The Best Decision I Ever Made: Moving to Southeast Asia

The Best Decision I Ever Made: Moving to Southeast Asia

Moving to Southeast Asia was the best decision I’ve ever made in my life. So, we’re going to dig into that next. Are you ready? Let’s go. Okay, let’s go. All right. Good morning. It’s JJ the Loll in Asia in my prong, my future Prong Pong neighborhood. We’re um at Beneseri Park, which is the park right off the BTS, and we’re going to talk about my decisions in life since 2012, actually. So, as we walk around uh the park, I’ll I’ll flip the camera and I’ll show you what’s going on here in this smaller park of the two that’s near uh where I’m at. So, this is Benious Siri Park. Not to be confused with Benja Kitty Park, which is the large park. This is Benja Siri. And uh you can see there’s a lot of nice little areas for the kiddies to play. Thailand. Hello. Welcome to Thailand. Oh, thank you. Cupc. So that’s awesome. Anybody that tells you that they’re not friendly here in Thailand hasn’t been here obviously because they are super friendly. Um but anyway, so 2012 is when I got my divorce when I began my divorce um process and it was a long process back in the States. Um, I had to go through two different attorneys because the first one was not doing the job and um, my ex’s attorney was stretching things out, delaying, kept doing, uh, continuations, so I couldn’t get anything done, harassing me at work, and my attorney wasn’t doing anything about it, was dragging her feet. So, I had a friend, this was in Indianapolis. I had a friend in Noblesville. He had a practice in Noblesville. And uh I talked to him one day. I said, “Hey, do you do divorces?” He goes, “Yeah, that’s what I do.” So, so he gave me advice. He says, “Fire your attorney, get all your files from her, and then come to my office.” So, I did that. Went to his office, went through everything. He sped up the process and within a month um my divorce filings were done. The first thing he told me to do or the first thing he did was instead of uh the legal separation which is what she had filed initially um I went a step above that and he filed for actual divorce. So, we did that and then we got the divorce and he he basically told me, “Yeah, if they call you at work, let me know because we can file harassment charges.” Um, so he was great and that process went fairly quickly. Fast forward to 2015 is when I first started traveling to uh Southeast Asia and I was in the Philippines. I was also in Japan. But I’d always thought of myself as kind of a kind of an independent guy, you know, and didn’t mind getting out and adventure. Um, but it was all within the confines of the US. I’d never been out of the country. And even though I thought of myself as kind of adventurous and that black sheep of the family that always traveled, worked in different cities, lived in eight different states in the US uh through my career. Uh I never really did anything outside. was always comfortable staying until 2015 basically. And then I got my first passport and traveled outside of the country and I um and then up in up to 2020 uh I did extended stays outside of my country and then in 2022 I actually moved to the Philippines for work. So basically, I was able to rip off that that plastic bubble wrap that surrounded me and kept me comfortable and I was able to do that and actually moved to the Philippines to Metro Manila in BGC and I lived there for 3 years and then the next layer I got comfortable there and that next layer of bubble wrap I ripped off last year in October. and made the move from the Philippines to Bangkok, Thailand. And I tell you what, every decision I’ve been making since 2012 has been the best decision of my life up to that point. So, I’m just super satisfied with where I’m at in life and how things are going in my life. And I wanted to make this video to let you know that it’s never too late to make that next move. You know, I’m 67 years old and I don’t mind telling people how old I am. Um cuz eventually it’s going to catch up with you. So I want to make sure that people know that you’re never too late. Now there’s all there’s things to keep in mind. Obviously, uh your health, that’s important. Um you know, your your income or your savings, you know, you have to keep those things in mind when thinking about moving, especially to another country because there’s expenses involved. So, you don’t want to uh you definitely don’t want to um jeopardize your health and jeopardize your your savings or anything like that to make a move that you can’t afford. Let’s find a place to sit and talk some more. Okay, so let’s continue the conversation. It’s uh about 10:30 in the morning. It’s starting to get warm. So, I’m starting to sweat a little bit from the walking, but hey, it’s all good. Sweat off some of these pounds. So, when I talk about best decisions, best decisions for me uh in my life. So number one uh over the last 13 years, number one in 2012 starting that divorce and getting divorced, that really kind of was a a a weight taken off my shoulders and it allowed me to do things that I was held back from doing before, like advancing in my career. So once that happened, my career took off and um I really started working at great places, making really good money and being able to pay off debt that I accumulated in the 16 years I was married. The next thing was coming overseas here and then eventually moving overseas uh almost four years ago, three and a half years ago. Um, that was a great decision on my part. I should have done it earlier. I had the opportunity back in the end of 2016 to teach English in China, but I passed that job up. I was I was ready to go. I passed it up and took a job in Louisville, Kentucky. But looking back now, it’s probably a good decision on my part because I was able to get out of debt, um, earn more money, uh, save more money, and, um, basically, um, plan for my future and my retirement. So, when I got the job over here, it was fantastic. And after that job ended a year later in two at the end of 2022, um I decided that I had enough money saved up and enough in um my what I would make as far as retirement that I didn’t need to come back to the US and work till I was 70. So that was another great decision to retire at the beginning of 2023. So that decision really led me to where I’m at today because at that time I was in Metro Manila in BGC, Fifasio Global City and I loved it there and I loved the Philippines but I was ready for a change and I’ve been visiting Thailand and Bangkok specifically uh for the last 3 years and every time I came here I just felt like it was the place I needed to be. So when I made the decision to leave BGC and leave the Philippines, Bangkok was tops on my list and that was the best decision of my life up to now moving here last October uh here in Bangkok. Now my next best decision is finding a place here in the Pong district. Uh, and I found a really nice um, condo which is right down the road here. And I moved the 1st of November. So, by the time you see this video, it’ll only be a couple of weeks away, probably two or three weeks away from me moving. And I’ll do a video when I get all moved in. But, for me at least, I’m making the right decisions. And, um, so far so good. Uh, I love it here in Bangkok. I love Thailand. I love the people. Taking that Thai language school, uh, courses has been a great decision for me. So, slowly but surely, I’ll start to learn the Thai language so I can do a better job assimilating in their culture. Um, dating here in Southeast Asia has been a lot easier than the West. So, that’s another good decision on my part. Um, so everything’s been really, really good. So far, so good, right? Um, I know there’s setbacks. There’s always going to be setbacks. Um, but for the most part, the good outweigh the bad by a lot. So, I have no regrets uh on anything I’ve done in the last 13 years. No regret on the divorce. No regret on uh traveling to Southeast Asia. No regrets on taking the jobs that got me here. No regret on retiring early. No regret on living 3 years in BGC in Metro Manila. And definitely no regret on moving to Bangkok uh last year in October. So I’m coming up on almost a year here, 11 months basically that I’ve lived in Bangkok. So, I’ll probably do a video on my oneyear anniversary here and let you know how things are going. But hey, so far I’ve made the right decisions. Hopefully, whatever those decisions are that you’re going to make, hopefully they’re the right ones for you. Uh, I want you to be happy. I want you to uh, you know, live life like I always say. And, um, you know, whether it’s here in Bangkok or anywhere in Thailand, whether it’s other places in Southeast Asia, maybe it’s uh, maybe it’s staying back at home. whatever the right decision is for you, I hope you make those right decisions and um no regrets. Uh don’t look back. Uh that’s that’s kind of what my motto is. Always look forward, never looking back. And um like I always say, live life. Comment below what you think uh what your thoughts are as far as your decisions. And um as always, live life, my friend. And we’ll talk to you again soon. Take care. Bye-bye. I’m overheating. Can hardly sleep at night [Music] doing crazy dreaming. You’re the reason why [Applause] hiding by the baby losing my mind.

✨ The Best Decision I Ever Made: Moving to Southeast Asia ✨

Ever thought about leaving everything behind and starting fresh in another part of the world? In this video, I share why moving to Southeast Asia was the single best decision of my life. From the cost of living and vibrant culture to the lifestyle changes and opportunities I never expected, this move completely transformed my perspective on life.

Whether you’re curious about expat life, considering retiring abroad, or just dreaming of adventure, this video will give you a real look at what it’s like to live in Southeast Asia as a foreigner.

🌏 Topics Covered:

Why I chose Southeast Asia over other places

What daily life is really like here

The biggest benefits of living abroad

Challenges I faced (and how I overcame them)

Advice for anyone considering making the move

👉 If you’ve ever wondered what life could be like outside your comfort zone, this might give you the inspiration you need.

Don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more insights on expat life, travel, and living abroad!
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Outro music “Emotional Mess” by Amy Lynn & The Honey Men.