When do you start to feel sad about leaving Thailand?

[Jellybean]

One week ago I started to give some thought to my departure from Thailand in 2 weeks time and started to feel quite sad about the prospect of leaving. I have a long list of mundane, routine things that need to be done before I leave. And IтАЩve already notified my neighbours, who look after my mail and check that everything is ok with my UK apartment, of my return date. They also, very kindly, buy some basic food stuff and a sunday newspaper for me.

And, unusually for me, I have not bought a return ticket and am not sure when IтАЩll be back. Normally I return to Thailand before the end of August because thatтАЩs when my visa expires, but I expect to receive some further surgery in the UK and cannot say with any degree of certainty when any medical treatment will take place. So I didnтАЩt buy a return ticket.

Moreover, this has proved convenient for me because IтАЩve wanted to delay my return date to sometime later in the year anyway, say to October/ November. I mentioned this to the immigration officer last August and she told me that I can simply enter Thailand on a normal 30 day tourist visa and pay a 2,000 Baht fine for the late renewal of my visa. That seemed reasonable to me, I just hope she was right!

Then it occurred to me that perhaps the average length of holiday/vacation by forum members is probably in the 2-3 week range and I doubt therefore that any of you start to worry about leaving 3 weeks before you are due to depart.

I would therefore like to ask the following questions:

1. How long do you normally spend in Thailand each year?

2. How often do you visit Thailand?

3. And at what point in your holiday/vacation do you start to feel sad about having to return home?

[lukylok]

I tend to come three times a year, initially for 30 days, but my next trip is for 7 weeks. And in autumn I usually mix my visit with another country, Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos ....
and stay 2/3 weeks before in LOS and 3/4 weeks after.
I usually think that I have plenty of time left until 7 days before departure !

[markie1]

Well i useually make three trips per year with my thai partner,we useually spend between 14 and 21 days per trip, we tend to visit different areas,and always try and visit his family in Surin, useually have a week to 10 days in Pataya ,a couple days in Bangkok,might go to chaing mai or Phucket for a few days .Its always said to leave ,wish i was fortunate enough to beable to stay ,But having to still work,and still under 50 years old ,we have to return,I am lucky my partner lives in the Uk with me ,we had a civil partnership a couple years ago,so at least we can live together, he will get his british citizenship later this year which will make life much easier has far has travelling goes to other countries, but we both enjoy thailand ,and hope to be able to move there one day .We will proberly buy a property there in the next 18 months ,not quite sure where yet,but its something we both want to do .
We will be back in june for 3 weeks ,so can not wait .

i've been 3 times in the last year...usually stay for 4 weeks..but last time 6 weeks..going back in may for 4 weeks

i get sad a few days before i leave cause my bf is there and i'm appart from him for about 4 or 5 months

so we chat every day online so it dont feel so bad

I used to come for about 3 weeks at a time every other month) for the first few years and then increased it to 5. Then it was 6 weeks. At first I would think I would be so bored. When I would get home all I would do to keep me busy was to plan the next trip.

Then I got here 2 years ago and have not been home since!

[Rob33]

I go to Thailand at least three times a year but only spend a few days to a week or two at a time there, it used to be longer but the rest of Asia has opened up with such gusto primarily China and India that there simply isn't much time anymore for anything longer.

I get sad when the car picks me up for the airport, everything is always such a blur of interest and activity I dont have time to get sad earlier. Its that sudden lull of no return sitting in the car speeding dangerously towards a departure wishing you could light up a hastily "borrowed" cigarette before ripping out the stereo system and throwing it out the window.

Light headache and instant nostalgia.

[ceejay]

I visit once (occasionally twice) a year, for 3 weeks if I can. I usually start to feel sad the night before I go getting packed ready for the morning and I often don't have the heart even for a quick last trip round the bars. I pick myself up when I get home by starting to plan the next trip.
I hope the medical treatment goes well, Jellybean, and that you can get back soon.

[joe552]

It's the night before I leave that does it for me. I usually have an evening flight back home, so I spend the morning on Beach Road having breakfast, before the final packing. Since I can only manage one trip a year these days, I'm like ceejay and start planning my next trip as soon as I get home.

[Marsilius]

Sorry to be the odd one out so far, but after a four week stay I am usually quite happy to return to Europe. Don't get me wrong - I really enjoy my trips to Thailand (about 60-70 since 1993). But I long ago got over the "wouldn't it be great to live there full time" syndrome and now regard the country as one of my favourite holiday destinations, though one that I am quite happy to leave after a month's rest and recreation.

[francois]

I am same as Marsilius, can't wait to leave after two months. I feel sad the day after I return home.

[joe552]

Marsilius, I don't think you're the odd one out. Like yourself, I no longer think about how great it would be to live in Pattaya (or Thailand) full time (well, not every day). And maybe that's what the OP was asking, since he seems to spend a longer time in Thailand than us 2 or 3 weeks tourists. But I am generally sad to leave and always feel I could stay for longer, if finances and circumstances would allow.

[mysteryman]

Howdy!

I usually only visit once a year, and then for 30 days, with one exception in 2010, when I visited twice. Ok...to the question: My worst days of my life usually are when entering the car to the airport, but the feeling is coming slowly already 3-4 days earlier. However, it has gotten a bit easier during the years, but the tears are still not far away... Hoping this will change now during this summer, as me and my bf from the LOS are going to registrate our relationship here in my country. He will be arriving in a fortnight, he might then have the chance to stay here longer than the usual 90 days...

I like Pattaya ..phuket...pi pi islands....chaig mai..koh samui..but the place i like most and miss is Isaan and could live there no problem....the people are the nicest i've got to know in Thailand and the farmland and lakes are beautifull

[anonone]

My visits to Thailand are short, usually 5 days in Thailand (not counting travel time). A couple of times I managed to get 8 days, but it is hard to be away from work for longer periods.

I visit 5-6 times a year...and yes from the USA, that means I am on planes A LOT !

I go full blast during my visits. I typically have early morning flights out of BKK to head home, so the last night we are up all night, hitting the bars with breaks in between for time in our room.
The sadness hits hard when we are back in the room for the last time, with BF helping me throw clothes into the suitcase and waiting for my taxi. It just kills me every time. :crybaby:
I try to plan the next trip right away so I know when I will be back. That does seem to help.

I would really like to try staying in Thailand for much longer periods of time, but it is not easy to figure out how to make that happen (far away from retirement age :glasses7: )
The many businesses for sale are tempting, but not sure it would be the smartest move to make now. Can someone convince me otherwise??

[Dick]

Interesting but morbid post jellybean.
It made me wonder whether you regard yourself as a resident of Thailand or a resident of UK.

As currently a UK resident I tend to visit LOS two or three times a year for periods of between one and four weeks, depending on opportunity. When the time comes to leave I don't like it, but I don't dwell on it. No point brooding about it in advance. But I always ensure I have full travel insurance to cover my stay. You can get policies to cover for 30, 45, and 60 days whilst out of the UK without too much trouble, but I've not seen any insurer offering cover for longer than 60 days. I got the impression from your post that you tend to stay for longer periods. If so what do you do for insurance?

You begin feeling sad 3 weeks before your departure? Perhaps understandable if you've spent 6+ months in LOS, but quite morbid if you arrived only a week before. Why put a downer on your time that should be enjoyed?

[newalaan]

1. How long do you normally spend in Thailand each year?
10-12 weeks. (3 or 4 trips per year of around 3 weeks duration each trip)

2. How often do you visit Thailand?
3 or 4 times per year.

3. And at what point in your holiday/vacation do you start to feel sad about having to return home?
After 3 weeks+ i'm quite ready to get back home after re-charging the batteries. There is so much to do and look forward to at home I don't really get that sad nowadays when leaving. Also I know I'll be back to Thailand within 3 months or so. I always book my next trip during the first week I get back to UK, so I have my next guaranteed trip to plan and look forward to. If you are prone to feeling sad and miserable at leaving Thailand, the next best thing you can do is book another visit as quickly as possible when you get home

Can't really envisage myself staying in Thailand permanently at any stage of my life, what I may do as I near retirement is stay longer on each visit. The breaks between visits keep my appetite for all things Thai keen. I enjoy every second I spend on my Thailand trips, but don't stay long enough in Thailand or long enough in one place in Thailand to get in a rut or for any kind of boredom to set in. Our one week partying in Pattaya is the longest I stay in one place in Thailand. I enjoy having two completely different aspects of life, Western and Thai. But I still really look forward to my visits to Thailand just as much as I did a dozen years ago when i first visited.

[gerefan2]

Question 1...3 months stay
Question 2...Once a year
Question 3...I dont feel sad to be leaving, 3 months is quite enough!


but I've not seen any insurer offering cover for longer than 60 days
Try American Express, valid 1 year, with any one trip of 90 days... you dont have to be American we have it in England!

[travelerjim]

IF you are currently on a so called retirement Visa...
Why not go to Immigration NOW - before you leave and renew your visa for another year?

Just let them know you will be back..but have surgery set in the UK and not sure what date back in TH.
They will understand and issue you another 365 days extension..the retirement visa.

Be sure to get a re-entry permit..single or multiple...if you do this...that way your visa is good when you re-enter.

If you are on a retirement visa and it expires...YES, you can enter Thailand
on a tourist 30 day visa...then you will need to start the whole paperwork process over again...
convert the tourist visa to a Non-Immigrant "O" vias and then converted to the retirement "extension of visa 365 days".

It costs more than 2,000 THB...it is not a late fee issue.

Good luck...

tj

[Wesley]

On the way to the airport especially if the guy rides with you to get one last tip for crying all the way there.

[Wesley]

tj, he Philippines lets you stay and makes you Pay every two months that way they get the money not the other country you go to. But its not a lot like 20 bucks.

[Jellybean]

Thank you for your kind words ceejay.

Thank you also for your post Dick. IтАЩve re-read my OP and yes, I have to agree it does come across as a little bit gloomy, but it did truly represent how I was feeling at the three week stage. I thought to myself, this is crazy, IтАЩm feeling sad about leaving at a time when many people are arriving for their three week holiday/vacation. And, as can be seen from the posts made already most people start to feel sad about leaving a few days before their departure.

But, as I alluded to in my OP, it is at the three week stage that I start to prepare for my departure. I have to ensure that my letting agent, who looks after my other property, has sufficient funds to deal with any eventualities that may arise whilst I am away. And I am currently in discussion with them about problems with the property which have just emerged.

IтАЩve also had to ensure that I have done everything necessary to prepare for the class action my neighbours and I are taking against the developer of my other property at a court case to be heard in July.

And, IтАЩve already begun discussions with my condo management here in Bangkok over the possibility of renting out my apartment whilst I am away. It means I have to decide in advance what stuff I am taking back to the UK and what needs to go into storage.

A very important task is to ensure that I leave sufficient funds with the condo management to cover monthly maintenance charges, House & Land Tax, which is due in May, and several other headings. I cannot leave all this to just a few days before my departure.

Another important factor to consider is my forthcoming surgery. A week before I left the UK in January I had my first meeting with my new cancer surgeon. He had some new suggestions for taking my case forward, but wanted to discuss the options available with other colleagues; he also said it might be necessary for me to see a specialist in Birmingham. One nightmarish option that is on the table is the frightening suggestion that they remove one of my eyes! A letter outlining how they suggest we proceed should therefore be waiting for me on my arrival. So this issue alone would make anyone feel morbid!

I am also leaving behind the very complicated issue of my personal relationships with three of my ex-boyfriends whom I have been seeing again during my current trip. I shall explain more about this in another thread.

In reply to your question about residency. I would say that I consider myself to be resident in the UK and Thailand, although I am legally tax resident in the UK and a Tax Return will, no doubt, be waiting for me to complete my rental income in Thailand for the year 2011/2012. Yet another reason to feel gloomy about my return тАУ ha, ha, ha!

On average I spend three to four months at a time in Thailand, mainly the winter months. Over the years it has varied from 3, 6 and 9 months at a time. The length of my stay is normally governed by the need for medical treatment in the UK. Unfortunately for me IтАЩve had 11 operations over the last 10 years.

Lastly, as regards insurance, yes you can indeed get more than 60 days insurance cover and I have been doing so for more than 6 years now. My current trip will last 13-14 weeks and the insurance cover cost me ┬г164.46. Apologies for the length of my reply, but I hope it covered all your points.

[Dick]

Good post Jellybean and thanks for responding to my question.
Sorry to learn you've been having a rough time of it. I'll not offer advice as you seem to have your head screwed on the right way, but it does sound as if you need cheering up. Make the most of your remaining weeks in LOS and I sincerely wish you the best on your return to UK.

[martin911]

I also like NewA mentioned have als liked the two aspects --ie the Thai V Western sides to my life --although that has changed ( primarily for work reasons) to Thai for the last 2 odd years

I als loved the fact that i could be in ptta gogo bar / then back to my hotel room with 2 thai guys (i als had 2 the last nite in thai -and it had prob only be 1 guy up to that ) at say up to 11.30 pm thai time --then race to airport to get practically the last European departing flight (AMS ) which if i was lucky would get me to connect to the next flight@ O940AMS time and a 2 hour car trip meant i could (sometimes) -the connecting flight was fucked if late dep ) be sitting at my desk at work smiling at my staff at 12 GMT the next day -- (i als loved timing it --i think my best time ever door to door (hotel door to office door ) as something like 19 hours --but everything went in my favor that nite (inc the two boys )

So in ans to the OPs topic i guess i didnt really have time to feel sad before i left !!--- So JB make the abs best out of the time you do have here --its als only a plane ride back anytime that you want God willing ( that goes for ALL of us )

[Rob33]

what do you do for insurance?



Oh suddenly I feel that I have been doing the wrong thing, I never take out Insurance for a Holiday, what does it cover??? I have a Bupa medical insurance that is supposed to cover me worldwide but what else?

I've never had to put my medical insurance to the test but I bet it covers me for a max one week stay in a hospital excluding food and any surgery.

[christianpfc]

I go to Thailand for holiday twice per year for about 3 weeks each. I would like to go more often for shorter durations, but then air fares would increase the cost of the holiday considerably. Packing and preparing the holiday takes less time than it used to, I can be ready for leaving in less than 1 hour.

The only thing I have to plan about one week in advance is finishing all perishable food before I leave, and leaving enough non-perishable food for my return.

I am not so sad when I leave Thailand as it is nice to get back to work and have a regular daily routine. About one week after I'm back in Europe, I start planing my next trip.

[BonTong]

Having lived here for several years, and running a business here, the euphoria about getting away from the madhouse starts the minute I've booked the plane ticket! :8( No sadness for me!

Though I like living here you can have too much of a good thing!

[Sooty]

Round about the third day I have a "Why did I bother coming?" moment. It lasts a few hours. Then I get on with enjoying Thailand, although with my expectations now adjusted to reality.

[Maxxy]

1. How long do you normally spend in Thailand each year? Usually go for just one 4 week trip but last year I had two trips of 14 days and 24 days

2. How often do you visit Thailand? Once a year except for last year

3. And at what point in your holiday/vacation do you start to feel sad about having to return home? When there are only a few days left but then I think to myself that those few days will be a real blast and that tends to perk me up