I came here when I was 39. I also had no definite plans for leaving. Ten years on and I am still here.

METV is a good option if you know you will be staying that long. I have been doing visa runs for the past 2 years so that too is an option.

Once you get here and start talking with other exPats, the visa process makes more sense.

Enjoy your trip.

I am have a questionable visa history and I have not been hassled at immigration yet. They're pretty flexible. I recommend travelling with the 3 proofs. A visa is a good idea.

@Klee *************

I have heard of being dying then coming back to life.

@Richard *****

Yep - you cross immigration both ways. If you choose to do this, I would ask this group for recent experiences. The last time I did it, it was a couple of years before Covid.

I walked across, there is actually a bus for the mile stretch, from what I remember. Go through immigration, there will be a shopping center of sorts. Get yourself a snack, come back through. Probably start-to-finish 2 hours.

YES - you can.

As I understand it, you should be eligible for 1 year extension, but I am not that familiar with retirement visas so maybe not.

However I have done a few border bounces. You can fly to Lao, or if you want a little adventure, you can fly to Udon Thani and make your way up to the border and cross on foot.

Unfortunately I am not too familiar with retirement visas. I have a friend that is on a retirement visa and he told me that the insurance requirement is different for people who get the non-o visa from their home country vs getting the visa while in Thailand. I *think* there is no insurance requirement if you get the visa in country.

You can do all the paperwork yourself and save yourself a few dollars or you can hire an agent and save yourself some frustration.

I would recommend coming on a tourist visa. Hang-out for a while and talk to some expat locally to get their recommendations.

@Klee *************

You live only once and motorcycles are part of the Thai experience.

You can't activate the visa while in Thailand.. However, you can exist and enter using the visa.

Tea money (Bribes) is not are not required but do you really want to make several trips to the immigration office, spending the better part of the day there? Immigration can be easy or difficult - how much is your time/money worth to you.

Also, most of life is not fair -

Was there a question or this just rant about how life can be unfair?

I taught for a couple of years. There were headaches, I was not treated fairly, there were most definitely teachers who were better than me. The food sucked and I had to be at school on time in the mornings, I had to grade homework and wear nice clothes, blah blah blah.

All-in-all, the experienced sucked (yes even for fair skinned people), but it was worth while and I would do it again, if for no other reason than experience, culture exchange, to give back to my host community..