In South-East Asia, Thailand is the number one tourist destination. This low cost country has something for everyone such as delicious food, warm sea with beautiful beaches, a safe and friendly environment. So it is of little surprise that people that were once tourists want to live in Thailand for longer than just a couple of weeks.

Thailand is slightly larger than California, USA.

It has a tropical climate with a warm, cloudy, and rainy southwest monsoon from mid-May to September. From November to mid-March, there is a cool northeast monsoon . The southern part of the country is always hot and humid. Generally, The weather is cool from November to the end of February, hot from March to June and rainy from July to October.

Most Thais are Buddhists. Apart from Thais, Chinese people are the most common but are well integrated into Thai society. In the capital city of Bangkok, English is often spoken to demonstrate a high educational status, even amongst Thais. However, the poorer people are likely to not speak much English due to poor English teaching standards unless you go to popular tourist areas.

This presents an opportunity for foreigners thinking of living in Thailand to earn money teaching English.

Soccer is taking over from Thai boxing as the most popular spectator sport to watch on TV. Also, fans can often be seen wearing replica English Premier League sports kit. Kite flying is widely enjoyed by many people in Thailand.

Getting to Thailand by plane is easy since Bangkok has a large International Airport where most airlines that fly to Asia connect so keeping prices low.

Getting around is no problem with a variety of transport available such as small Tuk-tuks which have covered seats with a motorcyle-like front. Be careful that Taxi drivers use their meter or you may be overcharged. Also, make sure you have small change to avoid the “no change” trick.

The currency is the baht. ATMs are to be found in major cities and large towns. Credit cards are readily accepted in the tourist industry, restaurants and in shopping malls.

Thailand is cheap so you get very good value for your money. In markets, always haggle the price down since the seller will always try and get what he thinks you can afford. Beware, Americans as being rich so try not to let on where you are from. Night markets are a Thai speciality and to be found all over.