19/07/2026
19.07.2569 🇹🇭 𝐀 𝐃𝐚𝐲 𝐨𝐧 𝐊𝐨𝐡 𝐒𝐚𝐦𝐮𝐢... 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐡𝐲 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐬 𝐦𝐞 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐧𝐞𝐰.
Today was one of those days that reminded me why I love living and working in Thailand.
No two days are ever the same.
They are full of surprises, wonderful people, unexpected challenges... and occasionally a little bit of chaos. 😊
☀️ 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐲.
My first two appointments took me to two different laboratories here on Koh Samui.
Some people may wonder...
"𝑾𝒉𝒚 𝒘𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒂𝒏 𝒊𝒏𝒔𝒖𝒓𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒂𝒅𝒗𝒊𝒔𝒐𝒓 𝒗𝒊𝒔𝒊𝒕 𝒍𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒔?"
The answer is actually very simple.
Over the last six months, I've seen more discussions than ever before about urine test results during the underwriting process.
Sometimes applicants were convinced they had done everything correctly, yet the laboratory reported contamination or unclear findings.
In many cases, the problem isn't the person.
It's simply an unclean sample cup or poor handling of the sample.
That is exactly why I invest time visiting laboratories personally.
I want to know which laboratories work cleanly, professionally and consistently.
The two laboratories I visited today have repeatedly proven that they provide reliable, fast and hygienic testing procedures.
When a medical decision depends on a laboratory result, there should be no unnecessary doubts.
Sometimes quality isn't about expensive equipment...
It's about doing the small things properly.
🌴 𝐀𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐥𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐡𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐰𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐰𝐞𝐧𝐠.
Busy streets.
Palm trees.
Coffee shops everywhere.
People working on laptops.
Digital nomads from all over the world.
If you spend enough time here, you'll quickly notice something interesting...
French is almost as common as English.
Many of my younger clients live exactly here.
The average age is probably around 26.
Entrepreneurs.
Remote workers.
Freelancers.
People building businesses while enjoying island life.
They invited me to lunch at one of their favourite restaurants.
No fancy beachfront location.
No luxury prices.
Just a small restaurant hidden in a quiet side street only a few minutes' walk from the beach.
Always full.
Always busy.
And honestly...
Some of the best Thai food I've had for a long time.
Prepared just a little less spicy, with less fish sauce, making it perfect for European taste buds.
Sometimes the best places are the ones you would never discover on Google.
❤️ 𝐍𝐨𝐭 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐨𝐧 𝐊𝐨𝐡 𝐒𝐚𝐦𝐮𝐢 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐚 𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐲 𝐛𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠...
A Swedish-American couple I know had a motorcycle accident last Thursday.
Completely through no fault of their own.
A parked car suddenly accelerated out of a parking space without indicating.
There was simply no time to avoid it.
Fortunately, they weren't travelling very fast.
Both suffered broken arms.
The motorcycle was badly damaged.
But they survived.
Unfortunately, that wasn't the end of the story.
The other driver immediately claimed it was their fault.
Sadly, I have seen this before.
Months ago, one of my own clients experienced almost the exact opposite situation in Hua Hin—and despite being innocent, he ended up carrying the blame.
This time...
luck was finally on their side.
A nearby business had CCTV cameras covering the road.
The footage clearly showed exactly what had happened.
Sometimes one small camera can save months of arguments.
🤝 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐨𝐨𝐧 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥.
I visited a family today whose health insurance application had already been fully approved.
Everything was accepted.
No exclusions.
No extra premiums.
A complete approval.
Then...
they decided to cancel.
Without giving any real explanation.
Does that disappoint me?
Of course.
I'm human.
I genuinely care about every family I work with.
But over the years I've learned something important.
You can answer questions.
You can explain.
You can reassure.
Maybe once.
Maybe twice.
But if someone still doesn't trust you...
you have to respect that.
Trust cannot be forced.
There was, however, one final task.
Although the parents had cancelled, their daughter's policy had already been issued before the cancellation process was completed.
So today I personally delivered her insurance card.
The father looked genuinely surprised when we arrived at his door.
I completely understood his reaction.
But in Thailand, when official insurance documents have already been issued, they also have to be delivered.
It's simply part of doing the job professionally.
Not every visit ends with a smile.
But professionalism isn't measured on easy days.
It's measured on difficult ones.
🚗 𝐁𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤, 𝐈 𝐯𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐫 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐬.
This is another lesson Thailand has taught me.
Good local contacts are priceless.
Whether it's a hospital...
a laboratory...
a lawyer...
or a repair workshop.
Knowing the right people often makes life much easier.
The team works quickly, charges fair prices and—most importantly—they speak English.
Maybe not perfect English...
but certainly good enough to explain what needs repairing.
Sometimes that's exactly what you need.
🌅 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐦𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐦𝐞 𝐬𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐞.
A gentleman preparing to move to Thailand in September asked me a simple question.
"𝐼𝑓 𝐼 𝑐𝑎𝑡𝑐ℎ 𝑎 𝑐𝑜𝑙𝑑... 𝑜𝑟 𝑤𝑎𝑘𝑒 𝑢𝑝 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑏𝑎𝑐𝑘 𝑝𝑎𝑖𝑛... 𝑤𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑚𝑦 𝑑𝑜𝑐𝑡𝑜𝑟 𝑣𝑖𝑠𝑖𝑡 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑚𝑒𝑑𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑏𝑒 𝑐𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑒𝑑?"
I smiled.
Because this question tells me something.
Many people moving to Thailand assume health insurance only covers major surgery or hospital stays.
The answer is:
𖥬ⅇ𝕤.
A proper comprehensive health insurance should also cover outpatient treatment (OPD), not just inpatient treatment (IPD).
That means seeing a doctor for everyday illnesses, receiving prescribed medication, treatment after an accident, specialist consultations and many other medical needs—without first wondering whether you're "ill enough" to be covered.
Over the years, I've noticed a trend.
Many insurers advertise extremely low premiums.
How?
By removing outpatient cover.
By limiting benefits.
Or by offering plans that only start paying once you're admitted to hospital.
On paper...
the premium looks attractive.
In real life...
people still end up paying many everyday medical expenses themselves.
After many years in this profession, I've realised something very simple.
Most Westerns aren't looking for the cheapest insurance.
They're looking for the same feeling they had back home.
The confidence that when they're sick, they simply visit a doctor.
No complicated calculations.
No wondering whether today's illness is covered.
Just healthcare.
That's exactly why I only offer comprehensive plans including IPD, OPD and accident coverage.
No confusing hidden limits for every little treatment.
Coverage up to the insured amount.
Accepted in over 𝟏,𝟎𝟎𝟎 𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝, with 𝐜𝐚𝐬𝐡𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭, 𝐧𝐨 𝐝𝐞𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐞, and conditions designed for people who actually live here—not just holiday here.
Routine health check-ups, vaccinations and preventive screenings are usually not included, which is perfectly normal for health insurance worldwide.
Everything else?
That's exactly what health insurance should be there for.
As I drove back this evening, I realised once again...
This job has never really been about insurance.
It's about people.
Every day brings another story.
Another lesson.
Another opportunity to help someone.
And honestly...
I wouldn't want it any other way.
❤️🇹🇭
If you're planning to move to Thailand, retire here, or simply want to understand how healthcare really works before making a decision, feel free to reach out.
Sometimes one honest conversation can save a lot of money, stress... and sleepless nights.
Have a wonderful Sunday, everyone!
