Doing IM from Phuket

Wicked Ice

Wicked Ice

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Nov 11, 2007
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I am considering to move my operations to Phuket for lifestyle purpose.

Anyone is doing that currently? Doing IM biz from Phuket?

How's the internet speed? Business regulations? Anything I should consider?

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Maybe it's just me, but moving to any place with so many pretty trannys would put me on edge.
 
i always thought u live in Singapore? if yes, then why go to phuket? I dont know the tax laws but if there is a clear advantage then why not? I moved to singapore for lower taxes and better lifestyle.
 
Excellent use of the boobs icon.

I live in Phuket, internet speed in reasonable but it can go down for an hour here and there not really a problem. Get 2 accounts with 2 different providers if it's a concern. You'll need to setup a company to get a work permit (maybe $1,000-2,000).
I know there's people in Bangkok doing IM stuff but don't know of anyone else in Phuket (if there are others maybe we should do a meetup?)
Feel free to PM me if you have any questions.
 
you've got to decide if you want city or beach. also, i wouldn't rule out chiang mai...it's more laid back than bangkok and cooler than phuket IMO. you really should just move to where you're interested in, then decide from there what you like best...or travel to each for a bit and make up your mind.

phuket is where australian tourists go to get drunk and lay on the beach...it's very scenic...but it's also extremely touristy. bangkok is one of the most visited places on earth, but it's also HUGE. the internet is fine in bangkok and phuket and it won't be hard at all to get internet. bangkok is far more advanced than most places in the US in a lot of ways and most ISPs are used to foreigners wanting internet/phones/TV (so it's an extremely easy process).

i would be a bit worried about the quality of food in phuket. it's not going to be anywhere near as good as what you can get in bangkok/chiang mai if you know thai people who know where all the delicious stuff is. that said, it should be pretty tasty in phuket. just more foreign food and standard thai food in phuket. bangkok has 50,000 restaurants. in my opinion, bangkok is pretty optimal because there are plenty of beaches nearby (though not nearly as nice as phuket) where you can go on the weekend and relax. plane tickets are cheap to everywhere else in asia, so it's a good base of operations IMO.

vietnam/china, as Dr. Ngo says, is very cool too. vietnam is like thailand in that the culture is very unique and the food is ridiculously good. china is obviously like that too, but huge and with lots of cultures. i lived in malaysia for five years when i was little and loved it, but i don't think that'd be where i'd go now.
 
Honestly speaking, Malaysia just sux now. They just ruined it in the last few years with all the nonsense going on in that country. Used to be a great place back in 2000
 
I think anyone moving to Phuket to be near the beach is going to be dissapointed once they arrive. All of the Costal beach in Thailand near populated areas are filthy, highly-polluted messes that I couldn't get myself to dip a toe into... Because it might come out with a plastic bag wrapped around it and 3 toxins coating it.

If you actually want the beach lifestyle in Thailand you need to get off the grid or even off the mainland. Koh Samui had some great beaches, but being an island the internet connection there is slow as shit.

So really, it's kind of a trade between nice beaches and internet speed in Thailand. Pick one; you can't have both, unless you're immune to pollution, that is.
 
I have been in Singapore for 11 years. Time for a change.

vinnythejinny said:
i always thought u live in Singapore? if yes, then why go to phuket? I dont know the tax laws but if there is a clear advantage then why not? I moved to singapore for lower taxes and better lifestyle.
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Phuket has a lot of drawbacks, I'd say. Taxis can be borderline extortionate and beligerrant and it's not fun to deal with taxis and tuk tuks in any tourist place in Thailand, really. Bangkok is no problem for taxis.

And it's just a tourist area so it can get tiring to live in a tourist area and crime is generally higher in tourist areas in Thailand. I'd say, don't do the permanent move there. Try it out for 3 months, first.

I lived in Bangkok for 3 years and it's just a place that can really get old with all the traffic, heat, constant concrete with little nature areas, etc. But I'd prefer it over Phuket! Phuket's absolutely beautiful but just tourist areas everywhere.
 
taktikz said:
wtf is up with everyone going to thailand? There are much better alternatives closer to the US...
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Why not list a few along with your experience living there?

When considering long-term residence, most places in the Caribbean are either too small (Aruba), suffer Somalia levels of murder (Jamaica) or are overrun with cruise ships (St Thomas).
 
another reason why so many people move to Thailand is because it's so easy to get visas (and keep getting them) as a tourist. argentina is like that too. but, if i move to brazil, i think i can only stay for 6 months max and then can't return for another six months.

one thing i'd caution people on is moving to thailand 'because things are cheaper'. a lot of things are (most thai food), but a lot things aren't (rent). i feel like i spend way more money here than i did in the US because there's so much more to do (compared to where i was living in the US). it would be hard for me to get too tired of bangkok because there are so many different areas that i never go to that are quite a bit different from the places i do go. also, like most big cities, it's always changing!

i personally find bangkok more inspiring than the US, everyday i see about 5 lamborghinis. awhile ago i saw what looked like a 17 year old driving a hot pink, brand new bentley (and most cars cost 3 times what they would in the US because of import taxes). people here aren't all sad about the 'bad economy' because the economy isn't bad. there must be 50 skyscrapers being built in bangkok right now.
 
It's kind of interesting, as doodles says, how Thailand is on an economic counter cycle from the west. That isn't necessarily a good thing if your affiliate monies are being paid in US dollars - it has weakened steadily against the Thai baht for years and with US money printing running wide open the future won't be looking any brighter for exchange rates.

Bangkok is damn interesting if you get out and make local friends and find stuff. But it is so damn filthy that you have to live in an air con bubble, holding your breath while dashing from house to taxi to mall/club. I moved up-country seven years ago. Phuket so sucks from being completely overdeveloped and run by mafia that rip all the tourists. I don't even visit there anymore.

As for setting up a legit business, as a foreigner you are completely ripped by the govt with ridiculous capital requirements and fees and unfriendly visa requirements. Most people do it "informally".
 
My GF and I spent 9 months living in Phuket last year and would definitely recommend it.

We were living in a 2 bed house in Chalong which was 19,000 THB per month. This is obviously expensive by Thai standards but we needed somewhere where we could have a good working environment too and it was near to the muay thai camp where we were training as well.

For us it was cheap anyway as we were coming from a £1300/month 1 bed flat in London to a place less than £400/month which was much bigger.

We had 4meg broadband with TOT and I don't remember exactly how much that was a month but it was around £10 and we only had a problem with it once in the 9 months.

Phuket is good if you like the beach life. Forget what people are saying about it being stupidly busy, you can get a boat over to places like Coral Island from Rawaii for a few £s and it's like you're on your own island.

Don't expect to spend much less money than you would in the US but your standard of living will probably be higher.

Phuket town is very touristy and busy but not the whole of Phuket. I see that as a good thing though as it allows you to go and get involved in some western influence when you want it but be far enough away when you've had enough.

Taxis are definitely a joke in terms of how expensive they are though.

We didn't bother with business regulations and had 1 year multi-entry education visas.
 
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