6 Months a Year in Thailand

[goji]

I do tend to spend half the year back in the United Kingdom, where I don’t usually post or spend much time reading the forum. I returned to Thailand 12 days ago and shall be here in the Land of Smiles for the next 6 months.

Spending the winter in Thailand makes a lot of sense in my view.

Anyhow, for people who do live half & half, or otherwise take very long breaks, how do you make the boring practical side work ?

Back home, if you have a house, how do you handle the gardening & maintenance when not there ?

Or do you go for apartments ?
As I see it, not having a garden would be a downside in the summer.
Then most of these apartments have pretty small mailboxes, so I guess you might be paying the Post Office to redirect the mail.

Maybe it's just as simple as sharing your house with someone who can look after it in your absence.

[Jellybean]

Well, all I can say goji, is that 5 or 6 months in Thailand suits me perfectly. I love being back in the UK in the spring, summer and autumn. But with the clocks changing, the nights drawing in and winter coming, that’s the time I usually fly east for the winter. This year I returned home just before Song-kran and next year I’ll be flying home just after Song-kran.

When I first started spending half the year in Thailand I owned a house with a garden in the UK. Of course there is not much, if any, growth in the garden during the winter so the garden could, pretty much be left alone until I returned in the following April. At that time I had two lodgers living in the house so they pretty much ran the house in my absence, letting me know about gas and electricity bills so that I could apportion our shares.

But several years ago I down-sized and now have an apartment in the UK. A very helpful neighbour has access to my property and collects my post, which wouldn’t fit into the small allocated mail box. And importantly, once a month at my request, he switches on my TV and Sky satellite service. This ensures that the recordings of my favourite TV programmes go ahead as planned. In July I upgraded to Sky ‘Q’ which allows me to record 4 shows simultaneously.

My UK apartment maintenance bills are sent to me by email and I pay them using on-line banking. Nearly all other bills are paid by direct debit.

Before leaving Thailand in April, I pay 6 months maintenance payments and House & Land Tax in advance. I also leave a lump sum to cover any bills not paid before I leave.

And when I first started coming out to Thailand, I owned a house in Hua Hin. It was sold 3 or more years ago and now all I have is a condo in Bangkok. My house was rented out for the most part when I was in the UK. As part of its maintenance, the pool and garden were looked after by my agents. So I had very little to worry out. All I had to ensure was that the agent had sufficient funds to cover all the incidental expenditure.

Another reason why I spend half the year in the UK and half the year in Thailand is for medical reasons. During my last 6 months back home, I had two operations, my 16th and 17th, one in July and the other in late September. I had hoped that would have been the final surgery I required, but no, I expect one further and final operation. An appointment to see my maxillo-facial surgeon has been made for 20th April 2017.

Hope I covered all the points you raised goji. Feel free to PM if necessary.

[Couple]

I have a villa with garden and pool in two holiday destiantions and booth are taken care of boy a gardener/poolguy and the house cleaned by a cleaning lady. In Asia they visit it 3x a week, in Europe my garden goes 2x a week and cleaning happens when they see its needed or before my arrival.
Postal service doesn't work well in any of these, so no worries about that. My bills are mostly paid by automatic debit, some bills I get by mail and get paid online.
You need trustworthy friends or staff to get things going smoothly, that's what I have and I'm blessed with them.
My homeland apartment is also looked after by my cleaning lady and a friend and his family. They open my postal mail, scans it and I pay or answer online. I'm blessed with them also as they go check it all several times a week.
For taxes and stuff it different for each property. In Asia it's my boyfriend taking care of all this stuff. In my European holiday home all happens autodebit, I'm lucky my town hall has all systems active for this as at least half the properties are owned by foreigners. I'm home most of the moment when taxes there needs paid, others are opened and mailed by my friend.

So there are always solutions to be found and even emergencies are often smooth dealted with with the help of people locally present.
The biggest issue I encounter is getting new bank cards as these need to be picked up in person and sometimes some official government and town hall stuffe for which you need to be present in person, but that's only every so many years.

[goji]

Thank you Jellybean.
Your way of operating is similar to how I might play things. Rely on lodgers (already present) to occupy a house, then maybe downsize to an apartment.
Of course the garden can just about look after itself from November to March, but the moment I want to try a long summer break, something else is required.

As for the apartments, it's a pity they don't come with huge mailboxes (like 1 metre deep). I did use the Royal Mail paid for redirection service when living overseas a few years back. That worked well, although only if living at a fixed overseas address.

[Oliver]

Is your home insurance valid over such an extended period? Mine isn't.

[Old git]

I spend the winter in Thailand, leaving the UK on new year's day, and returning in the last week of March. I also make a short trip over in late summer, if other commitments permit.

I generally chill and indulge for the first week, and then settle into a routine:

1) Wake at first light. Try to remember the name of the person sleeping next to me and where I found it. Ponder things to do that day and doze. Check gender of bedmate and have sex. Pay off bedmate.

2) Go for breakfast. To get a little exercise I use breakfast venues that are at least half a mile from my digs, and pick up a copy of the Bangkok Post along the way. Do Sudoku and crossword.

3) Return to digs and get out laptop. My main business being very seasonal, I spend much of the winter revising my business software, placing purchase orders and dealing with regulatory matters.

4) I go to the laundry every three days, have a manicure every ten days, pedicure every twenty days, and massage around twice a week.

5) At weekends I join the hash house harriers for a stroll through the jungle, but on other days stay dry until I eat at around 8pm. Then I hit the bars.

Back home, my business partner calls at my home each day to collect the mail. He also turns various lights on or off and collects the milk, which I don't cancel, to make the place look lived in.

I turn the water off and set the heating to come on for half an hour each morning - I'm looking at getting a smart controller that will allow me to fire up the heating from my phone or PC.

My home insurers don't have a problem with my long break, provided the water is off.

Simple, really..

[Sugargrandpa]

Thank you for starting this thread. Very useful for those thinking of doing something similar. It would be great if we could hear more about daytime activities during the 3 or 6 months in Thailand.

[arsenal]

Hi Sugargrandpa. I hope your name does not reflect your personality otherwise those Thai boys will relieve you of your hard earned quicker than you can say pass me the Werthers Originals. Now, as for what to well rather than give out a long list it's easier to say that Pattaya has as much to do as any other mid sized city plus the obvious extra services available. From ex-pat organisations to world class golf courses and water parks Pattaya has them all.

[scottish-guy]

Of course, retired Brit holidaymakers sunning themselves in Thailand over the winter get a generous £300 tax-free bunged to them courtesy of the UK Taxpayer to help then with their fuel bills during the UK sub zero winter months, plus an extra bung each time the temperature wherever in the UK they're supposed to residing falls under a certain level - despite the fact they are actually lying on the beach or enjoying the delights of a gogo boy..

But I guess Air Con could be classed as fuel :yahoo_mini:

[fountainhall]

It would be great if we could hear more about daytime activities during the 3 or 6 months in Thailand.
I am not sure if you are a regular visitor to Thailand or have just visited infrequently. Please remember that living here does not mean you are isolated in either Pattaya or Bangkok. Getting to know more of the country is one of its fascinations, and you will have plenty of time to fit that in.

For a start you might want to look at Christianpfc's blogsite. Christian is a young German who lived here for several years and still visits. He has travelled extensively and his blog is a mine of information of all types. http://christianpfc.blogspot.com

Then think about exploring the country. If you have not been, Chiang Mai is fascinating as a base for a short visit to the North.

41244125

I'm no longer a fan of Phuket, but others like it a lot. It's more expensive and there is not a huge amount to do if you are not a beach fan. But it is also a good base for exploring popular islands like Phi Phi or the Phang Na region with its famous James Bond Island.

4126

Remember, too, that Thailand has dozens of local Festivals that are both fascinating and fun. The obvious ones known to most visitors are Songkran and Loy Krathong, but take time to check some of the others, like the Ubon Candle Festival with dozens of huge floats made by local temples and in which the entire town seems to take part -

4127

- or the Ghost Festival in Dansai in Loei Province -

4128

With several low cost carriers operating, getting around is cheap and easy. The only problem is finding accommodation since for local Festivals you often have book months in advance. But again that's easy to do by computer from anywhere even though you are not actually here at the time.

[scottish-guy]

But how did Donald Trump manage to get in the second row of the pic immediately above?

[fountainhall]

But how did Donald Trump manage to get in the second row of the pic immediately above?
He was hiding the modesty he denied during the Primaries.

4129

[goji]

Of course, retired Brit holidaymakers sunning themselves in Thailand over the winter get a generous £300 tax-free bunged to them courtesy of the UK Taxpayer to help then with their fuel bills during the UK sub zero winter months, plus an extra bung each time the temperature wherever in the UK they're supposed to residing falls under a certain level - despite the fact they are actually lying on the beach or enjoying the delights of a gogo boy..

But I guess Air Con could be classed as fuel :yahoo_mini:

That £300 allowance might be generous, but if the retired Brit has moved to Thailand permanently, his state pension is not indexed with inflation. Which could be a very large loss if he survives for 20 years or so.

As far as I'm concerned, it would make sense to pay the full pension and index it for people who have moved abroad, since there is a saving with avoiding the NHS costs.

[Mancs]

One has to be over 80 years old to get the uk £300 Winter fuel allowance. Anyone born on or before 5th May 1953 gets only £200. With the 15% devaluation of the pound recently it's only £170 when converted into baht. Since Singha is phasing out 630ml bottles in favour of 500ml ones that £170 is only worth £135. If you exchange that at Swampy you'll be lucky to get 5,400 baht. Spend your baht in a go go bar and it might last a (short) evening. Remember to dress up warm for the rest of the Winter. :yahoo_mini:

[scottish-guy]

One has to be over 80 years old to get the uk £300 Winter fuel allowance....

By the looks of them that's 99% of the ex-pat Brits in Pattaya, so whats your point?

:D

[Mancs]

Whether £200 or £300 it doesn't last long in Pattaya.

[scottish-guy]

True - but it's supposed to be a contribution towards your fuel bill in the freezing cold UK, not your prostitution bill in tropical Thailand

:D

[arsenal]

Well Scotty. Better the money goes to a needy Thai bar boy than some fat cat energy company chairman granted a virtual monopoly to charge what he likes.

[Mancs]

I don't think the uk Government stipulates how we keep warm, though Thatcher advised us to wear a woolly hat.