The Hardest Things About Being an American Living in Southeast Asia (2025 Edition)

The Hardest Things About Being an American Living in Southeast Asia (2025 Edition)

Hey guys, Gio on the go here. I’ve been living in Southeast Asia for 9 plus years now. The Philippines for the longest amount of time. Uh Vietnam, Thailand, and multiple multiple trips to Malaysia. And let me tell you, it’s amazing, but it’s not always easy. So today, I want to break down some of the hardest things about living in Southeast Asia in 2025 as an American. So, if you’re thinking about moving here or even really just curious about what life is like out here, then this video is for you. Because a lot of people just see the sunshine, the beaches, the low cost of living, and they assume it’s all paradise. But living longterm here will challenge you emotionally, culturally, and personally. And that’s exactly what we’re diving into today. Stick around. and stuck in my head. Southeast Asia calling me instead. Bangkok nights in Bali shores. Sick of dreaming something more. Pack your bags, don’tesitate. Well, the weather is starting to warm back up again in Bangkok. So, I was trying to do videos out and about a little bit outside cafes, but it’s getting a little hot. So, back in the mall we are. I call this my office. Office away from home. So, uh, first thing I want to talk about is how culture shock can hit hard. The first few months are actually usually the easiest because I call them the honeymoon phase and everything is just wonderful and great and new and exciting. But after after a while, you’ll start to notice differences everywhere. How people interact, how traffic works, even how businesses operate. and simple things like paying a bill, getting groceries, or navigating a city suddenly become a bit more complicated. And then you start to realize you’re not just a tourist anymore because that first few months you really are still in that tourist mode. And it’s kind of important to try to get yourself out of that mode as quickly as possible. Not only because of the spending habits are much higher, but you’re not really going to know exactly what it feels like living in a country until you get out of that tourist mode. And then again, you you realize you’re living here and the rules are not the same. They can be much different in many cases. And then the second thing is that the language barriers are real. And I think the Philippines is the biggest misconception. People go there, oh, they all speak English. Yeah, a lot of them may speak English, but on what level of proficiency? It’s not always the best. Sometimes it’s just really basic English or they’re shy to speak English because they’re they get made fun of by other Filipinos or most of the time, you know, when you’re out and about, you’re not really hearing English. You’re hearing them interact with each other in their local language. So, you’re still not going to know really what’s going on. Now, if you speak to them at the store, then they may break break out in English and be able to help you. But sometimes it is not as good as you previously had thought or were led to believe. Even in cities where English is common, like, you know, Sabu and Dumaged, you’ll run into situations where not everyone speaks it. I I run into that in Bangkok all the time. Uh, but for the most part, I’ve been pleasantly surprised with Bangkok with the amount of English spoken here. But often sometimes it’s just basic just enough like the waitress knows enough to take your order and basic things like that. If you want to sit down and talk to her in depth, you know, she’s probably going to be lost. And I found this to be the case even in the Philippines. Um, often they know the English to kind of answer some basic questions for the store. But if you start getting into more details, you’re going to find that uh there is a English barrier there. Medical appointments, government offices, or even ordering local food, you can have misunderstandings quite often. In fact, again, I can’t tell you how many times, actually, believe it or not, Bangkok, I seem to always get my order correct. In the Philippines, I would always get my order messed up. And you would think it’d be the opposite because they would speak better English in the Philippines, but believe it or not, the Philippines is the one that would usually mess up my food orders or my restaurant orders. And it can be frustrating especially when you order a hot coffee and out comes a iced coffee which you did not want. You’re looking forward to your hot cappuccino. And then you know in the Philippines sometimes if they mess up on an order that mess up can come out of their check out of their paycheck. So you got to be really careful. You really want to make sure they understand. Bangkok I don’t think they do that but in the Philippines they do. And yes, Google Translate helps, you know, for here, the Philippines, not so much, but here it definitely helps, but it’s not perfect. So, you do have to be patient and flexible. And the third thing is going to be missing home and family, especially around like the holidays, like this time of year. You know, being away from friends and family, uh, can be very difficult at times. You know, you miss the birthdays, the holidays, the big events. you know, you hear about, oh, we all got together and we did this and you just feel kind of left out, but that’s kind of the price you pay, you know, for moving overseas. And the time zones, of course, make things tricky and making calling back home a little difficult. And sometimes you do feel a little isolated, you know, especially when, you know, like just recently my uh mom and my sister and my son uh all got together for Christmas and I was like feeling like uh god I wish I would have went home. Uh but I really hate the winters. So I usually try to stick to spring and fall now. Summer not so much, but spring and fall is usually the two times of the year that I go back. But even after 9 plus years, there are times that I really miss familiar things. Not just people, but like routines, and conveniences. Like I really miss driving a car. Um that’s like one of my highlights every time I go back to the US is jumping in that car and getting on the interstate and going places and how smooth and everything goes for the most part for traffic. Now, I’m I’m not in New York City or Chicago or LA, so I’m in a smaller city, so it’s enjoyable and I like it. I like having that freedom, which you don’t really have here. And number four is going to be bureaucracy and paperwork. This would frustrate the heck out of me in the Philippines. Visas, permits, taxes, driver’s license, it they all can be a headache. Again, um overseas you don’t really know the procedure and in the Philippines it would be like you would go into one place and they would say one thing and then you’d go into another and they would say something different. So it got to be uh quite frustrating. Every country is going to have different rules. Every office has a different way of doing things. In the Philippines, you could go to one bank branch and then go to the exact same bank but a different branch and they have a different way of doing things and it would be extremely frustrating and sometimes it feels like nothing makes sense whatsoever. It tests your patience and honestly you get pretty good at smiling when you’re waiting in line and that’s another thing waiting in line. Uh people often cut in front of you and you kind of got to get aggressive even though you don’t want to. But if you’re going to get in line and you want your fair share or your turn, then sometimes you have to. And number five would be tech and security challenges. Here’s one a lot of expats underestimate. Staying secure online. Public Wi-Fi is everywhere. Cafes, hotels, airports, but it’s not always secure. Banking, passwords, personal info, all can be at risk if you’re not careful. Which brings me to something I personally use and recommend. Surf SharkVPN is my go-to tool for living safely online overseas. It encrypts your data on public Wi-Fi, protects your banking and personal accounts, blocks trackers, and even lets you access content you couldn’t access without the VPN. My Netflix account, my Hulu, HBO, TB, just different streaming services in also different websites. You can use it on unlimited devices. So, your phone, your laptop, your TV, all secure. So, if you’re traveling here or moving here, a VPN is a must. I’ll leave my link in the description and also the pin comment if you want to grab it. They’re having a Black Friday sale. Best option is to purchase it now while the sale is going on. And it’s going to be the easiest way to stay online safe and secure while traveling or living overseas, particular Southeast Asia. Number six is health care in emergencies. Medical systems are going to be different in every country. Some are great, some are not. Uh the Philippines can be a real nightmare. Here, I found it to be very quick, efficient, and very affordable. You may have to pay upfront and get reimbured later if you have insurance or maybe travel medical insurance, which I offer down in the uh description as well. Or you might encounter language issues when describing the symptoms. even in again in the Philippines. Here in Bangkok, they assign a nurse with you uh who speaks English and she kind of goes around and uh takes care of everything for you, which is fantastic, at least at the hospital near me that I recently went to. It can be stressful if you’re used to the US system, but it’s manageable once you know where to go and how to prepare. Number seven is loneliness and social adjustment. Making friends can be a little bit harder than most people uh think. It uh can be isolating out here and it’s not always easy to make friends because sometimes they’re just coming and going or they’re moving from one place to another. It happens all the time. You make friends and they go take off and they go move to a new island in the Philippines or a new city or maybe they move to a new country like me personally. I was in the Philippines. I had a lot of friends and up I went uh to a new country altogether. You can meet a lot of people here, but meaningful friendships, they definitely take time and are not so easy to come by. It uh takes a while to meet people that uh where you can build a meaningful friendship and that are going to be around for a while. Cultural differences, they can create misunderstandings and some people, like I said, may leave after a few months and that can be kind of discouraging. You know, you get to be good friends with somebody and boom, they take off. You need patience and resilience to create a social circle that sticks around. Number eight is going to be financial realities. You know, the cost of living out here is low. It really is, but it’s not free from surprises. You still got those emergencies that pop up. You know, example, I do editing. I needed a new laptop. Um, I had to go to the doctor not not too long ago. So expats often underestimate rent if they want a really good place. You know, they want something nice. Healthc care, travel costs, visa renewals, all these things add up and unexpected fees pop up constantly. I’m constantly having, it’s no different from the west to here that things pop up. emergencies, uh you need a ticket back home, somebody passed away, somebody’s really sick, you want to get home for the holidays, all these things add up. Learning to budget carefully and have an emergency plan is essential out here in Southeast Asia. And trust me, it saves a lot of stress if you have yourself a nice budget set in place and you have an emergency fund in case something happens. And then number nine is going to be adapting to local norms. you you’re going to quickly learn that you you can’t impose your American expectations everywhere. It just does not work. You have to be the one who is flexible and who changes your norms. You can’t expect them to change their norms in their country. Traffic rules, service speed, social etiquets, it’s all different. And being frustrated won’t help. Especially out here in Asia where saving face is a thing. You don’t want to get upset and angry. It’s not going to make things better. The sooner you accept the local norms, the happier you will be. Patience, flexibility, and respect go a long way in Asia. So, what’s the takeaway from today’s video? Being an American living in Southeast Asia is incredible. Trust me, it’s been an incredible experience, but it’s going to come with real challenges. Culture shock, language barriers, missing home, bureaucracy, financial surprises, all of it tests you constantly. But overcoming these challenges is what makes life abroad so rewarding. You learn patience, resilience, and a new appreciation for life that I didn’t have before. So guys, if you found this video helpful, hit that like button, subscribe, share it, and hit the bell notification so you’re updated every time I come out with a new video. And I would love to hear your comments. So please comment down below and let me know your opinion or what was the most difficult thing for you to overcome living over here in Southeast Asia or even traveling. What’s the hardest thing you faced while living overseas or what do you think would be the hardest thing for you to overcome? And if you want to go deeper, I also offer consultations in behind the scenes looks at life over in Southeast Asia on my Patreon account or my YouTube membership. Links are down below. Thanks for watching, guys, and I’ll see you in the next one. Let’s go before it’s too late. Time keeps slipping away from us. Keep living like this. Away from us. Away from us. Let’s go. Oh. Oh. Oh. Go.

🌏 Top Resources for Expats & Travelers in SE Asia
My go-to tools for living, dating, traveling, and staying prepared abroad.

🔐 Online Security
Surfshark VPN – Protect your data, unblock sites.
https://get.surfshark.net/aff_c?offer_id=934&aff_id=17091&url_id=1320

💸 Money & Essentials
Traveling Mailbox – Manage your U.S. mail online.
https://travelingmailbox.com/?ref=1384

🎒 Essential Travel Gear (My personal picks)
All my must-have travel gear in one place.

GIO’S ESSENTIALS

📞 1-on-1 Consultations
Relocation, dating, lifestyle advice.
https://calendly.com/gioonthego

💘 Dating
ThaiFriendly → https://www.thaifriendly.com/?affid=3494

PinaLove → https://www.pinalove.com/?ai=3494&cid=1

💉 Travel & Health Insurance
Ekta – Affordable, visa-friendly travel insurance.
https://ektatraveling.tp.st/fO4cVbN1

Michael Onstad / LOC Consultants – Custom expat coverage.
https://www.facebook.com/monstad1

💸 Money & Essentials
Wise – Low-fee international transfers.
https://wise.com/invite/dic/giovannis229

Onward Ticket – Proof of onward travel.
https://onwardticket.com/giointhephilippines

Holafly eSIM – Instant mobile data. Code: GIOINTHEPHILIPPINES
https://holafly.sjv.io/POrKr6

🏨 Flights & Accommodation
Agoda – Hotels & condos.
https://bit.ly/38CvDgr

Skyscanner – Find cheap flights.
https://skyscanner.pxf.io/EK0dVP

🌍 How I Save on Travel & Living Overseas
Capital One Rewards Credit Card – Book flights, hotels, restaurants, and daily expenses with ease.
https://i.capitalone.com/JehWGNx51

📲 Follow Me
Website: https://giointhephilippines.com
or https://gioonthego.net/ or https://gioonthego.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GiointhePhilippines

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gio_on_the_go__/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@gio_on_the_go
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⚠ Note: Some links are affiliate links. I only recommend products and services I personally use.