I am pretty open about sharing my position on living here in Thailand. I like it and always have, but would I be open for a move back to the UK? Absolutely. However, there are a few things that grate with me about this as an option.

I have a young family and so my carefree spirit is somewhat curtailed by my responsibility as a parent, now I am fighting this as hard as I can by looking to make as much money as possible. If I have wild riches then I am not at the mercy of this world and its rules and can play on my terms.

Over the last 12 months in addition to making my media operation more focused and efficient to improve profitability, I have also been investing a shed load of money into a new online project. It has been a painful punt financially but there is now light at the end of the tunnel. I have high hopes for this project as not only a Thailand operation but International too. By February next year, I will be able to share the full details with anyone interested.

I know life does not have to be lived via the beaten path that my peers back in the UK live too and if I do return back to the UK my plan, at least, would that it is on my terms. I am not trying to be grandeur in the slightest, I just want to be consciously in control of how I go about living my life.

What I dislike about the idea of living in the UK

I was sitting in the sauna the other evening, as you do such is the lifestyle here in Thailand, talking with a group from the UK about health care. They complained that not only is there a waiting list to see a dentist but finding dentistry to even register one’s self is now a problem.  My wife, who is Russian, listened in and was shocked. The UK lauds itself as a developed nation and above nationalities like Russia. I have been to Russia and actually had a toothache, at the time we were in deepest darkest Siberia. No problem she said and she booked me an appointment for the next day.  I was worried about what to expect, to be honest. However, it was state of the art and they fixed my tooth for next to nothing in cost. 

Shame on the UK.

Hospitals are no better and all my friends back in the UK share this view. Now even if you have private health care you have to go to an NHS doctor to get the appointment.  Who wants to wait hours on end at an accident and emergency waiting room before a doctor even sees you? It is terrible.

In Thailand, I have full health insurance coverage for my family, whenever there is a problem we are seen immediately and the treatment is excellent.

My youngest was seriously ill when only very young and put into ICU for 2 weeks. The level of care, speed and treatments were second to none.

So I pay around 160k baht for very premium health insurance, about £4,200 a year. With this, I get absolute peace of mind that my family will get not only the best treatment but immediate treatment too. The difference in many cases between life and death.  Even taking private health insurance in the UK now looks like a level of red tape has been added, it is not right and is a huge concern for me if I were to take my family back to the UK.

Schooling is something else that I have a bugbear with. Schools continue to fine parents for taking their kids out of school during term time. It is insane – whose kids are they at the end of the day? If I pay my taxes so schooling can be offered it should be my basic right how my kids use this service.

This is why you need money. Money allows you to not play by the rules and constraints.

I remain grounded, I am just focussed

I am not headless in my pursuit of chasing wealth, it would be foolish for one. I have chosen Thailand to live and so right now at this moment, I am living a cherished and blessed life. I just have an ambition so that life can be made easier for my family and I. Chasing a goal is also fun and stimulating.

I do have concerns about returning back to the UK, but by the same token, I also have a desire to one day return. Thirteen or so years of living here in Thailand and there is this voice in my head increasingly telling me ‘enough is enough’.

Life is short and I am determined to live one full of variety and contentment.

 

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