

Ask HN: moving to Thailand for 2-6 months, any advices? Anyone join me? - snitko

So I decided I should do this some time, just to change the scenes and boost productivity, so this December I'm probably moving to Thailand for 2-6 months where I'm going to code the hell out of my current projects. However I'm not really sure where do I ask a couple of things I'm concerned about. I was hoping some HN people lived/are living there and could give me a valuable advice.<p>I'm mostly concerned about renting an apartment:
1. Is it a good idea to look up an apartment on the internet (if so, what's the best website?)
2. What are the usual agencies fees and other conditions there? How much do you actually pay if you get an apartment for $x? Is it $2x? $3x?
3. What can go wrong in the process of renting an apartment?
4. I heard that most apartments are rented for 6 months or more. Does that mean I lose some money if I move out earlier?<p>Also, if anyone was thinking about doing the same, you are welcome to join me. Not suggesting living together, but meeting up and making friends could be exciting. And I would also be glad to meet people who already live there.<p>Thanks, HN.
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jobeyonekenobi
Hey there. Like many others, I lived in Thailand for a number of months,
boxing. I don't have too much advice regards the housing.

I do however have some advice regarding your time there. Be very aware that no
matter where you go, you will be perceived as well off. You will (seriously)
be batting women away left right and centre. Very pretty women who see you as
their ticket out of there.

If you do gain a girlfriend, don't be surprised that your money will go
nowhere as far as you had hoped. Scooters, money for family, eating out more -
all will make their way into your life very quickly.

It's easy to say it will never happen to you - you don't have to go looking
for a partner out there. They will find you and persue you. For Western men,
this can be a huge change from the generally more entitled women of the West.
Please excuse my asumptions that you are interested in females - I don't know
if the same is true for Thai men.

~~~
dinedal
Having only _visited_ there, I can concur.

If you do decide to date a Thai woman, be very careful, the culture of dating
there is extremely different then the West. I would highly recommend research
into how the culture works before you get into something you might end up
regretting, it's certainly not for everyone. You will find it very difficult
to find the difference between sincerity and gold digging. Also, be very
careful of working girls.

Oh, and stay in the north for cheaper living, Chang Mai is awesome! Don't pay
more then 70Baht for a Big Chang!

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lem72
I haven't lived in thailand, but lived in China for a year, and I find that
anything found on the internet that is in english has the rents raised
substantially.

You may want to start by staying at a hostel and becoming friendly with the
hostel staff. They usually have friends who know friends who will be able to
help you out for sure.

You may also want to bring a bit of money to hire someone from the country (in
china you can pay around $500-$600/month for a full time university graduate
who majored english) to be your personal assistant while getting things set up
for you. In fact I would highly recommend this.

In China, we had to sign a year lease, but actually got out of it early and it
wasn't a hassle at all but that may just be that our landlords were great.

Another idea you may want to try is to use something like couchsurfing.com
just to meet local expats there. When I lived in the Caribbean I used to let
people couch surf and would introduce them to the locals that would show them
what they wanted to see/do. You don't even need to stay at their house, you
can just ask them questions through the website.

Good luck on your adventure, I haven't gotten to Thailand yet, but as soon as
I can make it out there, I will. Iceland is next on my list.

~~~
snitko
Thanks for this valuable input. I will probably use some of the advices. And
couchesurfing.com is exactly what I've been looking for.

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sganesh
I have traveled extensively in Thailand. The one city I love & keep going back
is Chiang Mai. It has great coffee shops with free WiFi, an excellent ex pat
community, plenty of colleges and friendly folks . I would book your stay at
Spicy Thai Backpackers Hostel. The owner Pong is pretty cool, plus it's in a
quiet neighborhood. He can also help you find long time rentals. Hope this
helps.

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gexla
Doing much the same but in the Philippines. Don't rent an apartment, you could
likely get a hotel room which is not much more expensive than an apartment
(some people here live in hotels long term) while you look around. Forget
about agents, just ask around, probably other expats. You should be able to
find apartments which are month to month.

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tomotomo
Here's my advice for Vietnam, probably also applies to Thailand. You don't
need to bother finding a place before you arrive.

1\. Go to the tourist/backpacker area, find accommodations. 2\. Find a
reasonable hotel you can stay in for a few weeks. 3\. Find a cheaper place you
can stay at for a few months.

And.. 0\. Look on expat/travel forums instead.

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petervandijck
1\. No, get it when you're there. Reserve the first two weeks to get settled
and organized.

~~~
snitko
Yeah, thanks. I was thinking exactly that. Any tips on the agencies to go to
then?

~~~
petervandijck
I would stay in a popular hostel and ask around in that hostel. There will
often be notices hanging there as well.

Sharing an apt can be a lot of fun too, and easier to arrange.

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mbenjaminsmith
I've been in Thailand on and off for around a decade. I founded / used to run
a PR agency in Bkk and now write software. I'd be happy to give you some
pointers. Email me at mbenjaminsmith at gmail. - Matthew

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alnayyir
I planned on Malaysia this winter ($ allowing) rather than Thailand for
various reasons, otherwise I'd join you.

Reasons include:

1\. Money

2\. Stability

3\. I know more people in Malaysia

