Greetings from Koh Samui, Thailand! I’m typing this blog post on my laptop from the beachfront restaurant at Chaweng Garden Beach Resort. I’ve been living and working remotely from this beautiful island for just over a month and to be honest there is no other place I would rather be during this ongoing world pandemic. This exclusive luxury resort where I’m currently staying is located right on Chaweng Beach, widely regarded as the most beautiful beaches in Koh Samui. During normal high season in February this beach is packed full of tourists from all over the world. However, due to the COVID pandemic it is almost entirely empty with just a handful of resorts still open for customers. The resort features a large infinity pool with convenient beach access, a large restaurant/bar, and garden area for the kids with plenty of space to relax while listening to the soothing ocean waves come into shore. You can also enjoy a romantic dinner on the beach during sunset and complimentary a-la-carte breakfast at Sue’s Ocean Restaurant. I’m currently staying in their Grand Deluxe Bungalow on the garden while collaborating with the marketing team on various promotional projects. There are 147 rooms total and 11 room types to choose from. Reduced prices start at 1,980 Baht including hotel tax and service charge. You can make a direct booking on the website here and make sure to use promo code ”HOLP2021” for 10% off your reservation at Chaweng Garden Beach Resort. Thank you!
Koh Samui, the 3rd largest island in Thailand, was recently ranked #10 in Asia on Conde Nast Traveller. Koh Phangan is also in the list which is a very popular spot for digital nomads and remote workers. It is conveniently located only 45 minutes by boat. I would rather stay right here in Koh Samui which has better infrastructure, beautiful beaches, an international airport, and convenient immigration office.
I’m actively collaborating with luxury hotels, beachfront resorts, and spacious villas in Koh Samui. A large percentage of the villas are sitting vacant since the owner lives in another part of the world and doesn’t want to rent it out while they are stuck on their home country. The resorts that are still open for business have unusually low occupancy rates and forced to dramatically reduce their nightly rates due to the ongoing worldwide state of emergency. All of these businesses need help with marketing and promotion to increase demand and get more bookings. Of course, the hospitality business as a whole is really suffering since the borders are still not fully open with mandatory quarantine periods in Bangkok before getting your freedom back to travel domestically within Thailand. Experts predict that 2021 will be an even worse year for international tourism than the year prior (only about 3.5 million tourists for the year). Let’s hope they are wrong!
In the meantime, I’m making the most of the situation and doing the best I can with my limited resources to help the travel, tourism, and hospitality industry in Thailand. Tomorrow we are going on a day trip by speed boat with about 20 people to Ang Thong National Marine Park which consists of 42 islands in the Gulf of Thailand with special thanks to Koh Lifestyle. It’s a remote tropical paradise with no tourists reminiscent of a scene straight out of the 2000 cult classic film The Beach starring Leonardo DiCaprio. I’m so grateful for this opportunity to visit one of the most beautiful island paradises in the world!
Why do I choose to live and work remotely from Thailand during a world pandemic?
Short answer: Because I can. No, but seriously…
I can’t think of anywhere else I would rather be during this world pandemic. I’m grateful to still be alive, young, and healthy residing in one of the most beautiful countries in the world! There’s only been 82 COVID deaths in Thailand compared to upwards of 500,000 in the United States as of February 2021. I have every intention of continuing my original plan of traveling in Southeast Asia when the borders reopen in Vietnam and Philippines, but I’m in no particularly big rush for obvious reasons. I can’t think of any rational reason to return to my home country short of seeing my friends and family. I want them to visit me in Thailand when the borders reopen later this year or 2022. I don’t have any solid job prospects back in America, and with most forward-thinking companies transitioning to full-time remote first work I should be able to find freelancer jobs online from anywhere in the world. For freelancer jobs take a look at Freelancer.com, Upwork, Fiverr, Dynamite Jobs, and LinkedIn Jobs. Most large tech companies are encouraging employees to work from home or remotely and will even pay extra incentives for them to do so. I firmly believe that many of these displaced employees will come to popular remote work hotspots like Thailand when the borders reopen. I’m holding out my hopes for October 2021!
How are you inspiring others to work remotely from a paradise island?
Short answer: Lots of photos showing off beautiful landscapes and lifestyle shots.
Over the past 6 months, I’ve been posting updates to large relevant Facebook Groups including my own with over 2,000 members at Digital Nomad Ventures. Lately I’ve taken to simply posting my laptop in front of beautiful destinations in Thailand. There’s no clear call to action and I don’t really need one since a photo is worth a thousand words. While lots of people are dreaming about working remotely from a paradise island, I’m already doing it! Actions always speak louder than words. Talk is cheap. A lot of these people have every intention of coming to Thailand but would rather not jump through all the hoops and quarantine for 2 weeks in a government-mandated ASQ hotel in Bangkok. There’s a full list of them here. That’s one of the many reasons I’m so grateful I made the rational decision to stay in The Land of Smiles and keep extending my tourist visa while the majority of foreigners chose to return home with tail between their legs. The country which is 95% Buddhist has chosen to focus on keeping the people safe while putting the economy on the backburner. Unemployed people who lost their job or business typically go home to live with their families during this unfortunate pandemic. Encouragingly, you almost never see a homeless person on the streets in Thailand. Meanwhile in the United States of America, one of the richest countries in the world, there are literally millions of homeless people on the streets of rapidly growing tent cities like Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Austin. Who wants to live in the richest third world country? I’ll take a hard pass thank you very much!
How do you stay productive with remote work lifestyle?
Short answer: I put myself in environments that maximize creativity and happiness.
In all honesty, I don’t follow any of the conventional methods of the “productivity experts”. Time-blocking, regimented scheduling, to-do lists, calendar notifications, keeping a journal, productivity tools, meditation apps, the list goes on. You want to know the best way to be productive? Get the recommended 8 hours of sleep every night and exercise 3-5 times per week. Don’t buy into the faulty notion of many entrepreneurs who work tirelessly until they burn out or wind up in the hospital. They may be “successful” high achievers but they suffer from low emotional intelligence. I choose to spend my time doing the things that make me come alive! If I want to take a break and go for a meditative walk on the beach on a beautiful sunny day, guess what, I’m going to do it immediately without other demands on my attention! One last point: If your idea of being productive means spending all your time on Zoom calls with other people stealing your attention away from what matters most, you are doing it wrong (unless that’s what makes you come alive, in which case you should keep doing it!)
How much does it cost to live in Koh Samui, Thailand?
Short answer: As much or as little as you want depending on your budget.
This article on International Living makes the claim you can live comfortably on a budget of $1,800 to $2,200 per month in Koh Samui. I would argue this a conservative monetary estimate. Keep in mind this article was written in 2019 before the world pandemic situation. Now many of the businesses on the island are closed and international tourism is on hiatus until the vaccine is widely available. This means there is a lot of opportunity if you are living in Thailand to find very affordable accommodation. My cost of living is virtually ZERO at the moment since I’m collaborating with resorts in exchange for accommodation. This “overnight success” has taken many months of marketing, email outreach, promoting my brand, and building my portfolio. Not everyone can be so lucky unless you are willing to put in the prerequisite work. That being said, you can find a 2 or 3-bedroom villa for about 10-20,000 Baht (roughly $300-600 per month) or a bungalow right on the beach for even less if you are looking in the right areas; namely Mae Nam, Bophut, Chaweng, or Laem Sor. There are lots of options available on Facebook Marketplace and real estate property websites. My retired expat friend from Canada living in Koh Samui is renting a massive 10-bedroom villa with private staff in Thongson Bay normally renting for $45,000 per month (read that again) for the bargain basement price of $3,000 per month so the owner can cover electricity and maintenance costs. This all goes to show you can do anything you set your mind to if you are a smart businessman skilled at marketing and negotiation. If you believe it, you can achieve it!
What are the co-working and co-living options in Koh Samui?
Short answer: None to speak of. You can work from coffee shops, resorts, hotels, villas.
Unfortunately, there are currently no solid co-working spaces in Koh Samui due to lack of foreign tourism and poor digital economy on the island. You can always work from a coffee shop, hotel, resort, or villa on Airbnb. If you’re looking for more of a community of like-minded folks you can easily hop on over to the next island Koh Phangan via SeaTran Ferry, Lomprayah, Raja Ferry, or Haad Rin Queen. It only takes about 45 minutes without inclement weather. Check out Remote & Digital for more information. The founder is working on some interesting projects such as recently converting a resort into a co-living/working space for digital nomads on the island. However, I believe there is a lot of potential on Koh Samui which has over 1,500 mostly empty hotels on the island, better infrastructure, an international airport, popular tourist attractions, and an immigration office for convenient visa extensions. Earlier today I looked at a beautiful sprawling property in the Chaweng area which has tremendous potential once this pandemic is behind us. It’s essentially a Digital Nomad Village — an ideal spot for staying with friends, family, and kids including 6 separate villas and 27 rooms total. If you’re interested in learning more, I posted a full tour video on my Facebook group at Digital Nomad Ventures.
What sort of Wi-Fi speed can you expect in Koh Samui?
Thailand climbed two places to the top spot out of 176 countries in fixed broadband internet speed testing based on the Speedtest Global Index in December last year, driven by fierce local competition. Yes, you read that correctly. Thailand clocked an average fixed broadband speed of 308.35 megabits per second for downloads, replacing Singapore in the top spot of the index. The United States is squarely in last place in this ranking. This graph shatters the faulty misconception that Thailand is a third-world country stuck in the past. And we have more personal freedom with less restrictive laws over here too!
Take a look at the infographic below courtesy of Bangkok Post.
Ranking Mobile And Fixed Broadband Speeds