Barton Walters

Most expats envision living abroad and taking frequent trips home to see family and friends. Easy if you’re in Panama or Costa Rica. Not so much for Americans living in Southeast Asia. It’s an expensive 20+ hour flight, so back home visits tend to be few and far between. Consequently, I don’t know what it’s like in the U.S. these days. I haven’t been there since 2019. On the flip side, most Americans have no idea what it’s like to live here in Thailand.

Leaving the US to live in a foreign country is a big move and can be a real jolt to your system, especially if you aren’t a veteran traveler. Choosing to live all the way on the other side of the planet, in Asia, significantly compounds the scale of this culture shock. Take someone from the Midwest and drop them off in Bangkok, Bali, or Beijing, and it will surely feel like they’ve been beamed to a galaxy far, far away.

What’s the best time to visit Thailand? It sounds like a simple problem to solve, as it has only three variables: geography, climate, and tourist flow. But, in reality, it’s a little more complicated, especially once you factor in why you’re coming. Thailand stretches more than 1,200 miles from north to south, roughly the distance from Orlando, Florida, to Ottawa, Ontario.