We moved to a care center in Thailand in our 70s. It’s like an insurance policy for whoever is left.

• Peter and Rita Millard lived in France and Malta for many years after retiring from their jobs in the UK.

• Peter says living in an aged care facility is an “insurance policy” for those left behind.

This article, as told, is based on a conversation with Peter Millard, a 78-year-old retiree living in Chiang Mai, Thailand, and his wife, Rita. Edited for length and clarity.

My wife and I spent over 20 years moving between countries trying to find the right place to grow old.

We met while working in the healthcare service in Birmingham, England, before retiring for health reasons in the late ’90s. Not ready to stop working, I retrained as a podiatrist and ran my own practice for five years. During this time, we built a small holiday house. Southern France.

We visited as often as possible. Over time, we realized how much we loved life in France.

France, then Malta

When I finally retired again in 2003, we moved to Lodève, a small town about 31 miles from Montpellier, and settled into the holiday home we had built.

Our house was a 10-minute drive from town, with terraces on three sides and great views of the surrounding hills.

Even in a town of about 7,000 people, we formed a close circle of friends, including our French neighbors with three children. We were soon involved in school runs, riding lessons, and anything else their mother was busy with and transportation was required.

However, as we got older, we started to think more practically about what we could do in the future.

You reach an age where there is no public transport, there is a lot of land to look after, and you start to wonder if you can handle it in 10 years.

we didn’t want return to englandIn 2012 we moved to Malta instead. Life was more comfortable there and we quickly settled into our three-bedroom penthouse in the center of the island.

But after seven years, we felt we needed another change. We left Malta behind as it was such a small island and eventually decided to head back to the UK.

This story is a part of us Retirement: Chiang Mai The series follows people who choose to retire in Northern Thailand for a variety of reasons, from affordability to lifestyle and care.

Read more:

If you have followed a similar path or plan to do so, email this reporter at agoh@businessinsider.com.

Brief return to England

Instead of returning to the Midlands where we had previously lived, we moved to a retirement complex on the south coast. This was a big mistake. When we arrived, new management had just taken over and the place was very inflexible, especially regarding meal times and seating times, and the food was poor.

We lasted less than three months before moving out and renting an apartment, where we were much happier.

Although the town was comfortable, the UK no longer felt at home after so many years abroad.

I had a triple heart bypass just as the pandemic hit the country. We were stranded in England for nearly three years.

Even so, idea of ​​living abroad It never left our minds again.

While reading the newspapers one Sunday, Rita came across an article about retirement. Resort in Chiang MaiIn Northern Thailand.

We had never been to that part of the world. But we both read the article and said, “How about this?” we said. We don’t have children, so it’s just the two of us.

Chiang Mai, finally

We arranged a visit to Care Resort Chiang Mai on the outskirts of the city to see if it would work for us.

The surroundings were beautiful, just like living in a park. We spent a few days at the resort and a few days in the city. After a week of travel, we were sure we found the right place.

A few months later, in February 2023, moved to Chiang Mai. This will be our last move.

Since we’ve been together for 40-odd years, we’ve traveled a lot, including cruises. My wife says she never wants to see another airport.

We were encouraged to make our villa our home, so we refurnished it and even changed the curtains.

Since we are fit and healthy, we want to carry on as normal, so we do most of the housework and prepare all our meals.

We also benefit from the support of the facility when necessary. Staff help with practical matters such as visa renewals and can arrange medical appointments for us.

Once you experience the kindness of the Thai people, you will realize that this is a wonderful country to spend the rest of your years.

In a way, preference living in a care community It’s about planning ahead. The idea was that the person left behind would be taken care of by the people here.

This is a bit like an insurance policy. We don’t need support right now, but we may in the future.

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