A fed-up dad from Nottinghamshire is packing up his life, and his family, to start over in Thailand with just a suitcase and a dream, after declaring he can’t afford to live in “Broken Britain” any longer.
Dale Smith has had enough of sky-high bills, grim weather and what he calls “pointless” schooling for his kids. So this November, the HGV driver will quit Mansfield for Bangkok with his 36 year old wife Kim and their two children, 10 year old Noah, and eight year old Molly, taking little more than the clothes on their backs.
The bold move comes after Smith realised he was earning more than ever, yet seeing none of it, and his kids were disengaged from education.
“The prices of everything are going up, and the streets are a state,” he told followers on TikTok. “We just want to break out of this routine. I feel like life is just flying by.”
The Smiths are flogging their three-bed house, their 2015 Ford Focus, and most of their electronics. Their plan? Land in Thailand with a small pot of savings and figure it out from there.
“We plan to go to Thailand with nothing but a bag of clothes. Because what else would we need?”
Smith, who posts as @4go.traveling, said the family had grown increasingly “trapped” and “fed up” with life in the UK.
“You wake up on a Monday, you’re fed up and you can’t wait for the weekend, you’re wishing the days away. I don’t want to live a life of regrets.”
Despite doubling his income by switching to a driving job, he said the gains were wiped out overnight.
“That extra money is just going on bills. The bills have now doubled, you’re banging your head against a brick wall.”
But the final straw came when the father of two realised even his children were questioning the point of their education.
“They don’t enjoy school here. They find it a bit pointless.”
Rather than slog through the system, Smith and his wife have decided to homeschool Noah and Molly, mixing English and maths with practical life lessons, video editing and photography.
“Kids are sponges. So hopefully they’ll start learning the Thai language, too.”
He stressed they’re not closing the door on formal education altogether.
“Noah and Molly will still have the opportunity to do their GCSEs if they want to. We’re not holding them back.”
The plan is to sell up and fly out to Bangkok in November. From there, the family will head to Hua Hin, a beachside resort town, to figure out their monthly expenses and future plans.
“We need to base ourselves somewhere cheap for a month or two. From there, we’ll work out where we’ll go next.”
With most of their belongings being sold off, the family is only holding on to a few sentimental items, which they’ll store with relatives back home, the Independent reported.
“We’re just going with the flow. I don’t like having things planned. Every day we’ll be waking up wondering what we are going to do today.”
And although their plans are loose, Smith is not worried.
“We’ll probably rent something when we get there. Most places are furnished, that’s one less thing to worry about.”
Smith’s TikTok video explaining his reasons for leaving the UK has already racked up 1.5 million views and drawn a wave of support from Brits who’ve made similar moves or dream of doing so.
“I think it’ll be fun. It’s scary and I’m terrified, but I think it’ll be amazing, especially for the children.”
He believes the move will improve not just their finances but their family life too.
“We’ll have a better quality of life, we’ll be more present with the kids, the weather will be nicer, and the scenery will be prettier, it’s a no-brainer.”
The British couple have been doing “loads” of research around visas, flights and cost of living. But their ultimate goal is freedom, not a strict itinerary.
“We’re not running from something. We’re running towards something. A better life.”
The couple will also continue posting updates on TikTok and YouTube, hoping to turn their journey into a source of income as they travel.
While they haven’t revealed the exact size of their savings, Smith says they have enough to last them “a few years,” and if it all goes wrong, the UK is still there.
“That’s the joy of doing what we’re doing, we can come back if we need to and spend quality time with our relatives.”
Smith has a message for anyone else stuck in the grind and dreaming of change.
“Don’t live your life in regret. If you want to do something like this, don’t be afraid, don’t give up.
“It scares me to death to think we’re just chasing this dream of ‘one day this will happen’ or ‘when we’re retired it will be nice’. We need to embrace this and enjoy our lives, we’ve got nothing to lose.”
And with that, one family’s leap into the unknown begins, not with a business plan or a blueprint, but with hope, hustle, and a carry-on bag full of clothes.
The story Thai hard with a vengeance: Dad quits broken Britain for Thailand as seen on Thaiger News.
