I’ve spent years filling up my passport with stamps from all around the world, from Australia to Latin America to Asia.
I was even the first in my family to travel internationally — the only vacations we’d been on were road trips in our home country, Germany.
By the end of 2021, I’d travelled full-time for seven and a half years, visited more than 40 countries, and lived in several of them.
Soon, I felt I needed a break from constantly being on the go. When deciding where to set up my home base, only one city came to mind: Chiang Mai, Thailand.
There’s a lot to love about Chiang Mai
One of the most culturally significant cities in Thailand, Chiang Mai is located in the northern Thai mountain region, a few hundred miles north of Bangkok.
The city and its surrounding metropolitan area have a population of about 1 million people, and it’s well known for its hundreds of beautiful Buddhist temples and temple ruins.
I’d been to Chiang Mai a few times before I began to make it my home base.
My first visit was about a decade ago, when the city felt more like a backpacker’s paradise with cheap beer on every corner, $5 hostel beds, and loads of young people driving around with their gear on rented scooters.
Today, it’s a major hub in Thailand, yet it still manages to maintain its local charm and wonderful balance between traditional and modern life.
I love that I can find modern shopping malls alongside local, small “mama shops” owned by local families. There are big chains like Starbucks in the area, as well as numerous local tea stalls and fresh food markets.
It’s not hard to dance at a modern nightclub one night and enjoy traditional Thai performances inside a temple the next.
From a cultural perspective, I never get bored with visiting the hundreds of local Buddhist temples, attending both traditional and contemporary musical performances, or exploring dozens of modern Thai art galleries and exhibits.
Though I’ve enjoyed having a home base, I still love to travel. I’ve found it easy to go on incredible day trips from this city year-round by car and by boat.
If I drive about 25 minutes from the city, I can reach the middle of an amazing national park. An hourlong drive gets me to the historic nearby town of Lamphun.
I’ve also already visited the islands of Koh Chang, Koh Lanta, and Koh Samui, and explored smaller scenic towns like Kanchanaburi and Ayutthaya along the way.
I’ve been able to build community and live well here
When I first moved here, I lived in a pet-friendly house with a garden in a gated community that offered a pool, tennis court, and other amenities.
My place was located about 25 minutes out of the old town, and the rent was a few hundred dollars a month — well within my modest budget.
Although my neighborhood felt quiet, it was still convenient, with car-repair joints, fresh food markets, and numerous shops nearby.
Building a community and making friends in the area has also been easy for me.
I’ve met tons of people by just attending events I’ve seen advertised on Facebook and connecting with other remote workers and digital nomads.
It feels like there are local activities and gatherings for everyone, from yoga classes at various studios to meetups for tarot readers or drummers of all skill levels.
As a location-independent entrepreneur, it’s also important to me to stay up-to-date on all things tech and business development.
Fortunately, I’ve found lots of conferences, meetups, and workshops related to industries I’m passionate about in my area — many hosted by my favorite coworking space, Alt_ Chiang Mai.
I’ve also enjoyed visiting Free Bird Café for regular women’s lunches, open mic nights, and other events. Plus, Chiang Mai hosts a recurring TEDx conference on topics related to AI, technology, culture, and sustainability.
Though living here isn’t perfect, I already feel lucky to have done it
There’s no such thing as a perfect place, and if I had to think of one drawback of living here, it’d be Southeast Asia’s annual burning season.
Throughout this weekslong period, crop fields and forest debris are burned, contributing to horrible air quality and posing other risks to locals.
These annual events make it difficult for me to stay in Chiang Mai all year because I have pre-existing health issues.
During the last few burning seasons, I’ve been fortunate to be able to rent a car and go on extended road trips with my dog to seek out fresher air and explore other beautiful places.
Even so, whenever I leave for other travels, I find myself missing Chiang Mai. In my books, it has almost everything I could want and need.
Falling in love with this city was easy for me, and it was wonderful having a home base there for several years. Though I’ve still got a few logistics to work out, I hope to call this piece of Thailand my permanent place of residence in the future.
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