Why I've left the UK for Southeast Asia

[@BetsyBigNose]

I think some time away from the "miracle" economy (the miracle being it is somehow still going) is good. I did it in my 20s, now in my 40s. I think retirement age in UK will eventually be pushed to over 70 in the next few years as the government cannot afford the state pension ponzi scheme. Make the most of your time away, not just for accumulation of 'stuff' but also experiences (as they can never be taken away from you). As an example when I worked in USA after university I started my day surf kayaking with around 20 dolphins as the sun came up...rather than get up and go to work in an office in the UK. That memory is something truly special for me and something I am so grateful to have experienced.

[@JHPliving]

@@BetsyBigNose Yeah it does seem it’s heading that way regarding the retirement age going up. Wow that sounds amazing! It’s those kind of memories I want to accumulate as much of as possible as I explore different parts of the world. The days, weeks, months, years and were just fading away for me back in the UK and in my corporate job. I’ve only been out of the UK about a week now but I already feel so much happier and free. Thanks for your comment

[@jamiedixon-thestoryhabit]

Best of luck to you. I left UK in 2006 and lived in China for 16 years and it was the best thing I did, I think I greatly accelerated my career development and my financial situation. Last year I returned to the UK with a wife and two kids, for many reasons but mostly because I wanted my kids to grow up in the UK and to have a decent (and affordable) education. There are big advantages to being in the UK, but I think those are mostly for people like myself who are at a certain stage in life and have a certain amount of money. Whilst you're young make the most of your freedom and create more options for your future. All the best 👍

[@JHPliving]

@@jamiedixon-thestoryhabit thank you Jamie 🙏

[@_HannahChurchill]

So true! The daily grind of the commute, working, and getting home late allows for very little opportunity to actually do what you love and what feels right. Love this 👏

[@JHPliving]

@@_HannahChurchill It can be really difficult for people to break the cycle as you’re left with little energy after your work day to focus on anything else, but you have to find a way if it’s important enough, like it was for me, either get up early and work on something before work, use your weekends or create drastic change in some way (like quitting and moving to Vietnam 😂). I kind of worked my way through all of those methods 😂

[@greatdara]

@@JHPlivingAlso, if you can do WFH rather than a draining travel journey + work, that should help. appreciate your perspective 🙏

[@JHPliving]

@@greatdara hi Dara, thanks for watching 🙏 WFH definitely helps but don’t solve things for me. I started my corporate job in May 2021 during covid times so for the first 6-9 months I was full remote 5 days a week then we switched to hybrid (working 2-3 days in the office and then from home the rest of the time) but because the work was very stressful and I found the work boring/unfulfilling it just didn’t fix things for me. We would often late into the evenings as well because of the work load that was our upon us so although wfh helped sometimes it didn’t fix things for me

[@vytasone]

Hey, thanks for sharing your experience. I lived in UK half of my life and also left it a few years back for South East Asia. I think SEA countries tend to be a bit of a dream for many westerners. For me personally I think South East Asia is a bit of wild west. False marketing is ripe, online shopping standards are next to non-existent, police / healthcare presence is more of an absence, huge contrasts between poor and the rich... TONS of sea plastic... And still, there is something quite immeasurably worthwhile to have this challenging experience. I don't even think it's about money or what we can afford and definitely not about quality of life... But maybe about de-programming of what is taken for granted in the West, and also starting to appreciate the good stuff that is available in the west and not as much in South East Asia. One place few people visit, I highly recommend trying out Kuala Lumpur, I found it to be an oasis of peace and balanced modernity. I think it's the most affordable luxury city in the world, I found it super useful when Vietnam/Bali/Thailand become overwhelming. I wish you good luck and fortunate experiences in South East Asia.

[@JHPliving]

@@vytasone Hi there, thanks for watching and sharing your perspective 🙏 I understand what you’re saying. I know South East Asia won’t be perfect and every country will have its challenges/pros & cons but I just feel like I will find a better life there. I feel it’s worth a try anyway. I’m committing to a year and if I don’t feel it’s a right fit I’ll try living somewhere else or I know I can always come back to the UK but got to give things like this a go or I’ll never know right? About appreciation, travelling definitely gives you that perspective. I’m currently in Bali and there is a lot of poverty yet the locals I’ve met are incredibly happy and friendly people but a lot live in poverty that is making me incredibly grateful to the life I’ve had, even simple things I’ve always taken for granted like having access to nice bathrooms and showers. Thanks for the Kuala Lumpar recommendation. I’m going to take a two week trip there in May as I will need to leave Vietnam for a couple of weeks once I secure a teaching job so that my visa can be switched over to a working visa. Do you have any advice/tips? Places to visit etc? Wishing you prosperity too 🙏

[@johnsmith-ro2tw]

Live your life now, mate. Don't wait until you're 65/70 to start living your life, like many do. One day you wake up, you say "wow, i'm 40 now", and you say "wow, time flies". Life is short, you don't want to have regrets, and tell yourself "i wish i did this and that, now it's too late". That's the worst. Besides, half the people have cancer by the age of 50 these days, you may not even reach the age of retirement to start to consider living your life. I know too many people who were healthy, were striving to eat healthy everyday, were doing sport after work, and died of cancer in their 40s.

[@JHPliving]

@@johnsmith-ro2tw well said and I agree with you 100%!

[@raymondwoolfordfrsa8292]

This is fine if you have cash to travel and good health , reality owning a home gives you security for mind & soul whilst nothing worse than being elderly in poor whilst most save to get a home whilst paying in to get a pension . You can still travel & create a great life but moving abroad without having a long term plan will never end well

[@JHPliving]

@@raymondwoolfordfrsa8292 that’s true, you do need to think long term as well. You don’t want to be elderly and have no assets. I think it comes down to individual preference and how you want to structure your life. For me, owning a home would tie me down to a particular location which I didn’t want so I have other investments in pensions and stocks etc for longer term security. You can also create security and freedom through creating your own businesses

[@liamslater3996]

Been living in Vietnam for 9 years. Can't see myself ever returning to the UK to live. The quality of life here is far superior to what the UK has to offer.

[@JHPliving]

@@liamslater3996 that’s my hope and expectation too regarding the quality of life 🙏 where abouts in Vietnam do you live if you don’t mind me asking?

[@liamslater3996]

​@@JHPliving I'm in Saigon bud

[@liamslater3996]

@@JHPliving I'm in Saigon bud

[@JHPliving]

@@liamslater3996 nice man, that’s where I’m going to be based!