Every travel blog talks about why moving to another country is far superior to living in your homeland. They paid the picture that everything is better overseas While there certainly are some advantages, today’s article focuses on the drawbacks. You’re about to discover the five biggest downsides to living in Asia.
These aren’t deal killers, but they are worth considering before you pack up and buy yourself a plane ticket.
1. Crowds Everywhere
(Tens Of Thousands Of People In The City Center Watching A Football Match)
A few years back, I was chatting with a Chinese friend. My friend was worrying about his upcoming trip to New York. In movies, it’s always depicted as the biggest city in the world, and he was concerned it was overcrowded.
In two seconds, I looked up the population of New York City (8.6 million) and the population of Shanghai (26.3 million).
If you’re used to living in “big western cities” the Asian metro centers will blow you away.
Bangkok, Tokyo, Ho Chi Minh City, Seoul, and Manila are all significantly bigger than New York, Paris, or London.
Personally, I love the bustling atmosphere. But if you’re looking for someplace more quite and relaxed, stick to the countryside or a beach town.
2. Some Countries Have Weird Etiquette About Wearing Shoes
Japan and Korea have some really annoying social customs about when you can (and can’t) wear shoes. I wore sneakers into a Japanese hotel once, and got lectured for it.
You are a guest in someone else’s country, so it’s important to follow the rules. But, having to constantly take your shoes off or switch to “house slippers” gets aggravating from time to time.
Luckily, Vietnam and Thailand don’t have this same policy.
3. You Need To Be Careful About Food
One of the downsides to living in Asia is the lack of government regulation in certain countries.
This is more of a China problem than anywhere else. However, some unscrupulous vendors (including supermarket chains) sell harmful food products you need to watch out for.
These range from “organic honey” loaded down with pesticides, to diseased meats.
Check online to make sure there are no food recalls or product warnings before buying any meats or raw consumables.
4. Language Barriers Can Be A Huge Issue
In most countries everyone speaks English. However, their speaking skills are on par with my Thai or Vietnamese. In other words, not good!
This can make it incredibly difficult to get around in certain areas (especially places way off the beaten path for most Western travelers). Fortunately, you can usually get your ideas across anyway. Pointing, drawing a picture, or using Google Translate will save your bacon.
Likewise, if you’re worried about language barriers, go to the Philippines. Everyone speaks English there.
5. Biggest Downside To Living In Asia: Too Much Free Time
(Beachfront Living: Fun Short-Term, But It Grows Old)
If your goal is to move abroad and spend all day doing nothing, you’re going to get very bored very quickly.
Even stuff like dating around, or hanging out with other expats will grow old fast.
A lot of the guys who end up doing this develop serious issues like alcoholism or drug addiction.
You’re better off investing your free time into mastering a new skill (like Muy Thai or boxing) and building up your income. Cities like Bangkok and Tokyo have incredible high-end scenes. Aspire to these, not hanging out at home all day and drinking $0.10 beer.
Final Thoughts
While there are downsides to living in Asia, the good still outweighs the bad. Bangkok, Thailand is nicer than much of the United States (barring a few major cities, in my opinion). And countries like Vietnam or the Philippines have a fun, adventurous spirit to them.
Just be aware that moving abroad is not a magic cure-all for life problems, and there are pros and cons you really need to consider first.