I swapped my bungalow in grey England for a huge villa in Thailand – chilly days here are when temperatures drop to 25C
LEAVING behind the dull skies of England wasn't an easy choice. For all its faults, the UK was my home – where I grew up, made lifelong friends, where my family lived and I'd built a successful career.
But I was tired of the dreary commute to London on packed trains, leaving and returning from work in the dark.
The cost of living, the ever-mounting utility bills, and don't get me started on the weather! Our British summers, bless them, they try their best, but they're so unpredictable.
One day it's a heatwave, the next you're hunting for your winter coat – in August. I'd simply had enough of Britain's fifty shades of grey.
So in July 2023, my partner Gavin, 55, and I, 53, decided to take early retirement from our jobs as a landscape gardener and a picture editor at a national newspaper, buying one-way tickets for ourselves and our son Lennie, 25, to Bangkok.
It wasn't a snap decision – we'd fallen in love with Thailand over many holidays, and despite thoroughly enjoying my job and earning good money, the demanding hours and lengthy commute had become increasingly stressful.
My mum thought I was having a midlife crisis and my colleagues assumed I'd lost the plot, but as I stepped off that plane and the midday sun hit me square in the face, I knew we'd made the right choice.
The cost of living difference? Back in Hertfordshire, our bungalow cost £1,200 a month to rent, but we spend just £890 on our spacious villa in Chiang Mai (where we've settled), with a view of palm trees instead of someone's washing line.
You can find long-term accommodation here from £350 a month in a modern condo with all the facilities, or bag a three-bed house in a gated community for just £500 monthly.
The savings go way beyond housing. Those winter heating bills? A distant memory, replaced by the gentle hum of our air-con that doesn’t cost the earth to run.
Healthcare – often a worry for expats – is surprisingly accessible. A consultation with the doctor costs from £10, less than a round of drinks back home, and you'll get an appointment the same week, not the same season.
Dental work that would cost hundreds in the UK is both affordable and top-notch. However, it is advisable for ex-pats to get heath insurance as a long stay in hospital can mount up costing thousands.
But it's not just about the money. There's something liberating about living where a "chilly morning" means it's dropped to 25°C.
I open the curtains knowing it'll be warm and sunny, hop on my bike – something I never did at home – and my mornings have transformed from underground sardine to lazy breakfast on the veranda.
Like the UK, groceries are not cheap, especially in the higher end supermarkets and imported goods like Heinz are pricey.
However, I can eat out daily without breaking the bank. Fresh pad thai from a local vendor costs £1, my favourite Khao Soo (a northern Thai dish) is £1.65, or I can splash out on a seafood feast for less than a London pizza.
Even at a posh restaurant, a three-course meal with drinks for three barely hits £100. My old Starbucks habit seems criminal now – here, I grab a coffee for 70p.
Better still, off-peak flights across Thailand cost from £100 – less than a peak-time train to Manchester.
One weekend I might be lounging on Koh Samui's beaches, snorkelling in Koh Tao's crystal waters, or enjoying a pint in Koh Phangan's Irish bars, with beachfront rooms from £20 a night.
Thailand has around 3 to 4 million expats, and recent visa reforms have made it much easier to stay longer-term.
Gavin and I currently hold retirement visas, which require applicants to be over 50 and demonstrate either a monthly income exceeding £1,500 or savings of more than £18,895, while our son Lennie holds a one-year language visa, which costs approximately £1,000.
As Gavin and I plan to resume working, we're considering transitioning to business visas in the future, but there are other options including digital nomad visas and the elite visa program, which permits stays of up to 20 years - though these come at a premium.
The visa application process is straightforward, with agency assistance available for those seeking support.
Of course, there are things I miss. A proper fish and chip supper, a decent kebab or the simple pleasure of a Greggs sausage roll. But most of all, I miss my family and friends – living so far from them never gets easier.
The most challenging aspect has been leaving our ageing parents, knowing their ability to visit would be limited. This remains our greatest emotional hurdle and never gets any easier.
We maintain regular contact through FaceTime and of course will return to the UK, but despite the advantages of life in Thailand, we do experience periods of homesickness - it's a significant trade-off we've had to accept.
Thailand isn't perfect – nowhere is – but as I sit here on my balcony, watching the sunset paint the sky in colours that would make Monet proud, I can't help but feel I've made the right choice.
The cost of living crisis back home seems a world away, and I'm happier than I've been in years.
So, to my fellow Brits still battling the eternal winter and eye-watering bills: there is another way. Sometimes the bravest thing you can do is admit that grey just isn't your colour anymore.
