An eye-opening, fulfilling adventure is what Dutch expatriate Niels and his lovely family are experiencing in their expat lives in Hua Hin, Thailand. Working as educators, Niels and his wife Elise are also appreciative of how living in Thailand is helping broaden their family's view of life. Here, he describes what it's like for them to live and work as expats in Thailand, gives an overview of their everyday expenses, and offers advice on living in the Land of Smiles.

Niels Vrijken

-Where were you born?

The Netherlands

-In which country and city are you living now?

Thailand, Hua Hin

 -Are you living alone or with your family?

Together with my wife Elise (40) and our children Martijn (15) and Laureen (12)

-How long have you been living in Thailand?

Just over 1 year now

-What is your age?
44

-When did you come up with the idea of living in Thailand?

After several holidays to Hua Hin, the idea came up beginning of 2006, after our third holiday here: "Wouldn't it be nice...". Main drivers were adventure, doing it now or in 20 years from now, great experience for the children, making at least 1 big step in your life. Also important was that my parents-in-law live here approx. 6 months a year.

-Was it hard to get a visa or a working permit?

We wanted to set up an integration course for Thai people that want to emigrate to The Netherlands. These people have to pass an exam at the Dutch Embassy in Bangkok. Since Hua Hin is the 5th biggest touristic area here, there are around 1,000 Thai people migrating to Holland every year and we needed "only" 30 students per year to make a living, this did sound feasible. A simple business plan was enough for the Thai Embassy in Holland to provide us with a non-immigrant B visa, which was enough to stay for at least one year.

Although I teach occassionally, my wife is now the one with a job, being a teacher at the school of the children. The school provided the working permit, I have a dependent visa on her working permit. The only thing we now need to do is go to the immigration police one time every 3 months (half an hour).

-Was it difficult for you to get medical insurance before you went there or when you first arrived?

Medical expenses are not high, level of medical care fairly good up to good. Because we were (too?) well taken care of in our Western society, we felt we needed a secure feeling, just in case it really was necessary. We now have an insurance at Oom Verzekeringen in The Netherlands with a high own risk. We pay the simple cost at the general practitioner (strained muscles; 6 euro), dermatologist (rash; 80 eurocent to 6 euro), dentist (1 time, all 4; 90 euro), orthodontist (corrective treatment; approx. 700 euro), etc., and pay, as a family, approx. 180 euro per month for medical insurance, travel insurance, liability insurance and legal assistance.

-How do you make your living in Thailand? Do you have any type of income generated?

My wife is the teacher and is making the money. I teach every now and then and we are renting out our house in The Netherlands. Getting the job was merely mouth-to-mouth, social talk when getting the kids from school. One led to the other.

-Do you speak Thai and do you think it's important to speak the local language?

Speaking Thai is difficult. It will cost you at least one year of daily practice to be able to understand and express yourself using very basic language. Thai is a language on its own, where the pitch and emphasis on a specific part of a word determines its meaning which can lead to awkward situations when you do not know enough about its pronounciation. If you want to stay for a long time/the rest of your life, it's a must to learn, though. It will give you great advantages and insight into the Thai culture and way of thinking (which is surprisingly different than ours, meaning not following our logic system). We think it is important to always respect their Buddhist culture. 

-Do you miss home and family sometimes?

At home we lived approx. 5 minutes away from both our parents. Still we could not see each other for 2 or even 3 weeks. Living in Thailand intensified this contact via phone (starting 2 eurocent a minute) and MSN and Skype to at least several times a week. Our children still miss their friends at home. The internet cannot make up for this.

-Do you have other plans for the future?

The current plan is to go back in August 2009 (maybe 1 year later) and pick up things again there. We had secure jobs, we'll have to find something again. If we were not convinced about getting a new job on return, we would not have taken this step in the first place.

-What about housing, have you bought, or are you renting a home? How much do you pay for it?

Buying in Thailand is difficult for a foreigner. You'll hardly ever be the real owner of your place, which is somehow a risk. When you want to stay for a long time and have money to spend a nice house (3 bedr., 3 bathr., swimming pool) can be built for under 100,000 euro. Because our time here is limited we decided to rent. We decided our maximum would be 500 euro a month. We are in our 3rd house now and still are able to keep the budget. We now are living in a big 2-story house, 3 bedr., 3 bathr., no swimming pool, but a huge garden, not too far from the center. If you are serious and want to live here, just take a motorbike, drive around and call a number written under any of the numerous for sale/for rent signs. Bet this will work.

-What is the cost of living in Thailand?

Groceries cost up to 80 euro a week (Tesco Lotus).

We tend to eat in turn at home and in a restaurant. Getting your diner at a local market will cost approx. 50 to 60 eurocent a person. A simple Thai restaurant will cost you about 1 euro a person for a diner meal. A nice Thai restaurant also giving you some Western possibilities will cost you 2 - 2.5 euro a person. The big Western restaurants and hotels will hardly go over 10 euro a person.

Casino bread; 60 eurocent.

Diesel; less than 70 eurocents a liter.

Beer; 80 eurocent to over 1 euro for a small, 1.5 to over 2 euro for a big bottle. Thai beer is good. Heineken the foreign, expensive beer.

Private schools cost about 800 euro per semester (English program at a Thai school, a real international school will be tenfold of this).

A day at the beach will cost you approx. 10 euro with 4 people, inclusive of beds, drinks, lunch and fresh fruits.

-What do you think about the Thais?

In general, friendly people. Living in a touristic area you will always pay (much) more than a Thai for the same product or service. In their eyes every foreigner is a millionaire. Yoú learn to live with that (and work around that). Besides this Thai people are Buddhist people and Buddhist people have a giving nature without expecting something in return. Try to mingle with them and you will be surprised!

-What are the positive and negative aspects of living in Thailand?

Positive: nice people, climate, beautiful country, great food, inexpensive, no (at least less, other kind of) stress

Negative: difference in culture/understanding, tough immigration rules (not foreigner-friendly)

-Do you have any tips for our readers about living in Thailand?

Don't be scared trying something different. It is great for yourself and maybe even better for your children. It really adds to their upbringing!

-Do you have any favorite Web sites or blogs about Thailand?

The story of our adventures (more: everyday life) in Thailand can be seen on our weblog http://wijgaannaarthailandtoe.blogspot.com. Although mainly in Dutch I tend to add one paragraph in English every time.