# Reflecting on my journey ![ContentThumbnail.png](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/macchiata/48Qu4TXErENAmpHuGSgcdMeCSRxetTfkqCDwopriDghLnmjC8K7jPYxjZ5ebLFGeko.png)

𝓢𝓸𝓶𝓮 𝓸𝓯 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓹𝓮𝓻𝓴𝓼 𝓸𝓯 𝔀𝓪𝓷𝓭𝓮𝓻𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓪𝓻𝓸𝓾𝓷𝓭 𝓱𝓪𝓼 𝓪𝓵𝔀𝓪𝔂𝓼 𝓫𝓮𝓮𝓷 𝓵𝓲𝓿𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓾𝓹 𝓽𝓸 𝓶𝔂 𝓸𝔀𝓷 “𝔀𝓱𝔂” 𝓸𝓯 𝓽𝓻𝓪𝓿𝓮𝓵. 𝓘 𝓶𝓮𝓷𝓽𝓲𝓸𝓷𝓮𝓭 in this post that 𝓘 𝔀𝓸𝓾𝓵𝓭 𝓵𝓸𝓿𝓮 𝓽𝓸 𝓫𝓮𝓽𝓽𝓮𝓻 𝓾𝓷𝓭𝓮𝓻𝓼𝓽𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓭𝓲𝓯𝓯𝓮𝓻𝓮𝓷𝓽 𝔀𝓪𝔂𝓼 𝓸𝓯 𝓵𝓲𝓿𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝔀𝓱𝓪𝓽 𝓲𝓼 𝓶𝓮𝓪𝓷𝓲𝓷𝓰𝓯𝓾𝓵 𝓯𝓸𝓻 𝓹𝓮𝓸𝓹𝓵𝓮 https://peakd.com/travel/@macchiata/the-why-of-travel

I defined that four years ago after being fed-up with the way I was moving around but after recognizing why I “travel” and willing to swap a comfort with much more stable environment for something unpredictable has become a compass to guide me when I feel a little lost and questioning myself. In the end, through these journey, not only do I understand different ways of living but I am discovering myself in it too. This post isn’t just about a reflection what I’ve been doing working and living from Bangkok for a month but you can also find helpful tips and cool places to check out.

First of all, I want to tell you the way I see traveling. I know, the word traveling itself is associate with luxury but it’s not always the case. For example, a person close to me said that it’s only something this person do with disposable income and it’s not something this person would do constantly. In my defense, living and traveling are two different things. It’s definitely by choice but for me, traveling is to live like locals as close as possible. It’s commuting with them, learning their language, eating their food, attending what they call “ entertainment”, and many more things that locals do. However, I recognize that there are some hidden costs associated with this life or rather, lifestyle.

Can anyone be like this? sure, as long as you have the willingness and actually want to live this kind of lifestyle. It might not be for everyone though. People have priorities but they always make things happen for something that truly matters to them and for me, this is my life. It what matters to me and I am going to find ways to continue living this way ;) I talked about comfort level in my previous posts and if you’re okay with living like locals and have the bare necessities to survive, you’re set even in between jobs. I have meet people in between jobs who traveled through SEA. They saved up enough to live there for some years and finally made it came true. But the thing, these days online jobs are everywhere and there are many ways to make money passively and as long as you’re willing to do what it takes to achieve the dream, you can do it. These people inspire me as it’s quite interesting that they’re saving up first before wandering around and not worry about jobs while wandering. ![DSC03204.JPG](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/macchiata/EpxqGq7HbjcsLm61fZn7evCGdmUsbVUjG8D2d9vMuv1HZN6Qn3egcJ9Mgmmuu5A7hMA.JPG) On the flip side of the coin, people said it’s nice that I can earn while wandering but at the same time, my time is divided between many things and it’s not that easy. While they were not thinking about jobs but rather where to go next, I am thinking how I get things done while keeping everything together and not tempted to go out. It all depends on the environment but when I was in Bangkok, I have to say my productivity has decreased quite a lot. Only once I was back home, I get more work done than when I was there. For the first few weeks there, I wasn’t working from a quiet place and only at the end of my stay there, I ended up working from the library which boost my productivity. Another problem was, when I was in Bangkok, I felt very uninspired and my creative level was at its lowest. I often experience days where I had nothing to say but during those process, I was untangling problems that bothered me for quite sometime. It’s not that I am feeling uncomfortable talking about money. I love money, I mean, who doesn’t? but constantly stressing about it, surrounded by people who stress about money despite them having money, it is what makes it feel uncomfortable. It has affected me quite a while and I felt like I was getting caught up in their scarcity mindset. Sometimes I like to do things for free just because; *I believe in the idea of paying it forward and living isn’t always about taking but also giving away something that we can afford to give*. I mean, you do you, right? After untangling those knots, (love this term by @selfhelp4trolls), I felt rejuvenated and feeling way better. I was once more attuned to who I was and what I believed in. I learned my lesson and when I was in Bangkok, I met people who opened up my eyes about abundance mindset and them facing challenges to survive in this unfair world. Their story was moving, difficult, but also inspiring and I admire these people. Safe to say, I can call them friends now :). Sorry for the long-winded reflections, I am sure you’d love to hear the golden nuggets on how to live reasonably in Bangkok and how much it would cost to survive a month in Bangkok as a digital nomad.

![DSC02992.JPG](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/macchiata/EpT2FDxostmMbTcMXcgJQdJ6vifjqsX6C3ZgYDkFK1CMuEFxj8UKFCAWpCaK5yKhkur.JPG) ## Dissecting Cost of Living as Digital Nomad in Bangkok You can customize these costs as your needs but I’ll give you my reasoning why I chose these instead the social-media version of digital nomad life. ## Accommodation If you decide to live in Bangkok, areas that you live in MATTER. It will determine how you’re commuting, the overall vibe of the space, the atmosphere, and also the distance from other attractions, cafe, co-working spaces and things that are happening in the city. My suggestions would be choosing a place very close to BTS or MRT. However, I’d prefer MRT because they’re cheaper and has direct line to Train Station and also easier way to get to the Airport link. They’re better connected to the rest of the city and especially around the interesting sites in Bangkok. My recommendation area would be, upper Sukhumvit, din daeng, ratchada street, Phaya Tai (soi Ai), Saphan Kwai, Phahon Yothin, Lat Phrao. The monthly rental can fit 2 and they can start from $600/month in a simple condo and it can go until $1000/month in these areas. That’s Airbnb price which is often way too expensive even for me. I spent $266/30 days in a shared space, hostel/hotel with free breakfast, daily cleaning, common areas, and TV lounge. The price of private room in that place was the same as condominium with a very spacious room, daily cleaning and same service as the shared space but they have mini fridge inside the room and more amenities than the hostel one. Even for me, I stay in hostels where it’s not too social and often the people there are also fellow digital nomads. The only difference is that some live on the hostel/shared space and some other lived on the private rooms. The great thing about my space was that I get to socialize and getting to know locals and also foreigners who are interested to learn about Thai culture much less “tourist”. ## Transportation In Bangkok, transportation is relative. If you’re not going to bother commuting with public transportation, it’s going to be quite expensive. But if you’re willing to use MRT, BTS, it can be a bit cheaper as a solo traveler. Another alternative is Grab but do it at your own risk and know the risks. If you share the car cost with 2 other people, it’s much more reasonable to do it with grab or indriver. In Bangkok, I would also recommend using Indriver and Bolt as they are cheaper than grab. But for a month, you can budget $50 for transportation of mixed ways of commuting. ## Co-working space Where to work is an important of digital nomad life. I mean you can work anywhere but ideally any comfortable place. For example, I used to work from Library and it’s for free. I use a portable wifi and doesn’t rely on public wifi especially for security reasons as well. Working from cafe is an option and there are many places to do so in Bangkok. I haven’t checked any co-working as I find libraries and cafe way more convenient when I was there. ## Internet It’s all about preference but I was using True move H instead DTAC. So, I am only familiar with True Move H prices. They have unlimited internet and speed based internet. You can choose 1MBPS to 4 MBPS. They also have 5 G available and what I spent in a month was around $50 ## Food This is all too relative as bangkok is another foodie haven. I typically budget 200 Baht/day for a meal. It’s around $181/month and my coffee expenses is $135/month. But there are days when I eat 400-600 Baht but they are considered as my lifestyle and traveling budget which is something I’d discuss in another note. Since we’re talking about local food, you can get by with 200 Baht/day if you’re eating in a humble place and considering one meal is average 50 Baht. Food and coffee in total would be $308/month. ## Lifestyle It’s very customized but I only go out once or twice/week. There are many free places in bangkok that you can check out but if you’re going to a bar and full night out, expect to $15/day. That is the same with going around to temple and sight-seeing places. Usually I can spend less than that but my lifestyle and going out budget was only $100/month. ## Moving around + Visa Cost Another thing about being a digital nomad or remote worker is that you probably get in the country with a tourist visa as there aren’t really digital nomad visa just yet. Thailand is a great hub with many flights to Indochina and its neighboring countries. So if your visa expires, you can go to countries around either by land or air. But you can also extend the tourist visa for 1900 Baht around $54-ish at the immigration. Or you can also check out Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Kuala Lumpur and other neighboring countries. By Land it’s always cheaper but like my DN (digital nomad) friend I met, he preferred flight because he has to work right away. Average flight to neighboring countries are starting from $90 without checked baggage. Then once you reach another country depending on the passport, you might need/might not need visa but all these moving around cost me $150 once a month. It's all included from transportation and immigration/border hassles. ## Misc As usual, there are often extra expenses and unexpected ones. I would recommend to also have 2-3 times emergency money as the cost of flight back home. Travel with insurance as well and little knick-knacks can cost as well. As these add up,it's the reason why I also budget $200/month for these expenses. ### Rounding everything up! A 30-day in bangkok cost around $1174 with food and coffee being the most expensive budget. You can definitely customize these as perhaps you don’t have expensive coffee habits like I do :’D and considering the price for DN in Bangkok is $1405/month, I saved up only $231 haha. It’s not my best price yet but I am sure once I am back there again, I can do a lot cheaper than that. There are also important things that you have to note when coming to Bangkok. It’s about how money and fees work over there. ![DSC03251.JPG](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/macchiata/EopsNTTaQo349Fk9hp5ZVipXtnTGDFYYybPg9t2eJgyaBVQUA6nE5cZxUDdKfrLL5LB.JPG) ### Remittance Rip-off Don’t make the same mistake as I do especially when you’re trying to live there long-term. If you have crypto cards, that’s even better. But never ever try to send money to Thai bank account through remittance service. It costs an arm and leg. The problem with me was that I didn’t travel with any crypto cards, it’s already difficult to find a company that serviced people from my country. So, my best bet was only relying on fiat and debit cards. Another problem with this is that, you’d lose 220 Baht each withdrawal + the fees that your bank is charging you. Thankfully, as Thailand is part of Asean, they are working on an integrated payment system. But there are also challenges that comes with is such as not all vendors accept that integrated payment. I only know one place and one cafe in Bangkok that accepts QR code which to be fair, makes payment a whole lot easier and cheaper as well. I wish I had known this place earlier because the cost of coffee would have been the same as back home. Super rich is your best bet when it comes to exchanging money. HOWEVER, make sure the money is in a good condition, crisps, and it’s not an old crumpled bank notes. If you’re from neighboring countries, they might have Peso, IDR, Ringgit or Singapore Dollar but it’s definitely best to also bring $ as it’s more convenient to exchange money. (but psst, I don’t I was just withdrawing money from ATM) which ended up costing me a lot more. ![DSC02830.JPG](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/macchiata/Ep3dHXhi9gNrVQMwahsqF2SuREu5wENwfHGM1qr1mu6AnPWCqJcxPiM3o6ZEnTw5GKr.JPG) ### If you have any questions let me know in the comment section! It’s not fair to compare Bangkok with places like Bali but it’s fair to compare them to places like Jakarta, Vientiane, Kuala Lumpur, and even Singapore. Compared to the others, Bangkok is really value for money. It’s a great city to live in if you enjoy fast-paced live, urban living, a melting pot, and also cultural exhibitions that are scattered all around the city. There are many free parks all around where you can enjoy and a lot more varieties and endless entertainment. There are also a lot more varieties and even living cheaply can get you far in this capital of Thailand. Now, I know why people love visiting the city because I can see myself living a few years in suburb of Bangkok with the option to go around once in a while. I had a good and bad experiences there but it’s fair to all of the places I have been to. I know, perhaps the weather and the air quality might be a concern to some but as someone who likes to stay indoor and enjoys solitude in a comfy room, it wasn’t much of a concern. There are days when it was hot but I signed up for it and enjoyed it. To end this trip, I’d also like to extend my gratitude to @nathen007, thank you for answering my questions and curiosity :). ![DSC02895.JPG](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/macchiata/Eo1wMVDdH8Ge5tU6Znn9y5fcdCw4yf7KazmT8Nt6PerV7jwZxz77RiULuFPG3LP4kG8.JPG) #### Lessons along the way But usually this kind of post isn’t complete without some of my lessons I learned a long the way. It’s been such an interesting opportunity for me and a rare one. Looking back, everything felt like a dream and there I was, for the first time ever, enjoyed being myself. I also learn some of these nuggets! · I learned to be less secretive about myself. Perhaps you’ve seen some of selfies with my friends around. · Being yourself is less of a chore and a great filter too. · I tend to attract all sorts of people and it’s okay to distance myself a little bit more from those that are potentially toxic. · Stick-on-a-damn-budget. · Not everyone has this kind of chance and life and I am forever grateful for it. I should be saying more gratitude. · Learn to say yes instead a no, What worse could happen? · I am more open to experiences as opposed to before. · Also, for the first time ever, I tried relying on friends and close family. It is always hard to but I eventually say the scary sentences, “ I need help”. · Travel with multiple cards, 2 is apparently not enough. Not when your wallet is magically disappearing haha. And the other bank is such a chore to contact. #### Cool Places and things to do in Bangkok https://peakd.com/hive-163772/@macchiata/how-to-get-to-thailand-via-overland-with-train-from-laos-vientiane https://peakd.com/hive-163772/@macchiata/exploring-chatuchak-park-and-queen-sirikit-park-enchanting-botanical-delights https://peakd.com/hive-152524/@macchiata/roaming-for-roasts-sunrise-cafe-review https://peakd.com/hive-196308/@macchiata/shop-like-local-in-union-mall-lat-phrao-thailand https://peakd.com/hive-163772/@macchiata/-best-party-street-in-bangkok-soi-sukhumvit-11 https://peakd.com/hive-163772/@macchiata/jodd-fairs-night-market-danneramit-bangkoks-enchanting-castle-amidst-skyscrapers https://peakd.com/hive-155530/@macchiata/asiatique-waterfront-wednesday-walk-photography-blog https://peakd.com/hive-180164/@macchiata/visiting-ma-ruey-library-reading-investment-and-business-startup-books My first 45 days in Bangkok. This was the first time I was there and I learned my lesson from this and applied it to my recent 30 days in Bangkok. I've come a long way from this to the current me :D https://peakd.com/hive-196233/@macchiata/a-wandering-tale-rant-forty-five-days-of-thailand

I hope to go back to Bangkok soon.... See you in my next wandering ! ![thumbnail.jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/macchiata/23swkJrF3ouXX8FibfnQgVToKNscFiq78mAAMZCPFH6mxWpo7UCoQ2ACryBdeyMMz7kiE.png) Don't hesitate to upvote for more content like this ! You can also support me below!

||| |-|- |![image.png](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/macchiata/qjrE4yyfw5pQYimzEKKrY7fG4shgKyGokKZixRMRDx8XFrXNVvsjvUuZmR6Sw6eqnSgd4wpsYC5ycjd1nbchfDmSSWQ2QXWrxajKx6v1EasmJGNPsmwhYMeW.webp)| 𝘔𝘢𝘤 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧-𝘦𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘰𝘺𝘦𝘥 𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘫𝘢 & 𝘤𝘰𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘯𝘰𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘶𝘳 . 𝘈 𝘵𝘺𝘱𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦, 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴, 𝘵𝘦𝘤𝘩𝘯𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘰𝘱𝘩𝘺. 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘣𝘭𝘰𝘨, 𝘢 𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘭𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘭𝘦𝘥𝘨𝘦. 𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘯 𝘤𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴 **𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴, 𝘮𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸𝘴, 𝘵𝘦𝘤𝘩 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘴, 𝘱𝘩𝘰𝘵𝘰𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘱𝘩𝘺, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘥𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘱𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵**. 𝘖𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘣𝘭𝘶𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘰𝘯, 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘪𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘪𝘯 𝘭𝘰𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘪𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘴 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘺. 𝘚𝘩𝘦'𝘴 𝘢𝘯 𝘰𝘤𝘤𝘢𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘧𝘰𝘰𝘥𝘪𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘭𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘥𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘳𝘺 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘴. 𝘍𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘢𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘯 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘫𝘰𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯! 𝘋𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘶𝘱𝘷𝘰𝘵𝘦, 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘢 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘰𝘳 𝘢 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬. 𝘈 𝘳𝘦-𝘣𝘭𝘰𝘨 𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰𝘰. | [//]: # (CCC LINKS PLACEHOLDER, DON'T DELETE THIS TAG)