Transcript of the above video:

As the title of this video suggests, we are discussing retirement in Thailand and the notion of "testing the waters". I have been talking to a lot of retirees here recently. A lot of folks have contacted us wanting to come to Thailand, looking to retire but they are kind of like "I want to come there for a little while, see if it's what I want to do and then make the final decision." That is a great idea. That's the best idea, especially if you have never been here, you need to do that. I am urging you to do that; you need to come here and see if you like it here. 

Look from the outside and honestly especially if you are an older guy, this place is great. I love it here. If you can't tell I have got to say I love it. It is beautiful, it's warm all the time; that's a big one. I like it being warm all the time; I don't have to have different kinds of clothes. Honestly when I was a younger man before my marrying years, there are women everywhere, they are great, they're real nice ladies, nice gentleman too; the people are nice is what I am trying to say. The food is great; the cost of living is good; it's a great place to retire and the Retirement Visa scheme is not overly onerous, it's pretty all right. Now there are a lot of people and I think it is kind of one of these sort of if you want to call it 'spoiled for choice' or maybe you want to call it just being spoiled, where people get really sort of bent out of shape about very idiosyncratic kind of little problems. That said, the Immigration System associated with Retirement Visas isn't perfect, I am not saying it is. I have commented on the flaws that I see on this channel frequently.

That said, overall retirement in Thailand is pretty darn good but that said, it may not be good for everybody. Paradise for one man might be hell on wheels for another so it is one of those things that you are going to need to look at on a case-by-case basis and yes it is a good idea to come here to Thailand and possibly "test the waters" while you are here. Now that said, if you really want to be here long term, it may not be a bad idea to just start off in Retirement Visa and if you decide you don't want to renew it, okay but you have had the opportunity to get enough time in to really see whether or not you like the place. So again, for those who feel a little bit overwhelmed about this and you kind of wonder how to deal with the whole visa thing, it may not be a terrible idea to contact a legal professional, gain some insight and guidance into how best to proceed.