Living in Asia for a Year
Dec 13th, 2005, 09:47 AM
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Living in Asia for a Year
My wife and I are thinking about living in Asia for a year. The big question is which country. We are both British passport holders and we are looking for a location that is very easy to get a long-term visa for. Also a location with a low cost of living but with good standards. We are hoping to rent a small house or apartment in a town of close to a city. We are open to all suggestions.
Thanks in advance
Richard & Laura
Photos from our travels around the world:
http://www.franceinfocus.net/vlc6.html
Thanks in advance
Richard & Laura
Photos from our travels around the world:
http://www.franceinfocus.net/vlc6.html
Dec 13th, 2005, 10:40 AM
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i have been living for almost 1 year in Beijing CHINA with my boyfriend (American). the cost of living is very low here...and it is relatively easy to find work. i am teaching English, and he is editing for a newspaper. you might consider CHINA...i'd be glad to tell you more if you are interested.
Dec 13th, 2005, 12:35 PM
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Richard and Laura, I believe you'd need to have employment lined up to obtain more than a 3-month tourist visa for China - susannahlynn might be able to comment there. As I'm sure she'll tell you, teaching English has its own challenges - some employers are dodgy.
I loved visiting China and found Beijing to be an interesting city, but that was on the strength of a week's visit, in ideal weather. I'm told that the pre-Olympics building boom has created an accommodation glut, but location would be an issue if you're dependent on public transport other than subway - traffic can be dire. As can air pollution, if you're sensitive to that. Then there's the weather. And the sewerage system (you don't flush your toilet paper - I presume that hotels have some way of dealing with that problem, as we only became aware of it when we stayed in our daughters' apartment for a week).
Oh, and in apartment buildings (in the city of Dalian at least - don't know if it's a universal rule) the lifts don't service floors 2-7. If you're on floor 6, say, you'll develop very good leg muscles.
Very few Chinese speak English, of course - which to look on the positive side would give you an excellent motivation to learn some Mandarin.
I don't mean to be negative, least of all about the Chinese people, who we found overwhelmingly cheerful, gregarious and helpful - but you need to go in with your eyes open as to what degree of "culture shock" you can live with. Young people, the bulk of expats in China, tend to be more open and adaptable than grumpy old buggers like me.
When you think of "Asia", though, what do you visualise? Would I be safe in assuming the tropics? I'm not familiar with Thailand, but its overwhelming popularity with Americans on this forum suggests that it's relatively foreigner-friendly, and of course the food is great. You might like to check out this former thread on the subject of Thai "geezer visas": www.fodors.com/forums/
threadselect.jsp?fid=27&tid=34661648
Good luck.
I loved visiting China and found Beijing to be an interesting city, but that was on the strength of a week's visit, in ideal weather. I'm told that the pre-Olympics building boom has created an accommodation glut, but location would be an issue if you're dependent on public transport other than subway - traffic can be dire. As can air pollution, if you're sensitive to that. Then there's the weather. And the sewerage system (you don't flush your toilet paper - I presume that hotels have some way of dealing with that problem, as we only became aware of it when we stayed in our daughters' apartment for a week).
Oh, and in apartment buildings (in the city of Dalian at least - don't know if it's a universal rule) the lifts don't service floors 2-7. If you're on floor 6, say, you'll develop very good leg muscles.
Very few Chinese speak English, of course - which to look on the positive side would give you an excellent motivation to learn some Mandarin.
I don't mean to be negative, least of all about the Chinese people, who we found overwhelmingly cheerful, gregarious and helpful - but you need to go in with your eyes open as to what degree of "culture shock" you can live with. Young people, the bulk of expats in China, tend to be more open and adaptable than grumpy old buggers like me.
When you think of "Asia", though, what do you visualise? Would I be safe in assuming the tropics? I'm not familiar with Thailand, but its overwhelming popularity with Americans on this forum suggests that it's relatively foreigner-friendly, and of course the food is great. You might like to check out this former thread on the subject of Thai "geezer visas": www.fodors.com/forums/
threadselect.jsp?fid=27&tid=34661648
Good luck.
Dec 13th, 2005, 05:40 PM
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i think you may want to consider malaysia. relatively low cost of living for the standards that you get. no natural disasters, english widely spoken, easy access to rest of the region and the world. if you prefer quieter cities, then you can consider ipoh or kuching. kuala lumpur, as you can imagine, would be much more hectic.
to know more, you can have a look at this website
http://www.retiringinmalaysia.com/aboutus.html
to know more, you can have a look at this website
http://www.retiringinmalaysia.com/aboutus.html
Dec 13th, 2005, 06:03 PM
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Do you want to live as a non-working person, or do you want to work? That makes a big difference in your visa. Every country has different requirements for long-term visas, some require more money than others. Best to check directly with the embassy/consul of the countries you are thinking about for their exact requirements.
Another option would be to plan short trips out of the country of your choice every 90 days or thereabouts (again, each country is different) to renew your tourist visa on arrival over a course of several arrivals. Advantage of this might be it is simple in terms of paperwork. Disadvantage might be being refused entry for another stay...don't know if this happens, but I can't say it doesn't happen. I know a couple of people who live in Bali this way, taking a weekend to KP or Singapore every 3 months.
Another option would be to plan short trips out of the country of your choice every 90 days or thereabouts (again, each country is different) to renew your tourist visa on arrival over a course of several arrivals. Advantage of this might be it is simple in terms of paperwork. Disadvantage might be being refused entry for another stay...don't know if this happens, but I can't say it doesn't happen. I know a couple of people who live in Bali this way, taking a weekend to KP or Singapore every 3 months.
Dec 13th, 2005, 06:32 PM
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If you aren't planning on working and therefore being sponsored by an employer for a work permit, the first thing I suggest you do is some research on which countries offer UK passport holders the option to have long-term tourist visas. You should start with the embassies or high commissions of the various countries you are interested in. It may be the members of Commonwealth nations, such as Malaysia and India, may offer UK passport holders more long-term visa options than countries such as China or Thailand.
If you do not have to work, you might consider attending some sort of degree program at a university and therefore going in on a student visa.
I assume you don't speak any Asian languages.
I think China may be hard for a year due to language and visa issues. Outside of the major cities, which can be quite expensive for the quality of housing you may want or expect, you will find sub-standard housing and also a great lack of English.
Some places/countries to consider that would fit your criteria and where language would not be such an issue would be:
Bali or other parts of Indonesia. On Bali, there are many rental options all over the island, many westerners rent and own homes here, certainly a lovely place to do nothing for a year.
Malaysia (outside of KL which I think is expensive), consider the east coast places like Kuantan or Kuala Terrenganu along the lovely coast. On the west coast, Malacca or Penang might be interesting for a year.
India, exclusive of Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai, Calcutta which you will find expensive for housing, Hyderabad is becoming expensive as well, consider places further outside these cities or places in more remote small towns. Certainly a great place for a year as you could travel all over the country. Climate is an issue here, as from April through October it is generally extremely hot in most parts. Coastal areas might be nice, maybe Kerala or Goa.
Thailand, again avoiding Bangkok as it is too expensive IMO for the quality of housing you would want. Consider maybe some of the coast areas or inland areas around Chiang Rai.
Japan and Singapore would be too expensive as housing is quite expensive, esp Japan. It may be possible to find some cheaper housing in Singapore, but I am pretty sure they would not welcome long-stay visas even for UK passport holders if you are not working.
I live in Hong Kong, which is somewhat expensive for housing; however if you look in the outlying islands of Hong Kong like Lantau or the Sai Kung area in the New Territories, you will find much more reasonable housing. Other than housing the cost of living is quite reasonable, public transport is cheap and excellent if you avoid expensive restaurants you can live quite modestly. As an example I go to a local salon and pay US$15 for a haircut (woman's cut and style), you can of course pay US$150 if you want to go to a high-end salon here, but you don't have to. Get a copy of The South China Morning Post, which is the main English-language newspaper in Hong Kong. Take a look at their classified ads for flats; this section is especially large on Saturdays and Sundays If you live in a major city, you should be able to buy a copy, or your library may have back issues or can borrow them from another library. You can also look at classified adds on line. Go to their website at scmp.com. On the main page, scroll to the very bottom and under "Specials" in the fine print you will see a link for "classifiedpost.com". Click this, and you will be brought to a new page. Scroll all the way to the bottom of this and in the black shaded area, click on "Property". You will go to a new page. In the window on the upper left where it says "Choose Property Type", scroll down to "Residential" and you can search by area, you should look at "Kowloon N.T.– To Let". You can get an idea of prices. Another good property agent I have used is at http://www.habitat-property.com, they mostly list on Hong Kong Island but sometimes have Lantau and New Territory listings. You can search by price. (Prices are monthly, not weekly as UK listings usually are given.)
Those are my initial thoughts. Also you would need to look into health insurance coverage while you are aboard. Also make sure that a year long residence would not expose you to liability to paying income tax in the country in which you chose to live.
Personally, if I had a year and did not have to work, I would spend about 3 months in various countries (most countries give you a 90 day tourist visa) and rent short-term flats. You can see more countries this way. I did this myself in 1993, and can't wait to do it again.....
If you do not have to work, you might consider attending some sort of degree program at a university and therefore going in on a student visa.
I assume you don't speak any Asian languages.
I think China may be hard for a year due to language and visa issues. Outside of the major cities, which can be quite expensive for the quality of housing you may want or expect, you will find sub-standard housing and also a great lack of English.
Some places/countries to consider that would fit your criteria and where language would not be such an issue would be:
Bali or other parts of Indonesia. On Bali, there are many rental options all over the island, many westerners rent and own homes here, certainly a lovely place to do nothing for a year.
Malaysia (outside of KL which I think is expensive), consider the east coast places like Kuantan or Kuala Terrenganu along the lovely coast. On the west coast, Malacca or Penang might be interesting for a year.
India, exclusive of Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai, Calcutta which you will find expensive for housing, Hyderabad is becoming expensive as well, consider places further outside these cities or places in more remote small towns. Certainly a great place for a year as you could travel all over the country. Climate is an issue here, as from April through October it is generally extremely hot in most parts. Coastal areas might be nice, maybe Kerala or Goa.
Thailand, again avoiding Bangkok as it is too expensive IMO for the quality of housing you would want. Consider maybe some of the coast areas or inland areas around Chiang Rai.
Japan and Singapore would be too expensive as housing is quite expensive, esp Japan. It may be possible to find some cheaper housing in Singapore, but I am pretty sure they would not welcome long-stay visas even for UK passport holders if you are not working.
I live in Hong Kong, which is somewhat expensive for housing; however if you look in the outlying islands of Hong Kong like Lantau or the Sai Kung area in the New Territories, you will find much more reasonable housing. Other than housing the cost of living is quite reasonable, public transport is cheap and excellent if you avoid expensive restaurants you can live quite modestly. As an example I go to a local salon and pay US$15 for a haircut (woman's cut and style), you can of course pay US$150 if you want to go to a high-end salon here, but you don't have to. Get a copy of The South China Morning Post, which is the main English-language newspaper in Hong Kong. Take a look at their classified ads for flats; this section is especially large on Saturdays and Sundays If you live in a major city, you should be able to buy a copy, or your library may have back issues or can borrow them from another library. You can also look at classified adds on line. Go to their website at scmp.com. On the main page, scroll to the very bottom and under "Specials" in the fine print you will see a link for "classifiedpost.com". Click this, and you will be brought to a new page. Scroll all the way to the bottom of this and in the black shaded area, click on "Property". You will go to a new page. In the window on the upper left where it says "Choose Property Type", scroll down to "Residential" and you can search by area, you should look at "Kowloon N.T.– To Let". You can get an idea of prices. Another good property agent I have used is at http://www.habitat-property.com, they mostly list on Hong Kong Island but sometimes have Lantau and New Territory listings. You can search by price. (Prices are monthly, not weekly as UK listings usually are given.)
Those are my initial thoughts. Also you would need to look into health insurance coverage while you are aboard. Also make sure that a year long residence would not expose you to liability to paying income tax in the country in which you chose to live.
Personally, if I had a year and did not have to work, I would spend about 3 months in various countries (most countries give you a 90 day tourist visa) and rent short-term flats. You can see more countries this way. I did this myself in 1993, and can't wait to do it again.....
Dec 13th, 2005, 06:44 PM
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Since the 30 day visa was implemented in Indonesia it's become very difficult to stay in Bali for more than one month without a work or study permit. Having said that, Indonesia is a "flexible" country and there are all sorts of ways to get around the official rules, usually involving money changing hands.
Most commonly foreigners just overstay their visas and pay an arbitrary "fee" at departure. Some people are more comfortable with this arrangement than others. I'm told it works well.
Another option is more foreigners to get work permits for token jobs, like teaching English. You don't actually have to teach. A facilitator will arrange the "job" and the visa. Since the cost of living is very low in Indonesia, it can compensate for the cost of the visa.
Living in Singapore is another option. It's not the cheapest but stay visas are fairly easy to come by and if you're willing to live in the more remote parts of the island (it's a small island and transportation is good) you can get a reasonable monthly rate. The advantage of Singapore is that you could use it as a base to travel cheaply to the rest of Asia.
In Hong Kong, you could take a look at the outer islands, like Lamma or Lantau, for less expensive rentals. I believe it's still fairly easy to get a 3 month tourist visa for Hong Kong which could be renewed in a day trip to Macau.
Most commonly foreigners just overstay their visas and pay an arbitrary "fee" at departure. Some people are more comfortable with this arrangement than others. I'm told it works well.
Another option is more foreigners to get work permits for token jobs, like teaching English. You don't actually have to teach. A facilitator will arrange the "job" and the visa. Since the cost of living is very low in Indonesia, it can compensate for the cost of the visa.
Living in Singapore is another option. It's not the cheapest but stay visas are fairly easy to come by and if you're willing to live in the more remote parts of the island (it's a small island and transportation is good) you can get a reasonable monthly rate. The advantage of Singapore is that you could use it as a base to travel cheaply to the rest of Asia.
In Hong Kong, you could take a look at the outer islands, like Lamma or Lantau, for less expensive rentals. I believe it's still fairly easy to get a 3 month tourist visa for Hong Kong which could be renewed in a day trip to Macau.
Dec 13th, 2005, 06:54 PM
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Which countries in Asia have you visited? What did you like or dislike?
From your website I only see India and Sri Lanka as places you've visited in Asia. If you haven't visited other places in Asia, I'd suggest that in additon to checking on visa issues you might want to visit the countries that you find as possibilities.
From your website I only see India and Sri Lanka as places you've visited in Asia. If you haven't visited other places in Asia, I'd suggest that in additon to checking on visa issues you might want to visit the countries that you find as possibilities.
Dec 13th, 2005, 06:57 PM
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I really like the idea of moving around from time to time that cicerone mentioned. You can avoid the whole issue of complicated visas, proof of adequate funds, etc...get a travel medical policy for a year...I've seen several companies that offer these...Lloyds is one of them...You could see a lot of places at a leisurely pace.
Dec 13th, 2005, 08:41 PM
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CHINA can be relatively easy to obtain a work VISA. if you teach English for a company here, they will arrange one for you...you just have to pay about $200 for a 6 month work VISA with mult. entries. You can easily just come to CHINA, and meet other foreigners who can help you out with job contacts. "Modern English" is the co. I work for and although it isn't a wonderful co., it is terribly easy to get a VISA through them. you can work for 1 week, get your VISA, and then never work again for them. It is not well-regulated. However, they are weird rules to renting and living in Beijing/CHINA. you must register with the police office, and buying electricity, gas, water, and DSL can be frustrating. I suggest you find a foreign friendly agency to assist you with all of this. We did this and it hasn't been awful...keep in mind, in CHINA, you can bargain for everything, including RENT. In fact, i think you SHOULD always bargain, assume they are over-charging you...check out: www.thatsbj.com
about the weather...it's like New York City, but more polluted and crowded. the traffic is awful, but you can easily take the subway to get around the center of the city. taxi's are not very expensive either. if you don't like cities and are looking for a relaxing, beautiful spot, don't come to CHINA (i haven't been to South China, though...). The people here are welcoming...the food is great and cheap and abundant...and you can work a lot less than at home...plenty of time to meet up with people, take on new hobbies and learn about a different culture. good-luck!
about the weather...it's like New York City, but more polluted and crowded. the traffic is awful, but you can easily take the subway to get around the center of the city. taxi's are not very expensive either. if you don't like cities and are looking for a relaxing, beautiful spot, don't come to CHINA (i haven't been to South China, though...). The people here are welcoming...the food is great and cheap and abundant...and you can work a lot less than at home...plenty of time to meet up with people, take on new hobbies and learn about a different culture. good-luck!
Dec 14th, 2005, 04:48 AM
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Much overlooked on this forum is the Philippines. The cost of living there is quite cheap and English is spoken by everyone. I think you would find little in the way of culture shock as compared to China or India. Anyone thinking of living abroad should follow the sage advice given here by the other postersd and for sure visit the country for an extended vacation - 3-4 weeks just to be sure you will be comfortable before taking the plunge.
Jan 13th, 2006, 10:28 PM
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Hi Richard & Laura
we're currently in Bangkok. Husband was working which gave us the right to stay but now we are both taking time off, but still based in Thailand as we love it here. People are wonderful, things are cheap, food is great, culture v. interesting etc.
We'll be doing visa runs though - basically going out to the border every 30 days. We planned to use Thailand as our base and do loads of travelling anyhow around SE Asia etc.
You can apply for visas for 60 days and then extend at the immigration office for another 30 days. Of course all that will cost a bit extra.
I heard that it's really easy to get a longterm visa for Cambodia (at a cost). But I don't think the standard of living will be up to what you might want.
If you were going to go to China, I'd probably check out a city like Hangzhou or Chengdu rather than Beijing/Shanghai.
we're currently in Bangkok. Husband was working which gave us the right to stay but now we are both taking time off, but still based in Thailand as we love it here. People are wonderful, things are cheap, food is great, culture v. interesting etc.
We'll be doing visa runs though - basically going out to the border every 30 days. We planned to use Thailand as our base and do loads of travelling anyhow around SE Asia etc.
You can apply for visas for 60 days and then extend at the immigration office for another 30 days. Of course all that will cost a bit extra.
I heard that it's really easy to get a longterm visa for Cambodia (at a cost). But I don't think the standard of living will be up to what you might want.
If you were going to go to China, I'd probably check out a city like Hangzhou or Chengdu rather than Beijing/Shanghai.
