Some Advice After TWO YEARS of Living in Pattaya, Thailand

[@barryoneill-ec9zz]

This is the best advise ive heard from a youtuber, arrived here to Pattaya 4 months ago, hit a gym right away, got into a routine also, I walk everyday at least for an hour also, Im a non drinker non smoker, Im staying well away from negative people, youve got to except Thailand for what it is, its a different world. Im also impressed with Thai people.

[@peteonretreat2023]

Thai people (in general) are kind, welcoming and hard working. Thank you for the kind words too. I’ve been a little relaxed on my routines as I’m still adjusting to domestic life and finding the balance between us time and me time.

[@Rexx1356]

Same here, moving from US to Pattaya in February to retire. Not much of a drinker & don’t smoke. Met an amazing Thai to spend my time with so that will save me money from mongering. Fitness Instructor, so gym, walking, golf & tennis will be my focus. Planning to teach English online and hope to make this my life for the remainder of my time on this planet.

[@barryoneill-ec9zz]

@Rexx1356 It's a great place, everything you need is here, and it's cheap.

[@peteonretreat2023]

@ sounds like a great plan!

[@rickbold9337]

Finally an upbeat realistic vlogger.. I agree with everything you talked about

[@peteonretreat2023]

I think those are two important views to maintain. Positivity and being real about life and expectations.

[@jimmccann3856]

A healthy routine: Yes! Including a cost effective way to get your pickle polished outside of the the glitzy clip scene downtown. Every single Thai town of any size has local brothels at a fraction of the cost. After two years, what have you discovered?

[@peteonretreat2023]

I’ve discovered a wonderful girlfriend 555 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@davewave36]

My God! has it been two years already? Damn, it feels like I was watching your first vid's not that long ago. Happy to see how well you're doing. All the best.

[@peteonretreat2023]

It sure doesn’t feel like 2 years already. Time is going faster and faster every month.

[@robofthenorthadjacent2269]

Good to see someone living their best life!. I appreciate that you don't shy away from your D&D playing. I have been planning my escape and was a little worried about how I would fill my day. Being able to get back into TTRPGs sounds like an extra slice of paradise. Seeing that there are other nerds in Pattaya really took one worry of my mind. I watch a lot of vloggers and no one else has ever mentioned it. Thanks!

[@peteonretreat2023]

I’m really happy to hear that. I’ve had at least a dozen viewers over the years say they play. I know of 3 different play groups in the city right now. That said, we are a very small minority here. I’m definitely the public face of D&D in town. A couple of times people have asked about playing in an expat forum and other people point them in my direction. I mention playing a lot because I want to help build the gaming community out here. I met a viewer this week who is a huge board gamer and has a past with TTRPG. He might be moving here in the next year or two. One of my friends here is tired of D&D but will run or play nearly any other system. He prints his own books and has a 3D printer.

[@robofthenorthadjacent2269]

@peteonretreat2023 That sounds great. If all goes to plan, I will be asking you for leads to find a game in about 9 months or so. I think as more people our age start retiring, the number of nerds will rise. Thanks again for all the advice and inspiration.

[@peteonretreat2023]

@@robofthenorthadjacent2269 my pleasure. 🙏🏼

[@NickedOff]

Great advice Pete! I'm 17 days away from checking it out for myself! See ya soon buddy!

[@peteonretreat2023]

Right on, right on!!

[@derekbrown7892]

spend a few hours each day learning the Thai language.and a long walk most mornings before gets hot.

[@peteonretreat2023]

Time well invested for sure. I need to get back into my Thai studies.

[@foxmulder4560]

I got a DTV a few months ago, it was painless and I did it myself online while at home (Australia) I applied for that as It gave me a bigger window if I plan to stay longer than usual. Your video is refreshing, I been looking at condos in Thailand videos and your popped into my feed, I am glad it did, will check out your other videos . Thank you..

[@peteonretreat2023]

@@foxmulder4560 I’m pretty proud of my body of work so far. Lots of variety in style, info and some entertainment. Thanks for commenting and welcome to the channel! Oh, and the XFiles screen name rocks!

[@VJEsper]

Thinking about moving there. I appreciate all the great advice !

[@peteonretreat2023]

My pleasure. I’m happy to answer questions of you have them.

[@AutoErotic]

Great advice and great attitude. Thanks bro!

[@peteonretreat2023]

My pleasure. Thank you for commenting 🙏🏼

[@richardperritti5916]

Great video. Good advise for people moving to Pattaya.

[@peteonretreat2023]

Thank you. The channel is becoming more about helping people decide of this life is for them and giving them the tools to succeed.

[@graguitar6493]

Cograts on making it 2 years. I think 1 year is a great effort considering i lasted only 9 months

[@peteonretreat2023]

Oh my! What happened??

[@graguitar6493]

@peteonretreat2023 almost killed myself overloading on girls. A move to bang saray sorted me out though

[@peteonretreat2023]

@@graguitar6493 sounds like the right decision. Glad you’re sorted out now 👍🏼

[@JamesonDaniels-h8n]

I enjoy your videos and positive attitude. Honestly I think most guys, including myself, could apply those same tips in their home country and live a better life. It's not just for Pattaya. And I can attest, when I lived in Patts for a year, I was one of those guys that fell into unhealthy and party habits and put on a bunch of weight. Very easy to do.

[@peteonretreat2023]

Good point and thank you. 🙏🏼 These are mostly just good life tips. I hate seeing the guys that come here and find ruin. It’s definitely easy enough to do and many of them blame it on the country or the women.

[@MurrayWards]

Good sound practicle advise for expats. I've been living in Pattaya 8+ years. I don't go to bars in the daytime, where expats hang out, so I haven't really experienced much of the moaning disgruntled type of expats. I find it seriously amazing, the desperate guys who come here, purely to find a Thai wife.. Then they complain about getting ripped off..

[@peteonretreat2023]

8 years in Pattaya? Right on!

[@nncadi1]

Totally agree about your assessment of people constantly complaining.

[@peteonretreat2023]

It’s maddening at times. I forgot to include complaining about how much better Pattaya used to be and how much fatter the woman are now.

[@charliefarley9658]

Interesting place to visit for some holiday fun but anyone who retires to Pattaya needs their head examined.

[@peteonretreat2023]

Doc said my head looks good 🤷🏻‍♂️ Honestly, I didn’t think I’d stay here more than 6 months but know I’m a founder in an amazing charity and I’m here improving the lives of hundreds of people. Trust me, you can have a safe, happy and healthy life here and not partake in all the craziness and sin.

[@charliefarley9658]

@@peteonretreat2023 But why Pattaya, there are lots of other places in Thailand.

[@peteonretreat2023]

@ I did a whole video on why I started here. kzbin.info/www/bejne/ZpLcoq2cm7Ofn9E I plan on doing a video about why I’m still here but it’s mostly because of my friends and our charity foundation. My girlfriend and I talked about living away but we want to continue building the foundation we’re happy here.

[@charliefarley9658]

@peteonretreat2023 That's great, wishing much success and happiness 😊

[@graguitar6493]

So everyone who doesn't have the same mindset as you is a mental case hey. What a stupid way to think

[@eurotrash2915]

New sub here, I think, but a lot of people mysteriously lacking it, common sense and open eyed is the mantra. You do need to start with good habits so they stay incorporated, the danger hides in personalities that lack good self-confidence and discipline, as a favorite author, Jocko Willink states: discipline equals freedom, if you lack it you'll get lost.....down the drain, so treat your path carefully, disciplined and eyes wide open, care less about what other people say or do and enjoy that much aspired freedom of choice 😊

[@peteonretreat2023]

Thank you for the sub 🙏🏼 I think it’s easier to make lasting changes when everything in your life is changing. Moving is a great opportunity to develop positive habits.

[@eurotrash2915]

@peteonretreat2023 I agree, to a degree, the hardest part is letting go of the past and negativity associated with it, that's where the new habits need to become a focus so indeed, the positive greatly overshadows the negativity and youvare right to say that you need to surround yourself with positive people, and/or environment 👍

[@Vlogging.on.a.donkey]

At 49 , what did you exactly own outright? Was your property mortgage free ? Did you own a business? Did you inherit money ? If you retire at 49 which is almost impossible for most people, you will need enough money for the next 40 years or you will need to earn money. Without giving the exact amount , how much money did you have after selling everything?

[@peteonretreat2023]

@@Vlogging.on.a.donkey my mortgage wasn’t paid off but my house doubled in value in the 10 years I owned it. Selling it allowed me to clear enough money for 10+ years of living abroad. After that, I have a sizable 401k from my career at Trader Joe’s that I can start using when I turn 60. It’s big enough that the interest alone will cover most of my costs and I’ll be set. Numbers wise, well over 300k net from house alone, plus savings and some from selling my stuff. My 401k fluctuates but should still be 7 digits by the time I start dipping into it.

[@markadler8968]

Do you actually expect this guy to detail every aspect of his financial life on here for the world to see? Everyone is different and there is plenty of vides out there on the cost of living in Thailand and what kind of budget you can expect to have. My advice is if you are planning to move there full time you should have at least 500K USD minimum if not a million.

[@Vlogging.on.a.donkey]

@ I don’t think you need half a million dollars to live out 20 years in Thailand, if you budget you could probably live on 1/4 million

[@markadler8968]

@@Vlogging.on.a.donkey No thanks. 20 years at 250K is just over 1K USD a month. An impossible amount to live on. Sure you are earning interest but that only covers inflation/taxes. 250K USD will last maybe 10 years and that is watching your pennies. 500K gives you some breathing room and makes it much more feasible. Me personally I wouldn't even think about retiring there unless I had 1 million plus USD net worth.

[@graguitar6493]

​@@Vlogging.on.a.donkeyif you are single and not mongering sure but if you got a missus or love mongering no where near enough

[@neripinch8240]

A better quality of life, by far.

[@peteonretreat2023]

💯

[@ParTravels]

Love you super happy positive vibe. Now you are living.

[@peteonretreat2023]

Thank you 🙏🏼 I don’t know why so many choose to be miserable.

[@Grimreapervlogs]

Great advice brother

[@peteonretreat2023]

Thank you sir 🙏🏼

[@sebbster8703]

Another vlog flogged by thousands of youtubers, but has common sense and well presented.

[@peteonretreat2023]

Thank you. I think it started with just one or two things I wanted to Share but then I kept adding to the list over the last few months.

[@PS-gm7vg]

Well said...good info for sure.....What insurance do u suggest for people here who have been here awhile....? Nice to see a video........I will say one thing...Your videos come with respect for the culture, and respect for the viewer whomever it is....That cannot be said for everyone......Are there any positive people on Pattaya? Maybe make a voideo on that? That wouldbe worth watching....I have alot of people here in my village that seem positive in Buriram, but how would i really know? How can we know when people are being positive in Thailand....? Most people who move here as expats are crazy, or senile, or old, or looking to cause demise.......maybe they have affliction? can u investigate that?

[@peteonretreat2023]

Since, we talked directly about insurance, I’ll just say here for anyone else that I’m still on travel insurance and that’s not a good thing. I really need to sign up. Respect means a lot to me. I give it to everyone and everything until I’m shown a reason not to. Even at that point, I’m more likely to avoid or ignore something than show disrespect to it. I believe I know some positive people here. Most of the members in our foundation are pretty positive. They’ve mostly come here for a better life and are very appreciative of what they have. They’re so thankful it drives them to give back and spread love. I’ll start drafting some ideas about a video just on attitudes. If I can get at least 8 minutes out of it, I’ll do it. It might morph into something else too, that happens a lot. Take care 🙏🏼

[@tufif]

Can you still sign up for classes on a retirement visa?

[@peteonretreat2023]

Absolutely! On a retirement visa you are technically not allowed to work or volunteer but going to school isn’t barred.

[@oceanearth2243]

Health insurance companies won’t cover motorcycle accidents unless you have a Thai drivers license for a motorcycle. Critical detail

[@peteonretreat2023]

I’m adding that to my lists. Very good and important point. Thank you 🙏🏼

[@ericpeterson9090]

Before moving I need to meet you I am looking forward to d&d

[@peteonretreat2023]

I’m always happy to meet viewers when I can. I met a couple just thing week.

[@barryoneill-ec9zz]

Can you recommend a good Tennis club, Somewhere Expats play,? Thanks

[@peteonretreat2023]

The only one I’m aware of is connected to the Royal Cliff Hotel. It’s a separate business and people seem to play they regularly but that’s all I know unfortunately.

[@rvajna]

Stay away from alcohol and women. Eat well and exercise.

[@peteonretreat2023]

Exactly. See how I stretched that out into a whole video? Lol

[@greg13816]

Hi Pete, do you ride a motorbike in Pattaya

[@peteonretreat2023]

I do not. I’ll ride them on the islands but that’s about it. It’s been on my video topic list for awhile. For me, it’s just personally not worth the risk. Bolt cars are cheap, we own a car and I’m not in that big a hurry. It’s just a risk too easy for me to avoid.

[@chinesecrested9528]

Great advice. In short, dont be an idiot.

[@peteonretreat2023]

Exactly! I’m loving seeing all of these very quick summaries of my 15 minute video 😆

[@surlyman7970]

Grumpy Farangs?

[@peteonretreat2023]

There’s a few here… just a few.

[@Sheeeerkhan]

Klicking the like button...then starting to watch 😊 cheers

[@peteonretreat2023]

Many thanks 🙏🏼

[@johnmycroft3065]

Even keeled .

[@peteonretreat2023]

While calm waters don’t make the best sailors, I still prefer to avoid stormy seas.

[@marcom2248]

Why do you say Pateeyah? Isn't it Pattaya?

[@peteonretreat2023]

The pronunciation varies a lot, even among Thais but you are correct. It’s more of an A sound than an E sound. Vowel sounds in Thailand can be weird and are often misheard.