Best decision I ever made: retire at 57, accept that my pension would be half as much, move to Thailand, where half a pension is more than enough for a comfortable life. Always nice to meet other friendly old man, living, or on holiday here.
It works for some people, but not for the majority. It is all about what you are leaving behind. Unfortunately many people have not realised this until it was too late.
It's difficult to become a resident. We are here on a non-immigrant visa that can be extended yearly. Need to be 50+ or married to a Thai, and to have a yearly income or bank account of at least a certain amount.
You're right. We did not decide in one day. And I'm happy it does not work for most. Would become too crowded here ;-)
When one of our friends retired, he set up home in Thailand with a woman who he had met out there. We all thought that he would soon be back to the UK with his tail between his legs, but he has now been happy for more than 10 years. The mistake that we made, was thinking that the woman was only interested in his money.
It is not strange to think so. Many mariages between Thai and westerners fail because of money or cultural differences. But not all, as your friend shows