Monday, June 1, 2015

IN MY OWN WORDS

The Financial Crisis cost me my California home and my business and kicked me out of comfortable middle class life. After paying off my loyal, bewildered staff I was left with $1,200 a month from Social Security and enough cash for an airline ticket to somewhere. 

But where? Where on earth could I live comfortably on $1200 and have enough left to start a business? I'd grown up in Australia, lived in Japan and Fiji, got my doctorate at UMass, married, and started two US companies that afforded me regular European vacations. Suddenly, my needs were highest just when my resources were lowest. As you can imagine, I was somewhat frantic.

I looked at every affordable destination on earth. Most were either too hot, too cold, too violent, too primitive, or too dirty for what I would call a comfortable life. Then I got a Facebook message from a woman I hadn't seen in 30 years. She was living in Thailand and suggested I visit her in Chiang Mai. Talk about timing.

I'd visited Thailand in the 60s and been struck by its exotic beauty. But I was put off because it was full of troops on R&R from the Vietnam war. Now when I researched Chiang Mai I was surprised: HSBC bank's expatriate world survey rated Thailand #1 in the world as a place to live. And Chiang Mai is ranked the #1 place in Thailand to retire.

Cramming as much of my life as would fit into three huge duffel bags I boarded a Royal Thai Airways flight from Los Angeles and, 14 hours later, walked out of Chiang Mai airport into blazing sun and a brand new life.

It took me a full year to figure out the basics of where - and how - to live in this new culture. I wasted my remaining savings making beginners' mistakes but, even so, as each month passed I felt I'd made the right decision. Thailand turned out to be everything I'd read about and more.

Most importantly, in Thailand my $1200 allowed me to rejoin the middle class. On that meagre income I've been able to create a new business and fly to Australia to visit family. All the while eating better food and getting better medical and dental care than I'd ever had in my life.

Beyond the basics I fell in love with the Thais. They've spent 2,000 years creating a culture devoted to happiness, tolerance, and beauty. For example, that stuff about older people being respected? It's true. 

We really are. I'm constantly invited for drinks or dinner by much younger Thais who are actually interested in my opinions. Thais value and listen to older people. Knowing how unlikely this sounds to fellow-Westerners I shot the video on this page of some friends who retired to Thailand much earlier than me and got some pleasant surprises about ageing here.

I was so enthused about what I saw here that I ran around interviewing people who've retired and, based on what they told me and what I learned in my first year, wrote some books for anyone thinking of retiring to Thailand. 

Soon I was getting emails from people asking for help in making the move. That's when I realized I had a business: helping people retire to Thailand. Instead of their spending a frustrating year and wasting thousands of dollars, I created a 1-week residential workshop that crammed that first year into 60 hours.

We find apartments, visit doctors and dentists, take a Thai cooking class at an organic farm, go shopping, meet other retirees, handle visas, meet a wonderful bank manager, get insurance and, of course, go elephant-washing in the river. That's only scratching the surface. We eat at a different restaurant every meal and visit temples and....

As you can tell, I'm having the time of my life. I hope you enjoy the books and, most of all, I hope you'll visit me in Thailand and see for yourself. If you're interested in retiring to Thailand, check out my website, www.thailandretirementhelpers.com

Best wishes for a wonderful retirement.

Godfree Roberts

Sunday, September 16, 2012

Medical Insurance in Thailand

Retired expats often worry about about giving up the certainty of their national health programs when they move to Thailand. Worry no more!

We've just completed the first comprehensive report on medical insurance in Thailand: 40 pages of information cleverly titled "Medical Insurance in Thailand". You can download it from Amazon. Here's the Table of Contents:


1. NO INSURANCE
2. SELF- INSURANCE
3. GET HEALTHY
4. GO MINIMAL
5. GET A JOB
6. NORMAL HEALTH INSURANCE
7. TRAVEL INSURANCE
8. THAI INSURANCE COMPANIES
9. HOSPITALS IN THAILAND
10. THE HOSPITAL HIERARCHY
11. REAL HOSPITAL COSTS
12. APPLYING FOR INSURANCE
13. INSURANCE COMPANY CONTACTS
14. THAILAND'S HOSPITALS
15. IF YOU HAVE A ROAD ACCIDENT
16. QUESTIONS FOR YOUR BROKER:
17. HEALTH FACTORS

It's got stories and suggestions, news about health care in Thailand (for example, you're automatically covered–anywhere in Thailand–if you're injured in an automobile accident). Nice to know, eh?

So if you've got questions about insurance coverage in Thailand, head over to Amazon and get yourself a copy.

Monday, June 4, 2012

About Godfree Roberts


ME
Living Well 
Is the Best Revenge... 

If you're a fellow victim of the financial crisis, life has handed us a lemon just when we're most vulnerable: at the end of our working lives.
Five years after it happened to me--five years of financial misery and humiliation--I've started making lemonade and I felt that I should help others do, too.
The turnaround began when I discovered that it is possible to live in comfort and beauty on $1,200 a month--something that seemed impossible when I found myself tossed out of the middle-class five years ago.
(Bio: I was born and grew up in Australia, lived 3 years in Japan, then studied at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, where I received my Doctorate in Education in 1973. I taught, then started several US companies and lived an enjoyable life, including flying to Paris regularly for the French Open. I was married for 36 years, mostly in California. I'm now 72 years old and enjoying life more than ever, to my great surprise.)
So I started a little business–which has now grown into a bigger business–helping people get settled here. It's called Thailand Retirement Helpers and you can find out all about it by following the link.
To save everyone's time and to answer a lot of the questions we all have about living in Thailand, I also wrote a couple of books: How to Retire in Thailand and Double Your Income, and Making Money in Thailand: A Retiree's Guide. Check 'em out.
A GLIMPSE
A GLIMPSE

Here in Thailand I've entered what I would call the enhanced middle class. My $1,200 is twice what an engineer makes. If you'd consider living--or just spending a few years--in a foreign country, here's why why you should consider Thailand:

  1. The Thais have created a unique culture of happiness, tolerance, and beauty. And that stuff about older people being respected here? It's true.
  2. Cost of living: If you live on a fixed income you can double it just by moving to Thailand. That a single person on a $1200 budget can have money left over at the end of each month always seems like a miracle to me.
  3. Climate: Some like it hot, and Thai summers oblige. Some like it warm, Thai winters are warm, dry, and exhilarating. 
  4. Beaches: You can vacation on exotic beaches for pennies.
  5. Safety and freedom: Like most Confucian societies, Thailand is remarkably safe, orderly, and gentle--especially to older people. Young people are noticeably well-behaved and quiet. And the country is relatively unregulated, with a generally carefree atmosphere.
    SHOP 'TIL YOU DROP!
    SHOP 'TIL YOU DROP!
  6. Flowers. Orchids grow profusely along busy streets: orchids are just the beginning ofThailand's floral glory. The big event each year here in Chiang Mai is the months-long National Flora Exhibition: 100 acres of flowers, fruits, and vegetable marvels.
  7. Smiles: Every meeting--even buying a carton of milk--begins with a smile, a bow, and a blessing. Being blessed and bowed to a dozen times a day does wonders for your spirits.
  8. Nursing, Medical and Dental care: Many people live in Thailand, or visit it, for the quality and affordability of its medical and dental care.
  9. 9. Shopping: From banana leaves laden with snacks to European hypermarkets, Thailand offers unparalleled, inexpensive shopping. (And beer? 65¢ for a large bottle of premium beer served at your table: Singha, Leo, Chang, Tiger, Phuket, Klassik....)
  10. A friend in the business: I help people interested in living here. If I don't behave like a real friend I'll be out of business; the Internet will see to that.
    THE VIEW FROM MY WINDOW
    THE VIEW FROM YOUR WINDOW

See you here soon. Incidentally, the picture on the left is taken from the balcony of Sa Nguan Malee Mansion, where our workshop attendees stay.....


Making Money in Thailand


MAKING MONEY IN
THAILAND
A Retiree's Handbook




For $1200/month you can live comfortably in beautiful Thailand. In a few hours a week you can double that income doing something you enjoy. This book tells you how.

Create a Comfortable Income in Thailand 
with Little or No Investment. 

The easiest way to double your income: 
  • Already have a retirement income. $1200/mo. is enough.
  • Live where the economy is growing 7% a year.
  • Live where it's warm and beautiful and people are happy.
  • Work where you can live without stress within your income
  • Do what you already love doing
  • Start today. There's plenty you can do before you leave home
  • A growing economy
  • Study, study, study. Learn about your many business options
  • Plan, plan, plan. Planning is free and you can start now.

WHY YOU'LL ALWAYS BE GLAD YOU INVESTED IN THIS BOOK.

  • It will save you so much TIME!
  • It will save you so much MONEY!
  • It will lift your spirits (when you see your possibilities)
  • It tells you how to prepare, what you'll need, where to go.
  • It starts where you are right now. Today.
  • It's written in simple, straightforward language.
  • It breaks things down to dollars and cents.
STOP WORRYING ABOUT YOUR FINANCIAL FUTURE!
MAKING MONEY IN THAILAND: A Retiree's Handbook

HERE'S WHAT YOU GET

  • A solid introduction to Thailand: people, language, and culture.
  • Thailand's business culture: How "win-win" works here.
  • How and where to find products in Thailand. Places and times
  • How to test your products without spending a penny
  • Spreadsheets with profit & loss calculations
  • How to get cheap shipping.
  • How to get a job in Thailand, legally.
  • 27 different ways to make money in Thailand.
  • Links to everything you need to know.
will prove to you that you can live very comfortably, while enjoying a lifestyle your friends can only dream of.
The steps it lays out are practical, simple, and financially sound. So relax (maybe for the first time in years).
Changing your life will stimulate your creativity. And retiring in Thailand is a REAL change of life! You'll see opportunities everywhere..
I SHOW YOU HOW TO HAVE FUN AND MAKE MONEY, LIVING SOMEWHERE AND DOING SOMETHING YOU'LL LOVE!
For $19.95 I provide everything you need to make a decision PLUS TWO HOURS OF PERSONAL CONSULTING. There is literally nowhere else you can go for this information.






DISCOVER HOW TO RETIRE IN THAILAND AND MAKE MONEY, STRESS-FREE, CONSISTENTLY


You'll Learn..
  • How to sell Thai products back to your home market
  • How the Thai government helps you make money
  • Where to find products to sell
  • What kinds of products sell best
  • How to sell your services in Thailand
  • How to sell your skills abroad from Thailand
  • Getting a job and a Thai work permit the moment you arrive
  • How to understand Thai culture...and fit in
  • The 15 biggest pitfalls for doing business in Thailand

  • Also: Useful Charts, Step-by-step Checklists, Links, Budgets, and Helpful Guides to Preparing to do business in Thailand. And you'll get useful reviews and smart tips to help you get started.
"Solid and comprehensive. It covers the range of employment and business possibilities for foreigners." - David Nevraumont, Middletown, USA.

"We've been thinking of retiring to Thailand since we read the first book. This is even more helpful. I like that you've linked all the important information directly to the key websites. Saves time." - Terry Paddick, Otago, New Zealand

"Some very interesting ideas. Definitely NOT the usual, run-of-the-mill discussion of Thai business. Good value for the money, though." - Diana Worthington, Cairns, Australia
MAKING MONEY IN THAILAND: A Retiree's Handbook proves that living here is practical, affordable and fun, fun, fun. Did you know that
  • Thailand holds a 4-day water-fight every year? And they expect you to join in!
  • You can live–really comfortably–on $1200/month here?
  • You can save enough from your $1200 to capitalize your enw business?
  • You can doub
If I can prove to you that these things are true, then you're much more likely to enroll in one of our $1500 Living in Thailand workshops.
But you're probably not going to take a workshop without at least reading a book. The book's the second step. (The first step is to read How to Retire in Thailand and Double Your Income which explains why just moving here doubles your earning power.)
Once you've read both books you'll realize that Thailand is an affordable dream and, maybe, that the workshop might be a good investment, so...
If you're sufficiently serious about improving your quality of life to start making changes, get this book right now and start making plans today.
I'm not trying to sell you on the idea of living in Thailand. A new life in Thailand isn't an idea that needs to be sold. It's an idea whose appeal speaks for itself. And, God knows, I'm not trying to persuade you to start a business here. This book is for people who are already interested in starting a business and who want a few suggestions and a lot of information about the business culture here, and the possibilities that retirees in Thailand have been seizing on.
I'm inviting you to take advantage of a unique bundle of resources, a collection of observations, advice, experience, budgets, and reports that, together, detail the glories and the frustrations...the benefits and risks...the ins and the outs of spending your time and money trying to start a new business in a new country.
For the price of lunch or a few beers you will have all the information you need to jump full force into starting a fresh new life.

WHY I'M ONLY CHARGING $9.95

  1. $19.95 puts the report within reach of anyone who wants to start businesses. It's not too expensive–even for cashstrapped retirees. I believe that $19.95 is an genuine bargain for what you get and more importantly, the time you will save.
  2. If you do decide to move to Thailand, whether or not you start a business, I want you to take our Life in Thailand Seminar. I make my living giving $1500 workshops to people seriously interested in living in Thailand. If you read the first book there's a good chance you'll want to take the workshop. This second book suggests profitable ways to spend your time once you get here. The workshop is its own bargain for the money you will save.





So if you're serious about getting a new life and having a real adventure now, click the "Buy Now" button below. If you need to justify the expense, skip going out to eat once this week and it's paid for.
Don't stand in puddle of water and cry because your feet are wet. If you're worried about money and don't have the lifestyle you want, ask yourself: "What did I do today to improve my quality of life?" If you didn't do anything then you have no one to blame but yourself.
P.S. Seriously, for just $19.95 you'll get the tools to create a completely new life. Quit searching and get started. It's time to start living the life you deserve.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Godfree Roberts earned his doctorate from UMass, Amherst, has lived in five countries and holds citizenship in two. He retired in Thailand for its combination of culture and cost. He wrote the #1 book on how to retire in Thailand, How to Retire in Thailand and Double Your Income. He founded ThailandRetirementHelpers.com to help others do the same.

Readable, practical, brief: saves years of time and make thousands of dollars. Download your copy now: $19.95


         Download from Amazon Now 
.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

  1. BEFORE YOU LEAVE HOME: Who to talk to; what to set up in advance.
  2. THAILAND: AN INTRODUCTION: People, places; culture, good manners.
  3. STARTING A BUSINESS IN THAILAND: The rules of the road...in a very different culture.
  4. STARTING AN INTERNET BUSINESS: MUCH easier. How to do it for $5. People who did it for me. What they charge. What you get for your $$.
  5. INTERNET BUSINESSES YOU CAN CHOOSE: A surprising range of choices. Some independent of your location; some Thailand only.
  6. YOUR HOME-BASED BUSINESS IN THAILAND: On $1200/mo. you can afford the 1–2 years it takes to get profitable. Again, a range of choices.
  7. EXPORTING FROM THAILAND: Freight, insurance, refunds, products, product sources. (Almost) everything you need to know.
  8. REAL-WORLD JOBS:Don't sell the farm! If you've got a portable skill, chances are you can put it to use here in Thailand.
  9. BUYING OR STARTING A THAI-BASED BUSINESS: The pleasures and pitfalls of doing business in a country where everything–including the legal system–is still emerging!
  10. TEACHING ENGLISH IN THAILAND: This is how I got started, so the information here is first-hand and reliable: certification, placement, etc.
  11. 40 REASONS TO LIVE AND WORK IN THAILAND: And here's #41: It Prevents Alzheimer's! Your old brain will be taxed every day learning everything from scratch! Language, customs, food, addresses (there are none)...
APPENDIX A: THAILAND'S IMPORTS AND EXPORTS:
Just the big components of Thailand's foreign trade.






__________________________________


(If you're serious about Thailand, visit www.thailandretirementhelpers.com and check out our residential workshops on living in Thailand. You'll actually DO everything a resident does, including
  • Getting full general physical medical and dental checkups
  • Condo hunting
  • Learning to cook Thai food on an organic farm.
  • Getting a Thai massage
  • Washing elephants and rafting down the river for dinner.
  • and much, much more
The entire week, including your hotel, is included in the $1500 fee. There are no 'extras'. Not even tips. You'll save more on your medical and dental alone than the cost of the entire workshop!)





Download from Amazon 

How to Retire in Thailand and Double Your Income


How to Retire in Thailand and Double Your Income
Simplest and quickest way to get your new lifestyle from out of your head and into reality, so you can Start Your New Life Today (After all, you can't go anywhere if you don't start)...
Create a Comfortable Life in Thailand on $1200/mo. Start Now for Only $9.95
The easiest way to live comfortably on $1200/month?
Live Where $1200 Buys a Comfortable Life!
front cover
There are lots of places where $1200 goes a long way. One problem: you wouldn't want to live there.
So before you get itchy feet, think about what kind of place would attract you? Here's the list I used:
  • $1200 affords a $3,000 lifestyle
  • Warm weather year-round
  • Happy, smiling, welcoming people
  • Gentle, honest people
  • Both natural and man-made beauty
  • Safe, safe, safe
  • A growing economy
  • Opportunities to make extra money
  • Fabulous food
Make a plan today. Get started for only $9.95. Detailed budgets are included in the book.
You've read tons of articles about living abroad. None of them tells you the rent for a 2-bedroom condo, the cost of a tooth filling, or dinner for two at a garden restaurant with two bottles of beer ($12, since you ask).
I do. And I show you the condo and the meal. There are photographs of everything (even me). And I give you exact medical and dental costs...from hip replacements to tooth fillings (resin fillings from a US-trained dentist: $26).

WHY THIS BOOK WILL BE ONE OF YOUR BEST INVESTMENTS

  • It will SAVE YOU TIME!
  • It will SAVE YOU MONEY.
  • It will get your new life started today.
  • It tells you how to prepare, what to pay, and where to go
  • It shows how to save money in every aspect of your visit.
  • It's simple and to the point. No complicated strategies.

HERE'S WHAT YOU GET

  • How to cut the price of your ticket to Thailand in half.
  • Where to go when you get here.
  • A monthly budget, right down to your Cable TV and Internet
  • A guide the best retirement spots for you to check out
  • 25 Ways to Save Money in Thailand
  • Experts' advice on every aspect of life in Thailand
  • 2 Free Thailand Hotel Nights when you take the workshop

So stop reading about other people's cool lifestyles and start now: create your own lifestyle.
I give you the tools AND the information to make a decision.
For $9.95 I provide everything you need to make a decision. There is literally nowhere else you can go for this information.
Why only $9.95? Read on...
How to Retire in Thailand and Double Your Income proves that living here is practical, fun, and affordable. If I can prove that to you then you're much more likely to enroll in one of our $1500 workshops.
But you're probably not going to take a workshop without at least reading a book. The book's the first step. Once you read it you'll realize that Thailand is an affordable dream and, maybe, that the workshop might be a good investment, so...
...to entice you to take this first step and download the book, I'll also give you two free nights accommodation at our Chiang Mai hotel - there's a photo of it in the book - when you take the workshop (the workshop fee already includes 5 nights). So in addition to the nights included in your workshop you'll also receive 2 extra, free nights...just for downloading the bookA $100 hotel suite. For 2 nights. For Free.
Step back and think for second: everything is laid out for you. All you have to do is follow the guidelines in thebook for the lifestyle you want to live in Thailand. Then decide how much you want to pay for your trip.
The book tells you how to pay hundreds of dollars--instead of thousands--for your airfare, how to save more thousands on the medical and dental care you've been putting off, and it gives you 25 more ways to save money while you're here.
We've had at least three people come to our workshop who actually made a profit on their trip to Thailand this way. Their advice? "Read the book; don't rush; plan". Be patient and flexible. Delay expenses until you get to Thailand.
How to Retire in Thailand and Double Your Income will change your life. Are you ready for a change?

TIPS FOR LIVING ABROAD

  • Find a place you love, with people you enjoy and admire
  • Read everything you can about it, both good and bad
  • Make contact with someone who lives there. This make a huge difference.
  • Spend as little money as possible getting there.
  • Investigate everything: costs, legalities, opportunities, climate, drawbacks, language.
  • Make sure to have fun investigating! The book helps with that, too (and the workshop includes elephant-washing in the river, and rafting, of course).

If you're sufficiently serious about improving your quality of life to start making changes, you will want to get this book right now and start making plans today.
I'm not trying to sell you on the idea of living in Thailand. A new life in Thailand isn't an idea that needs to be sold. It's an idea whose appeal speaks for itself.
I'm inviting you to take advantage of a one-of-a-kind bundle of resources, a collection of observations, advice, experience, budgets, and reports that, together, detail the glories and the frustrations...the benefits and the downsides...the ins and the outs of spending your time and money in this beautiful country that in so many ways embodies the "the good life."
For the price of lunch or a couple of espressos you will have all the information you need to jump full force into starting a fresh new life.

Again: why $9.95? I'm only charging $9.95 for 2 reasons:
  1. $9.95 puts the report within reach of the vast majority of people. It's not too expensive even for cash-strapped retirees. I believe that $9.95 is an awesome bargain for what you get and more importantly,the TIMEyou will save.
  2. I make my living giving $1500 workshops to people seriously interested in living in Thailand. If you read the book there's a good chance you'll want to take the workshop. The book saves you time making your first decision. The workshop is its own bargain for the MONEY you will save.
So if you're serious about getting a new life and having a real adventure now, click the "Buy Now" button below. If you need to justify the expense, skip going out to eat once this week and it's paid for.


GET YOUR COPY NOW



Amazingly comprehensive and extremely helpful. I worked out a detailed budget before I left home.
-Krisztina Perematoni, Berkeley, CA, USA.
I wish I'd read 'How to Retire in Thailand' before I started planning my retirement. I would have cashed out the day I turned 65.
-Steve Parkes, Goulburn, Australia
Unless your pension's over £40,000 you ought to read this book. It opened our eyes to possibilities we never dreamed of.
-Alpin McDowell, Glasgow, UK.

Just get started.
back cover
Don't stand in puddle of water and cry because your feet are wet. If you're worried about money and don't have the lifestyle you want, ask yourself: "What did I do today to improve my quality of life?" If you didn't do anything then you have no one to blame but yourself.
P.S. Seriously, for just $9.95 you'll get the tools to create a completely new life. Quit searching and get started. It's time to start living the life you deserve.






TABLE OF CONTENTS

  1. MY THAI NEIGHBORHOOD
  2. WILL I LIKE THAILAND?
    • The Secret of Life
    • Forty Reasons to Live in Thailand
  3. THAI CULTURE
    • Beauty
    • Tolerance: Getting Along
    • Cooperation
    • Freedom
    • Good Manners
    • Public Conduct
    • The Royal Family
    • Table Manners
    • Dress and Clothing
    • Touching: Personal and Bodily Space
    • Expressing Emotions
  4. EAST MEET WEST
    • Everything You Know is Wrong
    • East Meets West: Practical Implications
  5. BEST COUNTRY ON EARTH?
    • A Testimonial From Retire Abroad
    • Best Thai Cities for International Retirement
    • Best Resort Towns
    • Best Rural 'Small Town' Cities
  6. THE (NOT SO) MYSTIC EAST
    • Humor: The Great Cycle of Tourist Life
  7. REAL THAIS' LIFE
    • Real Thais' Life
    • Farang Life
    • Personal Safety
    • What if Something Goes Wrong?
    • Friends
  8. MONEY
    • Village Girl: A True Story
    • The Cost of Living in the Promised Land: Budgets
    • Employment, Visas & Work Permits
    • Buying Property in Thailand
    • Moo Baans: Neighbors, Noise, Security, Rents
    • Cost
    • Starting a Business in Thailand
    • A Free Trip to Thailand?
    • Cut Your Air Fare by 50%
    • Dental Work: Procedures and Costs
    • Medical Care: Procedures and Costs
    • Clothes
    • Accommodation
    • Food
    • 25 Ways to Save Money in Thailand
  9. FOOD
    • Learning to Cook Thai Food
    • A Chef's Tale: The Charms of Chiang Mai
    • Eating Together
  10. SEX IN THE KINGDOM
    • The Golden Fly of Love
    • The Image
    • The Reality
    • Marriage
  11. SPEAKING THAI
    • Learning the Language: the Magic Word
    • People's Names
    • The Best Netflix Thai Movies (with Subtitles)
    • Books and Courses
  12. GETTING AROUND
    • Addresses: You Can't Get There From Here
    • Transportation: Cheap Thrills
    • Road Chill: Courtesy
    • Advice from 10 Thai Experts
    • Touring Thailand
  13. ADVENTURE
    • Volunteering: Making a Difference
    • At Elephant Camp
    • Elephant Care
    • Volunteer Qualifications
    • What Should I Pack for Thailand?
    • Safety and Security
  14. THE DOWN SIDE
    • A Terrible Secret
    • Paper
    • Double Pricing
    • Ten Common Expats' Mistakes
    • Money and (Poor) Thais
    • Precautions with Money & Possessions
    • Politics
    • Thaksin Shinawatra
    • Abandoned on the Thai border
    • Corruption
    • Dealing with the Police
    • Illegal Drugs
APPENDIX A: GUIDES, FACTS, AND STATS
  • Guide Books: Which is Best?
  • A Very Brief History of Thailand
  • Vital Statistics: Population, Climate, etc.
  • History
  • Geography
  • Demographics
  • Language
  • Religion
  • Flora and Fauna
  • Thailand Today
APPENDIX B: OFFICIAL ADVICE FOR TRAVELERS
US Department of State Advice to Travelers Abroad Australian Government Assistance for Travelers Abroad HM Government's Advice to Brits (Mostly About Jail)






(If you're serious about Thailand, visit www.thailandretirementhelpers.com and check out our residential workshops on living in Thailand. You'll actually DO everything a resident does, including
  • Getting full general physical medical and dental checkups
  • Condo hunting
  • Learning to cook Thai food on an organic farm.
  • Getting a Thai massage
  • Washing elephants and rafting down the river for dinner.
  • and much, much more
The entire week, including your hotel, is included in the $1500 fee. There are no 'extras'. Not even tips. You'll save more on your medical and dental alone than the cost of the entire workshop!)