How to Spend Six Months in Thailand
Source: flydime at flickr
Some of you may have noticed how Euro-centric my blog is when it comes to where to go on sabbatical. That stems from my recent trip to Spain and on my plans to go back there for a longer visit next time, and also a previous trip to France and Paris which made us fall in love with the City of Lights.
But there are other places in this world that fulfill the basic requirements of a nice place to spend 6 months:
- warm or hot climate year round
- close to the beach
- plenty of interesting things to see for day trips
- can live inexpensively if you choose to
- provides amenities such as Internet, electricity, English television
- home of other expats and tourists (which in my mind guarantees a certain catering to foreigners)
Now not everyone would have the same list. Chris Guillebeau would be aghast I am sure at that last line. But for now I actually find comfort in the presense of other tourists and are not annoyed by them. YMMV.
Visas
According to ThaiVisa.com, Thailand grants 30 days visas for tourists. This might seem to be the first stumbling block to 6 months there, but it doesn’t seem to be the case. Visas simply need to be regranted by leaving the country and coming back in, even just for a few hours. Thus the “Visa Run” was created. Basically, step foot outside Thailand, and step back in. It’s a strange law. And of course you have to pay the fee.
You might as well just plan an overnight trip somewhere interesting. Go to Vietnam for the day, or Cambodia, or Hong Kong or Singapore if you want to be fancy. This is an established process, so don’t be surprised if the system of doing a visa run is extremely efficient.
Housing
Thailand has certainly had problems in the past with its currency, the Baht. The Baht is current running around 32 Baht to the Canadian dollar or 33 Baht to the US dollar. You can get hotels that look pretty modern and comfortable for 700 Baht a night, or $21 USD. I am sure that is what is considered an expensive hotel too. You can do something fairly comfortable for half that.
Of course staying in a hotel is not the ideal situation for such a long trip. You ideally should find a house or apartment to rent for maximum savings. But since the nice hotel is only $600 a month, it’s not the worst option around.
I once had a friend who told me about a friend of his who rented a hut right on the beach in Thailand for $20 a month. I’m not sure if this is a true story (friend of a friend is never reliable information), and I’m not sure the quality of the hut, but I’ve seen rather nice places in the Philippines that go for $2.50 a night, so $20 a month for a hut is not totally unreasonable. Of course, you can make a friend and stay with them for almost free as a third option.
Total Cost of a Trip
So what would 6 months in Thailand cost, not including airfare?
Let’s assume $600 a month for housing at the high end. I’ve heard that you can eat a decent meal from a street vendor for the equivalent of $1.50. So let’s budget $15 a day for food, or $450 a month. Once a month you have to do a visa run, and I’ve heard those can be as cheap as $100. You will need some spending money for getting around – taxis, shopping in the market, Internet access. Let’s budget $300 a month for that.
That gives us a grand total of $1450 per month. That’s extremely cheap and I am sure you are living quite a comfortable life for that money. The average salary is only $250 a month there, so you are not exactly slumming it with the locals for $1450.
I’m looking for more links and resources for travel to Thailand. Any expats want to leave a note in the comments? I am sure I will come back and talk about this again some more as an alternate place to stay for a reasonable price.
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