Guides
Start here. Every guide is written from lived experience — filing visas, choosing insurance, running a school day that travels — and updated as the rules change.
International Schools in Chiang Mai vs Online Homeschooling: Cost and Fit
We compare the published 2026-27 fee schedules of five Chiang Mai international schools against the cost of studying the same curriculum from home, covering tuition, hidden first-year costs, withdrawal terms, and what each route actually costs a family.
Travel Insurance vs International Health Insurance for Families on a DTV
A practical guide to the three separate questions a family on a Thai DTV needs answered — what the visa checklist actually asks for, what a Thai hospital wants at the counter, and what a travel or health insurance policy actually pays.
90-Day Reports and TM30 for Families: the Paperwork Nobody Warns You About
A plain, procedural guide to the two paperwork obligations underneath a long stay in Thailand — the foreigner's 90-day report and the landlord's TM30 — with what changes for a family and what to do when the landlord never filed.
Socialization for Worldschooling Kids: What Actually Works on the Road
A first-hand, research-backed look at how a worldschooled child actually makes and keeps friends on the road — the specific habits, the base-city trade-offs, and the honest part about friendships that fade.
Tax Residency for Nomad Families in Thailand: the 180-Day Rule Explained
We explain what Thailand's 180-day tax residency rule actually says, how it applies separately to each parent and child in a family, and what the 2024 foreign income rule changes — plus what to bring to a tax adviser if you are close to the line.
DTV vs LTR vs Education Visa: Choosing the Right Long-Stay Route for a Family
A field-checked comparison of Thailand's DTV, LTR, education visa and guardian visa routes for families, with real fees for a family of four and what each route means for how the children are schooled.
What Homeschooling Abroad Really Costs: Tuition, Exams, Books and Hidden Fees
A line-by-line total of what homeschooling abroad actually costs, from tuition by stage to exam entry fees, travel, shipping and the parental time nobody invoices, from a family paying it from primary through IGCSE.
Opening a Thai Bank Account as a Foreign Family (What Actually Works in 2026)
In 2026, opening a Thai bank account as a foreigner depends on your visa, not your passport: most major banks now require a long-term non-immigrant or LTR visa. Here is what a mixed Thai–foreign family's branch visits actually looked like, and what to do when the bank says no.
DTV Extensions and Border Runs: How Families Handle the 180-Day Cycle
When a family's 180-day DTV stamp is about to run out, they can either extend once in Thailand for 1,900 THB per person, or leave and re-enter for a fresh stamp — and several of the old border-run routes have closed since 2025.
Wolsey Hall vs King's InterHigh vs Cambridge Home School Online: Which Fits
A paying Wolsey Hall Oxford family compares it against King's InterHigh and Cambridge Home School Online on format, cost and exam logistics, and explains why the live-versus-self-paced split matters more than price for a family that moves.
Healthcare in Thailand for Families: Private Hospitals and What It Really Costs
Drawing on four years of our own hospital invoices in Thailand, this guide breaks down what private pediatric visits, ER admissions, vaccines, and childbirth actually bill — and what happens at the registration desk before anyone gets treated.
Renting a Long-Term Condo or House in Thailand as a Family
A field-checked guide to signing a long-term condo or house lease in Thailand as a family, covering the 2025 rule change, deposits, utilities, TM30 and the clauses that matter most when children and a school year are involved.
The Real Cost of Living in Chiang Mai for a Family (Monthly Breakdown)
A month-by-month cost of living breakdown for a family of four in Chiang Mai, built from four years of our own bills, leases and school payments, including the year-one setup costs and the three schooling routes that most guides never price.
IGCSE Exams as a Private Candidate Abroad: How We Book a Centre
Registering for IGCSE exams as a private candidate abroad requires finding an approved physical centre, navigating board-specific restrictions, and planning family travel. We break down the exact steps, deadlines, and costs we managed for our daughter's distance-education exams.
Airalo vs Holafly in Thailand: The Best Travel eSIM for Families
We compare Airalo and Holafly for Thailand from the perspective of a family running several devices and a school day, not a two-week solo trip — and explain why the honest long-stay answer is neither of them.
Chiang Mai vs Phuket for Nomad Families: Which Should You Choose?
A head-to-head comparison of Chiang Mai and Phuket as a base for nomad families, covering real costs, schooling, air quality versus monsoon risk, and healthcare — with a clear verdict for each family profile rather than a shrug.
The Real Cost of Living in Thailand for a Nomad Family of 3
A field-tested, THB-first budget guide for a working family of three in Thailand, showing exactly how rent, electricity, and schooling swing a monthly total from around 60,000 THB to well over 200,000 THB.
DTV Visa Thailand for Families: The Ultimate Step-by-Step Guide
A practical, step-by-step guide to Thailand's DTV visa for families, covering the 500,000 THB financial proof, dependent rules for spouses and children, document checklists, the e-Visa application process, and what changed since the visa's 2024 launch.
How to Legally Homeschool Your Child While Traveling Full-Time
A practical, country-by-country legal guide to home educating while traveling full-time, covering the UK's 2026 register, US state domicile, restrictive European countries, and Thailand — built around one mental model: home education law follows legal residence and citizenship, not travel.
Best Health Insurance for Digital Nomad Families: SafetyWing vs Genki vs Cigna
We compare SafetyWing, Genki, and Cigna Global for nomad families using actual policy wording rather than marketing pages, and show which product fits a healthy family, a long-stay visa applicant, and a family with pre-existing conditions.
How to Transfer Money to Thailand with the Lowest Fees (Wise Step-by-Step)
A worked-arithmetic guide to sending money to Thailand at the lowest real cost, including a step-by-step Wise transfer walkthrough and the 2026 Bank of Thailand licensing change affecting Wise accounts registered to a Thai address.
Essential Tech Gear for Remote Working Parents on the Move
The tech a working family actually carries: what earns its weight, the 2026 power bank flight rules, and the gear we stopped packing after the first year.
Wolsey Hall Oxford Review: Honest Pros & Cons from a Nomad Family
As a fee-paying family we review Wolsey Hall Oxford after using it continuously from Year 3 through the second IGCSE year (and still), covering real costs, the honest cons, and how the model changes at each stage.
Daily Schedule of a Worldschooling Family: Balancing Work & Study
A hour-by-hour look at how two remote-working parents run a full-time distance education alongside client work, with three complete named schedules from a seven-year-old's routine to an IGCSE exam-year timetable.