- 6 minutes ago
Living in Thailand for six months has taught us a lot, and these are the 7 things we wish we knew before moving to Thailand. From everyday travel realities to the practical side of settling in, this Thailand travel video shares honest lessons that can help anyone planning a move or long stay.
If you are researching expat life in Thailand, long-term travel, or what to know before relocating, this is a useful starting point. It is a personal, experience-based guide for travelers, digital nomads, and anyone curious about living in Southeast Asia and avoiding common surprises.
The video is also a good fit for viewers looking for Thailand tips, moving abroad advice, and real-world travel insight from people who have already spent time living there. It focuses on what they learned after months on the ground rather than generic tourist advice.
Created for anyone searching for Thailand relocation tips, expat advice, long-stay travel guides, and practical moving-to-Thailand insights. If you want a real-life Thailand travel experience, honest lessons learned, and a helpful perspective on living in Thailand, this video is made for that search intent.
If you are researching expat life in Thailand, long-term travel, or what to know before relocating, this is a useful starting point. It is a personal, experience-based guide for travelers, digital nomads, and anyone curious about living in Southeast Asia and avoiding common surprises.
The video is also a good fit for viewers looking for Thailand tips, moving abroad advice, and real-world travel insight from people who have already spent time living there. It focuses on what they learned after months on the ground rather than generic tourist advice.
Created for anyone searching for Thailand relocation tips, expat advice, long-stay travel guides, and practical moving-to-Thailand insights. If you want a real-life Thailand travel experience, honest lessons learned, and a helpful perspective on living in Thailand, this video is made for that search intent.
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TravelTranscript
00:00We've been living in Thailand for exactly six months now, and we're so happy we decided to move here.
00:06From the white sand beaches to their amazing food and friendly locals, Thailand can be an amazing place to live
00:12if you're looking for a change.
00:14But there are a few things we wish we knew before we moved here, so in today's video, we're sharing
00:19our top seven things we wish we knew before moving to Thailand.
00:24Number one, the weather.
00:25Okay, so if you've ever been to Thailand, chances are you came during peak season, which is generally between December
00:32and February, and that's because the weather is damn near perfect.
00:36Picture clear blue skies with mild warm weather every single day.
00:41We actually couldn't believe it when we had to throw on jumpers while we were riding our scooters around, which
00:46was kind of a refreshing change, to be honest.
00:48But the warmer months of March to May are long and hot, and depending on where you live, there can
00:55be a lot of pollution due to burning off.
00:58Thankfully, here in Hua Hin, where we live, it hasn't actually been bad at all.
01:02We had just a few days where the air felt a little bit polluted, but other than that, it hasn't
01:07been too bad.
01:08And I think most of that was the pollution coming down from Bangkok.
01:13Bangkok and Chiang Mai, however, are notoriously bad for pollution.
01:17In fact, in a recent news article I found, it said that Bangkok was listed as having some of the
01:23worst air pollution in the world for the month of April.
01:26So if you're planning on moving to Thailand, remember that while the weather is always warm, you may want to
01:33consider traveling out during the months of March to May, if you want to avoid the heat and pollution.
01:38But don't worry too much, thankfully, electricity is relatively cheap here in Thailand, and most places run AC all the
01:45time.
01:46So if you have a condo or a villa, you can have your air conditioning running, and it shouldn't be
01:51too much of an issue, especially if you live near the beach or somewhere with a pool.
01:56Number two, healthcare.
01:58So obviously, healthcare is something that's super important to us just in general, but with our first baby on the
02:04way, and now that we're living here, it's actually more of a priority for us than ever, and that was
02:09something we were a little concerned about, having never been to a doctor or hospital here in Thailand.
02:14But since we moved here, we've been to see the doctor at our local private hospital here in Hua Hin
02:20a few times already, and we couldn't be happier with the level of service and care.
02:25We actually think some of the hospitals here are better than back home, and the doctors are extremely well qualified
02:31and educated, and they all speak fluent English.
02:34It also happens to be a lot cheaper for medical bills here in Thailand.
02:38A lot of people actually come here for dental holidays, as well as other cosmetic surgeries, for that exact reason.
02:45Even if you include flights and accommodation, you can still save money on your hospital bills, which is absolutely crazy.
02:52Depending on where you live in proximity to a hospital, the response time for an ambulance can fluctuate.
02:58However, we are super lucky that we live just a couple of kilometers from our local hospital, and the response
03:04time is apparently very fast.
03:06And all the ambulances here are fully equipped for any situation.
03:10If this is something that may concern you, you might want to consider living somewhere that is close by to
03:16a hospital, if possible.
03:18And of course, if you're moving to Thailand, just make sure you have good health insurance, especially if you're going
03:23to be riding around on a scooter.
03:25You really never know when you might need it.
03:28Number 3. Water shortages.
03:31Unfortunately, one of the only drawbacks we've found since moving to Thailand has been the water shortages we've experienced.
03:38During the dry months of March through to May, Thailand is currently facing its worst drought in 40 years.
03:44And with the Songkran Festival taking place in April, where, let's face it, a hell of a lot of water
03:49was used throughout the week, this only made things worse.
03:52However, we were quite lucky and only experienced water outages for a few days, where the water would run out
03:58periodically and then get turned back on.
04:00It wasn't a huge deal for us, as I said, we have our own swimming pool and we always had
04:05drinking water on hand.
04:06But we did hear from other people that they experienced it much worse.
04:11And some people even said that their water wasn't running for over two weeks.
04:16So just keep that in mind when moving here, and it really does go back to the months that you
04:20want to be here.
04:22The hotter, drier months, you may want to consider being somewhere else, if this is an issue for you.
04:27Honestly, it hasn't been too bad for us, but it's something to be aware of and could possibly get worse
04:32in 2025, according to reports.
04:34We're now just coming into wet season, so hopefully the water supply should become much better soon.
04:41Okay guys, so if you're moving to Thailand, you want to start off on the right foot.
04:44And you want to have data on your phone, literally as soon as you step off the plane.
04:48If you've ever travelled to Bangkok airport, you would know what I'm talking about when you see those little shops,
04:54as you walk into the baggage collection, that offer tourist SIM cards.
04:59I'm telling you right now, those tourist SIM cards are an absolute rip-off.
05:02They're way too overpriced, and they don't give you good enough speeds.
05:06And that's why we've partnered on today's video with Olafly eSIMs.
05:10The last thing you want to do when you're moving to Thailand is to put your phone on international roaming
05:15and end up with a massive phone bill.
05:17So speaking from experience, there is literally nothing more frustrating to me than landing in a new country and having
05:23no phone data.
05:24And if you're going to be here for a while, you can get a 30-day Thailand Olafly eSIM,
05:29and you can make sure your first month here in Thailand runs smoothly while you get all of the logistics
05:34and annoying stuff figured out.
05:36And honestly, once you're here, you might not even want to sign up to a local SIM card plan,
05:40and that's because Olafly offers packages for all of Asia,
05:43which means if you're going to do a quick border run to Cambodia or do a quick trip to Laos
05:48or Malaysia or something like that,
05:50you can use the same eSIM.
05:52In fact, you don't even need to get rid of your SIM card from home when you get an Olafly
05:56eSIM.
05:56You can keep it in your phone and keep receiving text messages and phone calls while you're away.
06:01Also, Olafly users can now benefit from automatic eSIM installation using the brand new Olafly app.
06:08This feature makes the entire activation process much easier and faster,
06:12which means more time to enjoy your trip and less time planning.
06:15It's literally never been easier to purchase and install an Olafly eSIM.
06:20However, just a quick note before you do go ahead and buy an Olafly eSIM,
06:24make sure you check if your phone's compatible.
06:27Most phones these days are, but we just want to be sure.
06:29If you want to try out Olafly eSIMs for yourself, just click the link in the description down below.
06:34Make sure you use code Lloyd and Mandy and you'll get 5% off at checkout.
06:40Number 4. Groceries.
06:42We have traveled to a lot of different countries over the past couple of years,
06:46and each country has its pros and cons.
06:49We found that one of the downsides to Bali, Mexico, and especially Sri Lanka
06:55were the lack of grocery stores that stocked items we were used to having access to back home,
07:00such as high-quality fruit and veg, meat, and of course snacks.
07:05But we've honestly been pleasantly surprised with how great the grocery stores have been here in Thailand.
07:10In fact, we've been able to shop pretty much the exact same way we did back home since moving here.
07:16Your main options for grocery stores here in Thailand are Lotuses, Tops, and Villa Market,
07:21which is the most expensive of the three,
07:23but we found it to have the best selection of local and international groceries.
07:28Also, you're never too far away from a local fruit and veg stand,
07:32which always sells fresh fruit and veg at a very cheap price.
07:35And in the grocery stores, everything on the shelf is translated to English for the most part,
07:40but not to mention it's cheaper than shopping back home.
07:43While we tend to eat out at local restaurants a lot,
07:46mostly because the food is just so delicious and cheap,
07:49we also like to make breakfast at home and cook a home dinner a few times a week,
07:53and it's honestly been a breeze for us.
07:56I remember being in Sri Lanka and trying to find decent groceries,
08:00and we just couldn't find any fresh fruit and veg or meat in any of the stores we went to,
08:04which meant we had to eat out every single day,
08:08and it can get a bit much when you're travelling,
08:10especially when you really don't feel like going out.
08:13Thankfully, we haven't had any problems here,
08:15and we also found our favourite Aussie snacks.
08:18Online shopping.
08:20Since we moved into our villa here in Thailand,
08:22we've done a lot of online shopping to get our place furnished,
08:26and thankfully, online shopping is ridiculously easy, fast, and cheap.
08:31We've pretty much bought everything we needed for our house,
08:34and even things like electronics for work to make our life easier from a company called Lozada.
08:39In case you haven't heard of it, it's pretty much like a Thai version of Amazon.
08:44There are tons of different local stores on Lozada with varying reviews,
08:48so make sure you do your research before you buy anything,
08:50but honestly, we've had a lot of luck shopping on Lozada,
08:54and we'd say 90% of the stuff we've bought has been of great quality and value for money,
08:59with just a few exceptions.
09:01However, they do offer a really easy return process,
09:04in case what you buy isn't what you wanted.
09:07You can even order items using cash on delivery as your preferred payment method,
09:11so if you're worried that what you ordered isn't going to show up,
09:14or it's going to get lost or stolen, you don't have to pay.
09:17An alternative to Lozada is Shoppy, which is quite similar,
09:20but we found Lozada just to be the easiest, so we've gone with that.
09:24Also, all of the grocery stores we mentioned earlier offer free delivery services,
09:29as well as grab food, which is great for takeout,
09:32so honestly, if for some reason you just can't leave the house,
09:35or you don't want to, you honestly don't have to leave the house.
09:39Number six, wildlife.
09:41There is a ton of wildlife here in Thailand,
09:45from tiny geckos, frogs, snakes, monkeys, monitor lizards, and even tigers and elephants.
09:52Don't be surprised to see some pretty exotic wildlife and insects wandering around,
09:57although tigers and elephants are kept to the national parks,
10:00it's not that unusual to see the occasional monitor lizard or snake out in the wild.
10:05Luckily, the only run-ins we've had so far have been with wild monkeys,
10:09which are generally well-behaved,
10:11but do be careful with your belongings when approaching,
10:14as they have been known to steal items right out of people's hands.
10:18And the last thing you want is to be bitten by a wild monkey
10:21and end up in the hospital for a rabies shot.
10:23Last but not least, island time.
10:27Now, technically, Thailand isn't an island,
10:29but we like to call it island time because that's the way things tend to operate here.
10:33When living in Thailand, you may notice that sometimes things don't exactly run on time.
10:39Now, this doesn't apply to everything, but for example,
10:42if someone providing a service or a delivery is supposed to show up at a certain time,
10:47consider it more of a ballpark.
10:49Also, you'll notice businesses' opening hours that are advertised on Google
10:53for locally-owned stores don't always mean that the business will be open at that time.
10:59So don't make plans to go to a restaurant just based on the hours you see on their Google page.
11:04If you can, call ahead to make sure that they're open
11:06so that you won't be disappointed when you get there.
11:09And although this may seem like an inconvenience
11:12and something that back home we may not tolerate,
11:15we put it down to just the more relaxed lifestyle here in Thailand
11:18and you do have to have a certain level of understanding
11:21and that the way of life here is just a little bit different.
11:24It's not as much of a rat race,
11:26which is one of the reasons to move here in the first place.
11:29So really, we can't complain.
11:31And like everything, you have to take the good with the bad
11:34and we think it's a pretty good trade-off, honestly.
11:36And the level of service that you do receive here from local businesses
11:40such as restaurant owners really makes up for it.
11:42They call it the land of smiles for a reason
11:45and everyone here is just so friendly for the most part.
11:48So that's it for our 7 things we wish we knew before moving to Thailand.
11:52We hope you found this video helpful.
11:54If you are considering moving to Thailand,
11:57make sure to check out our Thailand playlist
11:59as we have a lot of helpful videos on things like visas
12:03and getting your driver's license
12:05and just general living expenses here in Thailand.
12:08We honestly don't regret moving here one bit.
12:11We absolutely love it.
12:12And we can see ourselves here for the foreseeable future.
12:15Thank you again for watching
12:16and if you enjoyed this content, please like and subscribe.