the informal sector of the Thai economy – anyone who’s not covered by formal work arrangements – accounted for more than 64 percent of the total workforce. This includes everyone from street vendors to taxi drivers, self-employed: they’re counted as employed.

The government doesn’t plan any major labor-market policy changes this year or next, and the inflation rate is falling (it’s forecast to breach 1 percent) there are no worries about the jobless rate, so expect it to stay very low.

What are Thai salaries like?

Let’s look at the salaries of upper middle-class professionals: physicians, whose salaries vary depending on whether they work in public or private hospitals.

Public hospital salaries range is 20,000 – 30,000 Baht/month.

Overtime on 1 or 2 evenings and, say, Saturday, can add another 20,000 to 30,000. Depending on experience or expertise there may be some extra income from pharmaceutical manufacturers for various services which could bring in a further amount of money a possible range 10,000 to 30,000 Baht/month.

Doctors’ salaries in Thailand vary greatly. A private, Bangkok, hospital like Bumrungrad pays 60,000 – 150,000 depending on hours, experience and skills. With some private clinic work on top (most physicians spend time at these), a private sector doctor could earn 2 – 3 million baht a year, or $100,000. Given the purchasing power parity of the Thai baht, that’s an effective income of about $250,000.

• For more on the state of the Thai economy, look at this sobering article from the Bangkok Post: Household debt keeps Thailand Southeast Asia’s sick man
• For more statistics on the cost of living in Thailand, take a look at this site, Numbeo
• For a video about the cost of living in Thailand, watch this.

For more reading:

• Cost of Living in Chiang Mai, Thailand – A Little Adrift – A full breakdown of the cost of living in Thailand as an expat living in Chiang Mai. Includes food, rent, internet costs and what those expenses buy you there.
• Thailand Cost of Living | Expats in Thailand | Expats in Thailand – Thailand Cost of Living. One of the most important things to take into account when picking a place to live has to be the cost of living. The most wonderful spot on the planet can only be the place to live if you can afford it.
• Thailand cost of living | Travel via Thailand – CURRENCY. Thailand’s currency is BATH (THB). $1 is about 32.75THB. COSTS. Thailand is one of the countries with the lowest cost of living. The prices depends on where you are. Like a bottle of beer in the Silom or …
• Cost of Living in Thailand | Chiang Mai Solicitor – Cost of Living in Thailand, 10.0 out of 10 based on 2 ratings. Incoming search terms: chiang mai cost of living · chiang mai thailand cost of living · cost of living in chiang mai thailand. Related Posts. Amphur Offices in Thailand (1.000) …
• 4 Countries Where Expats Can Live For Cheap – Business Insider – Seventy-four percent of survey respondents consider Thailand’s cost of living to be good or excellent, well above the global average of 35%. Housing is cheap, too: 85% of expats report that they are happy with the affordability …
• How To Live Like a VIP in Bangkok for $285.06 Per Month – Сейчас […] Reply · Useful links for working & living in Thailand : Thailand Lad says: April 11, 2013 at 6:55 pm. […] http://migrationology.com/2011/07/cost-of-living-in-bangkok-thailand/ – Cost of living in Bangkok, Thailand […].
• The real cost of living in Thailand – Keyframe5 – Thailand cost of living for a single man. Please note: this post was created on December 2014 with the currency rate at $1 USD = ฿32.9 THB. For the sake of this post and to make it easier to calculate, I’ll covert the currency as …
• Thailand – Cost of Living – FlippTravel – Price List of the Basic Commodities – Average Costs in $ Milk (regular,1 liter) – 1.41 Loaf of Fresh White Bread (500g) – 1.13 Rice (white, 1kg) –

The post Thailand Employment Salaries appeared first on Thai Retirement Helpers: Retiring in Thailand Made Easy.

A 25 year old Canadian was riding a zipline at Flight of the Gibbon in Chiang Mai on Saturday when his safety harness broke and he plummeted 50 meters to the ground. He was pronounced dead at the scene. The weight limit for anyone using the zipline is 125 kilograms. Manager and Thai PBS reported the man weighed between 180 and 200 kilograms, while other outlets said the deceased man weighed 125 kilograms. It was reported the zipline operators have been charged with gross negligence resulting in death. Flight of the Gibbon was investigated in 2017 over claims it had encroached protected forests. In 2015, two Chinese tourists were killed in separate incidents at two other ziplines in the area. In 2016, a Chinese tourists suffered serious injuries while riding the Flying Squirrel zipline and three Israelis were injured in a fall at the Flight of the Gibbon. In 2015, remarkable footage in the Daily Mail went viral after showing an American tourist who was left hanging onto a friend after an employee forget to connect a carabiner on a 400m zipline in Chiang Mai.

I’m often asked about safety and danger in Thailand, so let’s look at a case study with much to teach us:

By the end of the night (around 2 am) as the bar’s customers were leaving. The holidaymakers – believed to be a man in his 40s and his parents, both in their 60s – were attacked by several men earlier this month during Thai new year celebrations in Hua Hin, a coastal town about three hours south of Bangkok, popular with older Europeans. CCTV footage posted online shows a vicious and prolonged assault in a street, which starts when a British man briefly touches shoulders with a Thai man carrying a bottle who appears to push him to the ground. The British woman takes the Thai man to the side and an argument ensues. Several Thai men punch the family until all three are on the ground. When they try to rise, they are kicked in the face and left unconscious before onlookers come to their aid. During the Thai new year’s Songkran festival, also known as the water festival, major streets are taken over by a giant water fight for three days as people party continuously.

If you saw this video of the 2 a.m. bar brawl in Hua Hin you probably wondered about safety in Thailand, particularly after seeing the older farang woman get knocked out. How could that happen in a gentle country supposedly safe for women? Let’s take a look:

1. Per capita, drunk Brits cause 10x more problems here than drunk Thais.
2. Three Brits went to a tough bar area and drank until 2 a.m.
3. One Brit bumped a Thai in the street and the Thai knocked him down.
4. His woman companion long and loudly insulted the Thai.
5. The Thai knocked her and the other Brit down.
6. Friends of the Thai kicked them.
7. the knockdown of the woman caused international outrage.
8. In Thailand a public insult is treated as an attack with a deadly weapon – it is mortal and transcends gender.
9. The public insulter is usually killed on the spot or ambushed the following day by friends of the insultee.
10. The woman is alive because she’s a woman. Had she been a man she’d be dead.
11. By Thai cultural standards the Thai who knocked her down acted in self defense – in the only way possible.
12. His friends were justified in treating the farangs like would-be murderers and kicking them.

The morals of this story are many and one of them is that Thailand has its own culture and sets its own rules of behavior. That’s why, in my books and in the newsletter, I repeatedly warn about arguing with Thais. Don’t do it. Ever. You can almost eliminate danger from your life in Thailand with these simple strategies:

1. Avoid late-night bars in vacation spots that are magnets for young men from around the world looking for trouble.
2. Don’t confront or quarrel with Thais. Ever. Never, ever argue with a Thai. Never.
3. Don’t drive until you understand what you’re getting into. Thai traffic has unique vices and virtues.
4. Be careful in your bathroom. This is the #1 environment where most people are injured. Thai bathrooms can be slippery as hell if you’re showering.

Why ‘Safety First’ in Thailand is… not so much

The notion of safety first in Thailand is novel and exotic. Thais take risks every day that would turn Westerners’ hair white.

What do Thai kindergartners do in school? Coloring, learning words and numbers, of course. And field trips. Like this one where these 3-year-olds each sat on their very own, deadly crocodile while their teachers took this  photograph. Our very own Sathaporn Kindergarten – a private school for children of well-off parents – here in Chiang Mai apologized after the photos went viral. The school was criticized because, among other things, the children attended the show without their parents’  or guardians’ knowledge. The pics were only discovered because the photos were uploaded to the school’s Facebook page titled “Who says crocodiles Aren’t Friendly?” They order things differently in Thailand…

Songkran Festival Safety in Thailand

During the April 11–17 Songkran period last year, 3,690 road accidents killed 390 people and injured 3,808 others.  The Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department said the death toll was down 11.76 per cent from 2016 (!). This year’s five-day Songkran holiday runs from April 12–16. To accommodate people travelling up-country to visit their hometowns and to stimulate domestic tourism, the Cabinet designated Thursday, April 12 as an additional holiday on top of the usual April 13–16 holiday time. Gen. Prawit has told the agencies to learn from past statistics to identify accident causes and try to minimise them. He said the authorities would also launch awareness campaigns about drunk driving, use of safety belts and wearing helmets. Most Thais celebrate the traditional Thai New Year and enjoy the water-splashing festival. A few tips for first-timers: it will be hot, but wear or bring a light shell if you don’t want to end up shivering from being doused repeatedly with ice water. Don’t drink, keep your wits about you and.. don’t ride in the back of pickup trucks!

Here’s a longer discussion about safety in Thailand:

The post Safety and Danger in Thailand appeared first on Thai Retirement Helpers: Retiring in Thailand Made Easy.

Vern Lovic, Thailand’s snake expert, wrote me this explanation of his new book, Keep Snakes Out!: Probably no other animal that is frequently found in a home scares people as much as snakes! Here in Thailand, we have a serious snake problem. Recently my friend confronted a king cobra climbing his front door. It’s really no joke here…

For ten years I have been answering questions by email, phone, and social media about how to keep snakes out of homes, businesses, schools and nurseries, and out of yards and away from other property.

For years I offered this free service – but finally, as the requests have peaked to around 1,000 per year, I just cannot keep up  any longer with this and keep performing snake rescues at people’s homes. So, I’m writing this book to help me reclaim my life back. This book will help me free up a dozen hours a week or more. I’ll answer your questions about the best things you can do to keep snakes in nature – away from you, your yard, and property. I’ll put everything I know here – and you take it from there.

Here in Thailand we have around 220 snake species. That’s a LOT OF SNAKES that can find their way into homes, yards, schools, vehicles, and tree houses. Start with this book to eliminate as much as possible any means for a snake to get close to your home. Head over to ThailandSnakes.com to read more about snakes in Thailand that you need to avoid. We have a couple of other ebooks – one free – you might want to get a copy of. Stay safe! – Vern

Snakes, like most animals, are emotional creatures. The emotion we humans usually see is anger. It’s the most visible of all species’ emotions and we tend to elicit snakes’ anger by doing stupid things. If you want to see an angry snake, check out the video below. If you humiliate a non-venomous snake – by, for example, using it to frighten people and make them scream – then put the snake back down on the ground, it will often stay there for a long time, clearly displaying its resentment.

Thailand has 200 snake species of which 60 are venomous. There are venomous (not poisonous) snakes everywhere here.  Recently I watched a racer swim across the river then haul herself out of the water onto a lily pad to warm up and dry off. She was beautiful. Thai snakes, like most, are terrified of humans. Thai snakes have a protector and friend: expat Vern Lovic who lives in Southern Thailand – is an interpreter between snakes and humans (that’s Vern’s picture of the beautiful red tailed racer, above) and runs a great Thai snakes website.

It’s just as well snakes have a friend: I have snakes in my front yard. My neighbor has twice had cobras in her outdoor kitchen, one expat told me he has a family of kraits living in his storage shed. Vern adds that vipers love bushes and trees near water and walkways. In other words, there are enough snakes in Thailand that it’s worth learning about them. Vern has made this easy by providing a free guide to Thailand’s snakes. Just click here and download it.

If you’re keen to get to know our local snakes, Vern makes that easy. He’s running a Snakes of Thailand field trip mid-year. To join the field trip, click here. Here’s that video of an angry snake:

https://youtu.be/qn5dEtAzb3E

And here’s a video of a remarkable escape:

https://wp.me/p4lpu0-1twDog escapes from python in Thailand

The post Snakes in Thailand appeared first on Thai Retirement Helpers: Retiring in Thailand Made Easy.

I know about twenty Soi dogs in Thailand (so named because they hang out in alleys, or sois). They’re not well cared for  and, if this story moves you, sign the petition to improve their lives. If you’re in Chiang Mai you can volunteer or adopt a dog from Care for Dogs. They do heroic work caring for lost dogs who need homes.

I walk two miles around my neighborhood at dawn each morning. The streets are quiet and empty except for dogs. Soi dogs in Thailand are an independent lot. As far as they are concerned they have as much right as any Thai to walk or lie on the road and they expect humans – especially drivers – to respect that. Thais generally do, though there are enough limping, three-legged, and even two-legged dogs around to suggest that their rights are not always respected. though they do a fine job of barking at strangers, they have limits. If it is too early in the morning–before 5 am–or late in the evening– after 11 pm–they prefer to sleep. (Thai cats are well aware of this, as are the pigeons who know the cats will vanish when the dogs appear). Thai dogs will not bother you if it is raining, or chase you if the grass might wet their paws, or if it is too hot, or too cold, or if you are accompanied by a dog bigger than them.

Many people are on a budget, and are looking for a cheap dog fence. That is certainly understandable. However when it comes to the well-being of your pets, why take a chance on a cheaply-made product? Most dog owners see their dog as a member of their family. Doesn’t your family member deserves the best dog fence? Why take a risk when it comes to your dog’s health? While considering a fence in general consider the potential negative consequences of using an electric stimulation device on your pet.

People who’ve never gotten to know dogs find Soi dogs in Thailand frightening and I suspect that they’re responsible for most of the negative stories about them. If you like dogs you won’t have a problem with them. They’re more assertive than house dogs, since dogs are territorial animals and the soi is their territory and they have to hustle for scraps every day. Happily, Thais love dogs – though they rarely pet them, which Thai dogs are OK with – and I’ve never seen an emaciated one.

They’re numerous because Thais don’t commonly spay or neuter dogs. One reason that there aren’t too many dogs is a big market for dog meat in northern Vietnam. Dog-catching has been privatized by dog catchers who smuggle thousands of them across the border every month.

Like everything in Thailand, there’s a dog hierarchy, too. At the top are companion dogs: well-groomed, well-fed, often purebreds that are allowed to socialize with street dogs for a few minutes each morning under their owners’ watchful eyes. These are the friendliest dogs I meet each morning. They approach me fearlessly and enjoy being petted and talked to.

Below the companion dogs are guard dogs: serious looking and larger than the companions. They run loose in the yard and, in return for a protected space and regular meals, bark at passersby and, presumably, bite intruders. Below them are ‘gate dogs’ who  have adopted a house, live in the street by the gate as auxiliary guards. They stick so closely to ‘their’ gate that I assume that house owners feed them on a ‘no obligations’ basis. Both householder and dog retain their independence while deriving benefit from the relationship.

Next down are real soi dogs who live entirely in the street. They live in strictly hierarchical packs for mutual protection are most vulnerable to dog catchers since they’ve nowhere to hide. It is these guys who accompany me on my morning walks and whose social arrangements keep me entertained. When I arrive in their alley they congregate around me, apparently simply happy to be acknowledged by a human. At first they all wanted to be petted but, over the months, the novelty of petting has worn off. Now our greetings are largely verbal: warm words from me; yipping and tailwagging from them. Then we set off for a block or two so they can show off their human friend to the guard- and house-dogs. Then, with their status raised, they peel off and start exploring the exciting new smells that the morning brings. They’re as individual as any human and I find their interactions a constant source of interest and amusement.

Below soi dogs are the wretched of the earth: the strays. These poor creatures have neither turf nor a pack to protect them. Something has displaced them and they literally have nowhere to call their own. They slink around, ears pinned back, with anxiously wrinkled brows desperately looking for food and temporary shelter. Packs of soi dogs pursue them and, if they catch them, attack them viciously. Here’s a video I made of my local dog pack. Sometimes they accompany me for a few blocks; sometimes they ignore me:

The Vinegar Cure

The worst dogs I’ve encountered are the racists (surprised?). They ignore Thais but hate foreigners and feel it their patriotic duty to attack them. There’s one guard dog on my morning route and I would walk quietly past his house, enduring his bloodcurdling snarls and barks. One day his gate was left open and he came after me. I escaped unharmed but my morning was ruined. Happily, Thailand is the home of the water pistol. Thais consume more water pistols per capita than any nation on earth because, in Thailand’s climate, they’re fun, s’nuk. After choosing a compact, high capacity weapon (60¢ at the supermarket – always on sale) I loaded it with diluted vinegar. The next morning I heard the same racist threats but I had my equalizer ready. A few squirts (avoiding his eyes) followed by the sound of baffled, indignant whimpering. He seemed as much upset by our switch in status as anything! He was no longer the aggressor and he obviously hated smelling of vinegar which, to his doggy nose, must have been intense.

I repeated the treatment on Soi dogs in Thailand the next morning and that was the end of it. He still barks at me, of course, but his bark lacks conviction. The racist insults and threats of dismemberment have ceased. We encountered each other out in the street last week and, after a few halfhearted barks he backed defiantly into his open gate.

Prevention

1. Let sleeping and eating dogs alone.
2. Don’t approach dogs you don’t know. You’re probably entering their territory and dogs are territorial.
3. Don’t go near dog hangouts at night, like temple grounds, abandoned buildings, building sites, car parks and empty spaces.  Darkness is their friend, not yours.
4. Carry an equalizer. A rape alarm works fine. Umbrellas and pieces of bamboo are fine. Often picking up a rock is enough to discourage them.
5. Don’t run. It excites their hunting instinct. Walk purposefully as you draw yourself up to your full height
6. Fold your arms or raise them slowly above your head. This keeps vulnerable hands away from sharp teeth.
7. Don’t smile or squeal. Your smile resembles aggressive teeth-baring and squealing sounds like a wounded animal. Command them in low, strong tones.
8. Be wary of turning your back on them. Don’t hang about.  Commotions attracts other dogs. Walk on, possibly backwards.

There are tons of Soi dogs in Thailand, but Deputy Dog is a favorite. This golden labrador is a well-known character around Chiang Rai, the beautiful town 5 hours drive north of Chiang Mai. Richard Berry, who combines an idyllic Chiang Rai life with manufacturing the ultra-natural English Organics cosmetics (you can eat them – literally) snapped a few shots with his cellphone.

On a Lighter Note

There are tons of dogs in Thailand, but Deputy Dog is a favorite. This golden labrador is a well-known character around Chiang Rai, the beautiful town 5 hours drive north of Chiang Mai. Richard Berry, who combines an idyllic Chiang Rai life with manufacturing the ultra-natural English Organics cosmetics (you can eat them – literally) snapped a few shots with his cellphone. There’s no story behind this as far as Richard has been able to discover. This is simply how the dog likes to sit while waiting for his master to finish shopping. Here’s how deputy dog looks when he sees his master approaching:

Monks Kindness to Dogs

Thai temples are a traditional refuge for stray and hungry dogs and the monks beg for food for them every morning as they walk the streets, barefoot. Here’s what happens at feeding time:

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Here’s another beautiful elephant moment in Thailand: the elephant is blind:

And they also make music, as you’ll learn from National Geographic.

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My current favorite studio is Satva Yoga, two minutes from the Maya Mall, which teaches Aerial Yoga. What’s Aerial Yoga, you ask? Well, take a look at me doing the Batman Asana, above, and that’ll give you an idea: it lets you do poses that you simply cannot do on the ground. And best of all, it’s fun and much easier than, say, Ashtanga Yoga or Bikram Yoga.

In 1970, I started doing three hours of yoga a week and have never regretted it. (Holy cow! That’s 6,500 hours on a yoga mat!) I’ve never been hospitalized, taken pharmaceuticals nor needed to diet. More important, I feel good – bodily – all the time. I’ve noticed that feeling good all over is not a big priority for most people. (They seem to be content to merely be breathing). But it’s my first priority. It’s not that I love yoga. I don’t. But I love, love, love the way yoga makes me feel all day, every day. Keeping me out of the clutches of doctors, pharmaceuticals and hospitals is just a bonus.

If you’re an experienced yogi you’ll love falling into Chiang Mai’s community of like-minded adventurers, the endless parade of famous teachers and the neverending classes, workshops and special events. If you’ve never done yoga before you’ve also come to the right place – many people dip their toes into yoga’s waters for the first time here in Thailand – so you’re sure to find a class and teacher that’s right for you.

Whether you’ve been practicing for ages or don’t know what a downward dog is, this guide will help steer you in the right direction and make the most of yoga in Chiang Mai.

Types of Yoga

More than just a way of stretching or getting some gentle exercise, yoga is a complex practice combining mind, spirit and body to create complete wellbeing from the inside out. With a centuries of history, there are naturally many types of yoga – each focusing on different aspects of your alignment, flexibility and breath. Here are some of the most common types of yoga:

• • Hatha – Hatha refers to any yoga practice that combines poses, known as asanas, with measured breathing techniques, known as pranayama. The connection between breath and movement creates a deeper sense of relaxation. Most often, teachers will lead you through a series of postures that flow together. The class intensity will depend on how quick or slow the teacher keeps the pace.
  • Iyengar – B.K.S. Iyengar systematized 200 classical yoga poses and 14 different types of Pranayama (with variations of many of them) ranging from the basic to advanced. This helps ensure that students progress gradually by moving from simple poses to more complex ones and develop their mind, body and spirit through a step-by-step approach.Iyengar Yoga often makes use of props, such as belts, blocks, and blankets, as aids in performing asanas (postures). The props enable students to perform the asanas correctly, minimizing the risk of injury or strain, and making the postures accessible to both young and old. Satva Yoga holds regular Iyengar classes at 8 am Mon-Sat.
  • Vinyasa – Sometimes called “power yoga”, vinyasa focus on constantly keeping the body in motion with quicker-paced flows base around the famous “sun salutation” series of postures.
  • Ashtanga – One of the more challenging types of yoga, ashtanga uses a set series of 70 postures and requires both strength and endurance.  
  • Yin – If you’re looking for something slower paced, try yin yoga. Centered around stretching and relaxation, yin is a restorative form of yoga good for calming the mind, improving posture and increasing flexibility. Just because it’s slower doesn’t mean it’s always easy though, you’ll often hold deep stretches for up to several minutes to give your joints and muscles enough time to truly release and stretch.
  • Bikram (hot) – Named for Bikram Choudry, this is a single, set series of difficult poses done in a room heated to 104ºF. Definitely worth a try!
  • Restorative – You may see classes listed as “restorative yoga”. These sessions may involve different aspects of several different practices but focus on relaxing and rejuvenating your body. Instead of pushing it into a pose you may use supports and props to comfortable relax into a pose that helps your body rest and repair itself.
  • Laughter – If you haven’t heard of laughter yoga you will once you’re in Chiang Mai. Consisting of prolonged, self-induced laughing and yogic breathing techniques, laughter yoga lets you connect with your more carefree, playful side and even has been proven to help benefit your cardiovascular system and overall mood.
  • Aerial – Poses that suspend you off the ground so you can do things that would otherwise be impossible. Satva Yoga’s aerial yoga classes are limited to four students and run from 4:00-5:30 Monday through Saturday.

Yoga Studios in Chiang Mai

Chiang Mai has evolved from a backpacker haven to a sanctuary for health conscious travelers. Among the plethora of organic cafés and wellness centers that have surfaced within recent years, yoga classes and retreats have become a popular and plentiful option for yogis. They range from beginner to the most advanced classes and offer yoga styles in an impressive variety.

Satva Yoga is two minutes from Maya. Regular

Namo Yoga –has moved to its new, central location on SRIDONCHAI RD. inside MANINARAKORN HOTEL, 10 minutes walk from the old location and 5 minutes from the Night Bazaar.

Freedom Yoga – Adam and his partner, Ning have been running a new yoga studio in chiang mai for about 8 months now. They told me it’s been a challenge but extremely rewarding at the same time. It’s a relatively new yoga studio located just east of the famous Thapea Gate in a refurbished traditional Thai House. Freedom yoga has a relaxed and friendly vibe, with the yoga studio situated upstairs and Freedom cafe and Juice bar below serving up pre and post yoga juices and healthy meals. Freedom offers a thorough yoga schedule covering a variety of classes with something to suit students of all experiences. Their classes have a strong emphasis on correct body alignment and correct breathing. Their schedule:

Monday:  10am-Vinyasa          6pm-Hatha Flow

Tuesday: 10am-Hatha Flow      6pm-Hatha Yoga

Wednesday: 10am-Vinyasa      6pm-mixed flow

Thursday: 10am-Hatha yoga     6pm-Yin Yoga

Friday: 10am-Vinyasa              6pm-Hatha yoga

Saturday: 10am-Mixed dynamic flow

Sunday: 10am-mixed level flow

6pm-gentle and restorative yoga

The Yoga Tree – Enclosed within a lush garden area in the southwest corner of the Old City, this studio’s peaceful surrounding is prized by its students. With special focus on Beginner and Restorative/Yin Yoga styles, instructors also emphasize proper breathing and correct poses without being overbearing. The Yoga Tree frequently changes its yoga class line-up, which also includes dance and movement meditation classes. Don’t forget to check out their events, small festivals, trainings and workshops, which are held several times a month.

Wild Rose Yoga – Housed in a gorgeous traditional teak wooden home, Wild Rose Yoga is known for its range of intermediate to advanced weekly classes and specialized workshops. Classes are lead by various local and international teachers emphasizing and usually offered 3-4 times a day during the week and 1-2 times a day on weekends.

Yoga Kuukan – Known for its positive energy and beautiful space, Yoga Kuukan offers several styles of  Yoga in addition to Tai Chi and Chi Kung. The instructors encourage balance and exploration and teach with the basic intention to improve the health of both the mind and body. Located in the northeast corner of the Old City in a quaint teak house, this studio encourages drop-ins and private lessons.

Blue Garden – This small yoga and massage studio is hidden down a quiet street in the center of the Old City near Wat Pha Kaaw. Step into a beautiful open-aired garden studio and stretch, strengthen, and tone your muscles with flow, hatha or yin yoga. Classes are lead by Remco, an instructor who brings his knowledge of healing and abdominal Chi (Chi Nei Tsang) and Thai massages to his yoga practice. His style also emphasizes restoring energy balance and detoxifying the body.

Weena’s Yogasana – This small friendly studio is easily accessible and nestled in the up and coming Nimmanhaemin area of Chiang Mai. Lead by Weena herself, she emphasizes simplicity and focuses on four types of yoga: yoga asana, hatha, vinyasa flow and power yoga. Weena’s style delicately balances a challenging but supportive environment for students and accommodates skill levels ranging from beginner to more advanced.

Loft Yoga  at  Kantary Terrace – If you’re staying close to Nimmanhaemin Road, check out Loft  Yoga on the second floor of Kantary Terrace. You can call 081-377-7306 for more information and a class schedule.

Mahasiddha – Just north of Suan Buak Hat park in the southwest corner of the Old City, Mahasiddha Yoga school focus on meditation and tantra yoga. Through the practice of tantric yoga one gains awareness of who he truly is and what he can become. Whether you are a complete novice or a well-travelled practitioner, the classes, courses and events of Mahasiddha Yoga will help you attain your happiest, most fulfilled and sincere self. Every week, Mahasiddha Yoga offers a (long term) tantra course, hatha yoga classes and workshops along with a FREE activity every Sunday night, such as a hatha yoga class, a movie night or biweekly kirtan. In addition, the school aso organizes monthly retreats. Mahasiddha Yoga can be found at 19 Samlan Soi 6 (green house, with a green gate – or use these GPS coordinates in Google Maps: 18.783397, 98.980086).

Wise Living Yoga Academy. This yoga academy is based in the beautiful countryside of Chiang Mai which offers regular yoga teacher training programs, ranging from around 200 to 500 per hour courses. They are registered with the international Yoga Alliance and affiliated to The Yoga Institute of Santa Cruz, Mumbai which is the world’s oldest yoga institution.

Om Ganesha Yoga. This yoga teaching academy takes a different approach to yoga. They focus more on the therapeutic side of yoga and focus on the benefits it could lift to each and every person that practices this holisitc approach. All levels of classes are open and offered in a traditional Thai wooden sala set in a relaxing garden.

Yoga Retreats in Chiang Mai

Along with yoga studios and classes, Chiang Mai and the surrounding region is also a popular place for yoga and meditation retreats held by teachers from around the world.

Thailand Yoga Holidays

Naturally, my favorite retreats are run by one of my own teachers, Christophe Cappon, a Canadian instructor who’s been living in Chiang Mai for the past eight years. Not only is Christophe one of the best yoga teachers I’ve ever met – his adjustments are among the best in the world and he has a killer sense of humor – he also knows how to truly appreciate and take advantage of everything Thailand has to offer (especially its food. The boy knows how to eat). Thailand Yoga Holidays runs 10-night retreats that combine a yoga focus while taking full advantage of the true beauty of the north and all that Thailand has to offer with stops in places like Pai, Chiang Dao, a permaculture farm and even a floating retreat center. By discovering the area through one of the Christophe’s retreats, you’ll practice yoga in some unbelievable places you never would have found on your own while also learning more about the country, culture and, of course, eating delicious food. You can check out Christophe’s upcoming yoga retreats in Chiang Mai here and see where Christophe teaches, in this dreamy video:

Feldenkrais in Chiang Mai

The world’s funniest (ha ha) yoga+Feldenkrais teacher, Tara Eden, sent me this: “If you’re interested in adding Awareness Through Movement to your routine, I am starting Feldenkrais classes at Yoga Tree on Fridays at 130. I am sure you’re retiree community would benefit greatly from this class too”.

And remember, when it comes to yoga in Chiang Mai, there are always a wide range of workshops and retreats going on around town. Every yoga studio or vegetarian restaurants will have a bulletin board with notices and fliers promoting various offerings so see what catches your eye.

Hotels and Fitness Center Yoga Classes in Chiang Mai

While there are a few standalone gyms and fitness centers throughout Chiang Mai, the workout scene here is quite different from the more fitness-oriented countries in the West. It’s popular for expats to sign up for monthly memberships at one of Chiang Mai’s larger hotels and use not only the fitness area but the additional facilities such as the pool and sauna, too. Many of these centers also offer classes that include yoga. Here are a few:

Duang Tawan Hotel – Located across the street from the Le Meridien Hotel on Loi Kroh Road, Duang Tawan Hotel has a well-equipped fitness center with an excellent assortment of free weights, newly fitted machines, and cardio equipment. The fitness center also runs nightly group classes, including step aerobics and yoga. Outside is a saltwater pool that offers views across the city and of Doi Suthep with a nearby café serving up a light fare and fruit smoothies. To top it off, members and visitors can relax in the saunas or giant jacuzzi.

Fitness Thailand – One of the largest gyms in town, Fitness Thailand has a beautiful view of the city from it’s 8th floor location and evokes the feel of a Western gym with it’s bright spacious rooms and thumping background music. It has an excellent assortment of classes (up to seven per day) that are split between group exercise, yoga and spin studio rooms. To top it off, Fitness Thailand also has a personal trainer program and a health and juice bar.

Touch Shape and Fitness Center – Located on the fifth floor of the Maya Lifestyle Shopping Center on Huay Kaew Road, this fitness center features high quality machines, plenty of cardio equipment, and specialty classes such as Spin, Hammock Yoga and TRX. It’s modern design evokes a hip and energetic feel that will sure to keep you coming back for more. Personal trainers are also available onsite to assist in your fitness goals and offer training techniques.   

Dhevi Spa & Wellness Centre – If you’re looking to really splurge, the Dhara Dhevi Resort offers a Wellness Retreat Programme featuring a Ayurvedic Healing, Lanna Wellness, Yoga, and Meditation Retreats that include access to a steam room, sauna, fitness center and even hydrotherapy. Their entirely holistic approach to wellness will stretch and strengthen both your mind and body. Hatha yoga and children’s yoga are among the classes taught. If needed, personal training is available on request.

Free and Donation Yoga Classes in Chiang Mai

Yoga doesn’t have to cost you. It’s not unheard of for locals, expats and visitors to participate in or even lead free yoga sessions in Chiang Mai. What’s even better, is that these classes often take place in a wide outdoor area that make for a unique experience! For example, The Yoga Tree usually runs a weekly laughter yoga class, but you’ll often see fliers or Facebook events with donation-classes at the park or around town.

Again, keep an eye out for notices around town, or try joining some of the Chiang Mai events, yoga and wellness groups on Facebook such as What’s Happening in Chiang Mai and Chiang Mai Wellness Community. With so many different offerings, you’re sure to find something that fits with your ability and preferred style!

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Derek Workman did, and his quest for an answer turned into a full-time job. He gets paid to travel and stay in beautiful resorts around the world. I asked Derek if he’d give us a realistic picture of what life is like for a pro, and here it is:

A Traveling Life For Me (With apologies to Jiminy Cricket for paraphrasing the title of the song that made him famous)

Ah! the life of a travel writer – lounging on the beach beside the azure sea in some exotic destination, a chilled glass of champagne always at hand provided by an ever-attentive (but never intrusive) waiter. “Would sir,” (or madam, after all the world of the itinerant writer is open to all), “care for lobster salad for lunch, or may I recommend the bouillabaisse, the chef’s specialty and absolutely divine?” Decisions, decisions!

Most people’s idea of a travel writer’s life is one long round of first class travel to exotic destinations, stays in luxury hotels, cruises on the fanciest of liners and sumptuous meals served with superb wines. This may be the case for the Bill Brysons of this world, but for the Derek Workmans, who are around 99.9% of working travel writers, the reality couldn’t be more different.

My travelling is usually based on the sale of one – or if I’m lucky, two – articles within reasonable proximity of each other. The fees almost inevitably have to cover all expenses, so unless I can sweet-talk a hotel into a room for the night, I lay my head in places you would walk by with a shudder, and eat elbow-to-elbow in worker’s cafes. And there is no such thing as a lounge by the swimming pool; when I’m not on my feet researching I’m sat on a chair in a café writing up my daily notes on my laptop and uploading photos while having a coffee and a sandwich. This is the real life of a travel writer, although with enough experience under your belt you might occasionally get the luxury trip that others drool over.

My first big free gig was a six-day press trip to the Canary Islands to cover five islands, plus Madeira, and one night on a cruise ship. Everything top-notch, business-class flight from my home in Valencia, Spain, four-star hotel and three-fork restaurants all the way. They even chartered a private airplane to shuttle us between three of the islands, which slightly lost its gilding when the co-pilot came around just after take-off and handed out a chocolate bar and plastic carton of orange juice each, our in-flight meal.

The dozen journalists were split into three smaller groups, four each of Italian, German, and British. The Italians swanned around all day showing no interest in anything except making sure their summer frocks and cream linen trousers didn’t get dirty, and ‘why can’t we get a decent cup of coffee’; the Germans acted as if they’d been there, done that, and would have bought the T-shirt if only they had one in gargantuan size; the Brits were badly dressed and the only ones to actually take notes. Each group had its own mini-bus and guide/interpreter, although everyone spoke English, often better than the English themselves.

The islands are stunning and visually the trip was glorious. But get a bad guide and you have a recipe for disaster. On Madeira the Brit’s guide was an opinionated jerk who delivered his talk like a tin-pot megalomaniac dictator, allowing no room for questions. ‘Now you really must remember,’ he told us on a visit to Fuchal’s glorious Botanical Gardens, ‘that you should always write the Latin name of a plant in italics,’ and waited while we did just that. (At the end of the tour he even tried to sell us some of his home-made organic pasta.) Apparently the Germans’ translator was so shy that he barely spoke the whole time, while the Italian’s simply ignored theirs and continued moaning about the coffee.

I might seem trite to say that you can get bored with four-star hotels and three-fork restaurants, but it’s true. Sometimes you could die for a slice of pizza, but the organizers, hotels, restaurants et al have to get every drop it’s possible to drain out of your time and it’s rare you get a moment to contemplate that beautiful sunrise before you are on the road again. By the last night we were all exhausted (except the Italians) and half-way through a sumptuous dinner in some castle somewhere-or-other (by then I’d given up trying to remember where I was) I had to ask one of our escorts to take me back to my hotel room because I was about to fall asleep face forward in my plate of the local specialty, whatever it was.

On the subject of hotels and restaurants, I was once commissioned by an online travel site to write reviews of forty hotels and forty restaurants in a specific area of Spain, as well as a lot of back-up info such as things to see, car hire etc. When a friend said I must have stayed in some wonderful hotels and eaten in some excellent restaurants she was surprised when I told her that I’d only stayed in two hotels (both owned by friends) and eaten in three restaurants (ditto). If I’d actually laid my head on the pillow in each establishment – everything from cozy two-room country houses to a five-star palace (where I did eventually spend a night) – or sampled the menu in every restaurant, my expenses would have been marginally more than twice the fee I was being paid. This is where years of experience comes in. An experienced hotel or restaurant critic can spot a duff place the moment they walk through the door – although I have had the happy occasion where I’ve been forced to eat my words.

One-man trips are as rare as hen’s teeth, and without doubt the best I’ve ever had was a two-week high-speed twirl around Morocco for a travel company; flight, private car and driver, beautiful hotels and riads, everything included. I was to re-write all their itineraries, design and produce an online brochure, a set number of articles, all of which were paid for, and I threw in an ebook of daily anecdotes, Morocco on the Run, for the pleasure of it because I’d had such a good time.

It sounds wonderful, and it was, but the daily routine went something like this.

On travelling days, up at 6.30 – 7.00 to get a good start on the first stop on the itinerary, usually at least two hours away. Spend a couple of hours rushing around the city/historical site/fill in the space. Meet the driver and move on to the next ditto. Keep this up until we reached the next overnight stay, which we timed to be there for around 6-7pm. Shower, upload all the photos onto the computer and begin writing up notes. (A word for would-be travel writers; never, ever, leave your notes until the next day. If you lose your notepad not only will you never remember everything you wrote down, but you will be failing the client when you eventually come to write the article, and that is unforgivable.) Have dinner around eight (drinking very little alcohol from the wonderful wine list because you will feel rough the next day) and back to making sure your notes are safe on your laptop. Only then do you put your head on the pillow.

I’m a prolific note taker – I use spiral-bound notepads for their flick-over speed – so I can spend a couple of hours each evening writing them up. Don’t think you can get away with a tape recorder because you lose all the nuance that note-taking brings (and they take hours to transcribe, so imagine five hours a day recording for two weeks!), or assuming that you can write from photos. They are an aide mèmoire because they can’t portray the sounds and smells of your experience. If you have a two-night stay because the city is large you can have a lie-in till eight, and you may actually get time for a swim in the pool and a relaxed dinner that evening – after you’ve written up your notes. Otherwise, it’s up at 6.30 the next morning and repeat the process.

On this trip I ate something in Chefchaouen, the beautiful ‘Blue City’ in the Rif Mountains, that disagreed with my stomach had me stretched out sweating and feeling sorry for myself for the seven-hour drive in a huge loop through Tangier and down the coast to Rabat, with twenty minutes on my feet in the seaside resort of Asilah, where, purely by chance, I took one of my favourite photos of Morocco, which became the cover for my photobook Eye on Morocco. I left my upper-end camera in a taxi in Fez, never to see it again, and my professional-level audio recorder in a hotel in Chefchaouen, which eventually arrived back in my hands after an over-night delivery to Marrakech that took five weeks.

But as any travel writer will tell you, you don’t do the job for the money, and to be frank luxury wears thin after a while because you rarely experience anything of the place you are staying in other than what the organizer wants to force-feed you. Sometimes you need that meal shoulder-to-shoulder in a worker’s café to show you that there is a lot more to life and writing than a bed the size of an island and champagne cocktails.

But it’s damned nice once in a while!

is available from Amazon.co.uk. Eye on Morocco can be viewed free.

P.S. Get the Telegraph’s take on .

Is there a traveling life for me? Here’s a cute video of life as a travel writer:

How To Become A Travel Writer | Best-Selling Author Shannon Kaiser

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