Having made the decision to make a new life in Thailand, there are a few arrangements that you may wish to make in your home country before you depart. These mainly center on tax and insurance arrangements, winding up or maintaining your home country bank account, shipping of personal belongings you cannot bear to be without, making sure your vaccinations for Thailand are up to date, and ensuring you have enoough money to give you a good start in Thailand. This chapter covers all of these issues and more.

• Before You Leave For Thailand
• Setting Up In Thailand
• The Cost Of Living
• Adjusting To Life In Thailand

Settling into life in Thailand is a trial for some, while others find it to be no problem. Living in Thailand is very different from visiting on holiday or for business and there will be a lot to learn. Thailand can be a very frustrating place for those who are used to a well-ordered society where everything works and an individual's wants and needs are easily met. You may find that nothing in Thailand is well made, there is no concept of after-sales service, it is noisy, polluted, full of angry dogs, and people break promises with indifference. Add to this the heat, strange language and seeming chaos of everyday life and the task of settling in can seem quite daunting. Nobody moves to Thailand without making some mistakes, but if you reason that this is just part of a normal learning curve that everyone has to go through, then the journey will be easier. While there can never be a 'one size fits all' set of advice, here are a few tips that might help to make the adjustment process as smooth as possible...