we love it!! It’s like a whole different part of the country opens up once you’re able to communicate and understand more. We haven’t gotten to reading and writing just yet, but definitely looking forward to it!
I would just recommend being careful because technically, you’re supposed to be taking the classes. If you’re traveling that frequently, it could raise questions with immigration officers
there aren’t really any travel restrictions, you just need to make sure you’re actually attending and learning the language because you never know how pressed an IO will be and I’ve heard (have not experienced) they may even quiz you on the spot. Other than that, you need to pay for the re-entry permit if you want to leave the country while on the visa.
I applied while already here in Thailand. Had to search around for the best school. A lot of them charge for the visa and then the classes on top (many choose this option and don’t even take the class). We ended up finding one where the price was all in one (visa + year long classes). The school told us what paperwork to bring and they handled the rest. We got our passports back about 30 days later with the visa stamps
we are both under 50 so don’t qualify for retirement visas yet. And no, our school did the paper work for us and it was sooooo simple. Condo contract, chanote, water/electric bill, landlord passport, copies of our passports, passport photo for both of us, and the funds for the visa/classs. We weren’t asked about proof of funds.