Reader-submitted Thailand stories covering first trips, nightlife, Pattaya experiences, relationships, expat life and successful marriages. Real experiences from visitors and long-time Thailand regulars.
Story 1: M The Massage Girl Who Never Asked for Money Coming off a recent bar girl experience, I thought I’d switch gears and try the ThaiFriendly route. I signed up for ThaiFriendly, uploaded some photos, and went to work. Like most people, the messages started pouring in. Some were straight freelancers, but I did…
I’ve been to Thailand several times over the years, and like a lot of guys, I always dreamt of packing up and living there one day. After my best friend suddenly passed away last Christmas, I realized life is short. So, I booked a ticket back to the Land of Smiles and decided to stay…
My long-term girlfriend, let’s call her Carla, got back together with me recently after a two- or three-year breakup. We’ve known each other for over 11 years. At first, it was all lovey-dovey, but I started noticing patterns. I believe a lot of these women, whether they’re in Colombia or Thailand, tend to behave differently…
They say you go to Thailand to let your hair down. Well, there’s letting your hair down and there’s taking things a little bit too far. The thing is though, I didn’t take things too far, at least in the early stages, because I was just your typical tourist. I worked for a number of…
A Fresh Start in Bangkok After Difficult Times This trip to Bangkok was my first proper visit there, having only flown in and out of the city with a girlfriend in February 2014. There was civil unrest there at the time and we only spent a few hours there before hurriedly leaving on a 3…
I felt like I was on top of the world when I hit my retirement target of $500,000. Finally, the dream I held for the past 15 years to retire in Thailand had finally come true. The very thought that I would have been returning home only 3 years after this, completely broken both financially…
That’s a question I ask myself all the time. Thailand was meant to be an escape, a place where I could reinvent myself in retirement and a place where I could finally start enjoying myself. The weather helped as well. I’m not much of a cold weather person. I much prefer hot weather, and bright…
This wouldn’t be half as bad as it was if my downfall had been spread out across quite a number of years. Just how quickly things collapsed for me is alarming to actually think about. And I hope by sharing this, some people will understand that just because you’re so sure and so certain about…
The first time I went to my girlfriend at the time’s village was 6 months after I met her. I’d just moved to Thailand as a new retiree, 51 years old and living off investment income. I had loose cash available to enjoy. And after I’d been in the country for a few months, I…