Is Thailand a Best-Kept IM Business Secret or Something?

No you were clear I am just getting tired and interpreted it wrong my apologies. Low cost of living, and very friendly Woman would be my guess for Thailand being a hot spot.

I find that hard to believe....

you must mean 6 figures on the high end? Let's say someone wanted to live the equivalent of the $50 million dollar lifestyle in the US. Certainly 8 figures cannot be $100,000 a year, even in thailand. Canit?

I also live in Pattaya and agree with billaaa777 100%.

Write 15 articles 3 days a week. On the other days, focus on learning how to to make that passively.

Steve, I think this was just a typing error, and he meant "a measure of success is ability to live below your means", otherwise it does not make sense.

Come on man, you cannot dislike the Khao San Road and then like Koh Pah Ngan... I mean it's the same backpacking crowd and the same atmosphere but by the beach.

I've been to Thailand twice. It's cheap with some beautiful beaches. The only bad part is the long airplane ride to get there from the U.S.

My friend from the UK lived there. The cost of living compared to London was beyond night and day. And that includes the driver and maid he had in Bangkok so I can see why folks would live there.

I only know a few IM'er's living there full-time.

There were quite cramped together weren't they?


Another fun question. When is the best times to visit thailand weather wise? july- october is rainy season right?

My wife always tells me these Thai folks have black hearts. Trust me, you only find this in the tourist areas, I live in rural Thailand, and I am treated like royalty by almost everyone here.

Get off the beaten track, if you are visiting Pattaya, Phuket, Samui or any other of the large tourist areas, then you are simply not seeing Thailand, just a western theme park with a Thai flavour. Don't get me wrong, it's a very nice theme park, I personally spend a few months a year on Koh Phangan. But it is far from authentic Thailand.

In response to the above quote, I felt compelled to write something because
1) I am a Foreign Educated Asian (meaning I was not born/raised/educated from where my family is)
2) I am female
3) I find some of the comments of some post in this thread derogatory to women
4) I actually LIKE the above response because it paints a real picture that not all women are skanks

The above response is an accurate account of the reality of things.

Sure, people go to Thailand but MUCH LIKE EVERYONE IS AN INDIVIDUAL - we have our OWN INDIVIDUAL REASONS.

Frankly, if you have to travel half way around the world to look for "girls" - I think that's a sad story. If you THINK most people go to Thailand because of the women, you probably don't meet a lot of women and lastly, if you think Thai or Asian women are more inclined to date White men - I don't know where you come from or how you were brought up but really????

Firstly, as with the above quoted post, it is true, about sex slavery and trafficking. It exists and not all women hang around WHITE men just because "they (asians) seem to like white men." Everyone has their own individual motives and it's quite narrow minded to judge anyone that way or to make an assumption.

So a 300 pound man gets a pretty girlfriend - is that so bad? Some women actually like bigger men just as some men prefer 300 pound women. It's preference but why is it anyone's business to judge anybody else for it? Does it affect you and how so. If a 150 pound man dates a 300 pound woman, would that make you have the same opinion as well?

I also know people who prostitute themselves but there's always a story behind it so I don't judge. I even know a beautiful girl who does this so she can feed her siblings because unfortunately, her parents are too lazy and couldn't care less about the starving young ones. Sure, you can say there are other jobs but a 9 to 5er doesn't pay what she gets as as escort to feed the family. --- Does that sound all "dandy" in having girls for "rent" and in reference to the above response, some of them are actually trafficked.

In my opinion, going to Thailand and/or Philippines depends on what you aim for. Some IMers do pretty well with their outsourcing networks in Thailand or Philippines.

I've lived in Manila for about 2 1/2 years for work and one thing I can comment on is the dollar factor which is similar to Thailand. You can't imagine how far a dollar can go with how cheap food is. The standard of living isn't too bad if you're earning foreign currency (USD/CAD/GBP).

The one downside is the immigration laws (both countries have really complicated laws) , the internet speed isn't exactly what you'd want to have and sometimes things just go so slow (when you want things done/ processed like banking, etc). Registering a business is also a painstaking process where sometimes you need to have "connections" or pay people off to get things done. This is speaking from experience.

The party lifestyle is pretty wild and cheap, too, but again, there are risks and you can get into some pretty bad situations so it's always good to play safe.

While I have respect for other people's points of views, I must say it's ignorant to think that people flock to Thailand/Asia for women and to generalize that Thais (or Asians) seem to like white men more - not all women are particularly narrow minded and not all women are gold diggers. There are women who actually have a brain and we use it to think coherently. Not all of us judge by the color of skin or the size of ones wallet.

My apologies if I digress or offend.

Hey Thailand Warriors,

I know it is kind of short notice, but I just booked a ticket for a short trip to Chiang Mai this weekend (Sat - Mon) to see some friends, etc.

It would be nice to meet some of the CM IMers up there for drink in case you have time.

Send me a PM and I'll shoot you my cell for easier communication.

Cheers,

mtkman

I think I can answer that as I have several personal friends from the UK who are doing just that (living away from the UK for several months out of the year and have offshore accounts). The tax man in the UK will not know about your withdrawal, BUT only if your offshore location has not signed an OECD tax treaty. Here's a fairly recent list of former offshore havens that have signed the treaty -
OECD Tax Information Exchange Agreements Signed in last 12 months

EDIT: You can also also add Singapore to the list, as they have caved in and will now request banking records on behalf of a foreign country that suspects tax evasion on the part of a citizen.

I already know that is your favorite place.

I had fun there but living there would kill my liver.

Anything without scales, fins, and a true backbone. So eel is out, because no scales; shark is out, because no true backbone (cartilage endoskeleton with no bones); etc.

I saw a couple on St. Charles when I was there. If they've got them in the Quarter, they've probably got them elsewhere in the city, too.

AANDERSON.
Fair call and you are quite correct.

Most of the Thais themselves wouldn't be paying anything like that mainly because they couldn't afford it but like yourself and me too for that matter, most Thais would consider paying that much to be vastly and unnecessarily extravagant.

I have a friend from Belgium who's currently staying in Pattaya in the kind of studio you mentioned for 4500 Baht per month.

Very true, it all depends on your personal tastes and preferences. Some people in this thread have been talking about living in high end condos with a housekeeper for about $1000 (besides renting a big Jeep or Land Cruiser to cruise around town in), but of course you could also be prudent with your spending, get a fairly decent $500-$700 condo, and then spend the rest on a full-time outsourcer (which should actually get you a decent ROI on the money spent). There are so many options and ways that you can utilize that $1000 each month, and a lot is going to depend on the individual and what his or her preferences are.

Hey Austin.
It's good to see someone else in here who can speak with some authority on Thailand.
Just a tip for anyone thinking about carrying out Internet Marketing in Thailand.
While its true that you can only get a maximum of 90 days on your visa (and you need to do that in your own country.) If you apply for a 90 day visa with multi-entry, you can go up to Vientiane by crossing the border at Nong Kai into Laos within the 90 day period, (preferably within the last couple of days of your 90 days), stay a couple of hours and then be issued with a further 90 days on re-entry into Thailand.
I usually try to get a 3 entry visa which gives you the option to stay for a full year because at the end of your 3rd 90 days, you are issued with a further 90 days bringing it up to 12 months.
When applying for your initial 90 day visa in your own country, quite often you will need to show proof that you have enough money in your bank to support yourself for the time of your stay by providing a recent Bank
Statement.