Everything you (or your family) might want to know

No. Program fees cover the Bangkok Welcome Tour, our local services, your cohort community, and ongoing support — they do not include your accommodation in Hua Hin. You pay your accommodation directly to the landlord or building, which keeps costs transparent and means you're never paying us a markup on rent.

The only accommodation included in program fees is: the 4 hotel nights of the Bangkok Welcome Tour (all programs), plus up to 5 hotel nights during the Hua Hin settling-in week on the 6-month Seasonal program.

We arrange and assist with the visa process appropriate to your program — a Tourist Visa with in-country extension coordination for the 3-month programs, and a Non-Immigrant O visa with 90-day reporting assistance for the 6-month Seasonal program. However, visa decisions are made by government authorities, and we cannot and do not guarantee approval. We'll do everything we reasonably can to support a smooth process, including handling the paperwork and coordination on your behalf.

Yes — international health insurance with medical evacuation cover is mandatory for all SawasdeeLife participants. This is for your own protection and is a condition of joining a program. See our Why Hua Hin page for more on how this fits with local healthcare.

All advertised prices are per person, single occupancy — your own room is standard, and there's no single supplement if you're travelling solo. If a second person shares your accommodation, a couples discount is available — think of it as a bonus for travelling together. The exact discount isn't published here as it depends on your program and accommodation choice, so please ask us for current details.

No. Your own room is the standard arrangement for every participant, and there is no single supplement for travelling solo — the advertised price already reflects single occupancy.

Our programs involve walking tours, day trips, and everyday life in a beach town — including some uneven footpaths and stairs in older buildings. You should be able to manage your daily activities and travel independently, with the understanding that our team is there to help with logistics, not personal care. If you have specific health or mobility considerations, please get in touch before booking so we can talk through whether a program is a good fit.

Our local support team in Hua Hin is available Monday to Saturday, 8am to 8pm Bangkok time, for day-to-day questions, appointments, and assistance. In a medical emergency, Bangkok Hospital Hua Hin is our first point of call, with transfer to Bangkok available for complex cases and medical evacuation cover included in your required insurance. Our team will help coordinate and accompany you wherever possible. See Why Hua Hin for more detail on our healthcare approach.

Many participants choose to extend once they see how much they're enjoying Hua Hin. Extension options depend on your visa type and accommodation arrangement, so it's best to talk to our team once you're underway — we're happy to help you explore what's possible.

Every program opens with a 4-day, all-meals-included Bangkok Welcome Tour, with your own hotel room. It's a genuine holiday — the Grand Palace, Ayutthaya, ICONSIAM, and a Chao Phraya dinner cruise — designed to turn your cohort from strangers into friends before you travel together to Hua Hin. See the Bangkok Welcome Tour page for the full day-by-day itinerary.

You'll meet your full cohort of 6–10 Australians on Day 1 of the Bangkok Welcome Tour, and spend four days together exploring Bangkok before travelling to Hua Hin as a group. From there, you'll typically be living in the same neighbourhood, with regular community activities to keep everyone connected.

Every cohort needs a minimum of 6 people to run. If the cohort hasn't reached that number by 42 days before departure, you choose: move your deposit (and any other payments made) to the next available cohort, or receive a full refund of everything you've paid. We never run a half-empty cohort — the group is the whole point.

No. SawasdeeLife is a seasonal-living and relocation program for Australians who want to live in Hua Hin, Thailand, with a ready-made cohort of Australian friends and a local support team. There are no volunteer placements, work commitments, or community-service components. You're here to enjoy a season in Hua Hin.

Personal Assist is our concierge-style support service included in every program. Each participant gets up to 5 assistance hours per week with a named Thai-speaking team member. That could mean accompanying you to a hospital appointment, helping you set up a local bank account, sorting out a mobile plan, arranging an airport run, or whatever comes up. It's the practical help that makes the biggest difference — and it means you're never navigating something tricky on your own. Available Monday–Saturday during support hours.

Payment is done in stages, with no surprises:

• AUD $500 deposit at booking: fully transferable — if plans change before your cohort is confirmed, the deposit moves to the next available cohort. It's never simply forfeited.
• 50% of the program balance: due 60 days before your departure date.
• Remaining 50% of the program balance: due 42 days before your departure date, once the cohort is confirmed.

Yes — Try Hua Hin is SawasdeeLife's first-ever cohort, departing January 2027, and it's also our Founding Cohort with just 10 places. You can register your interest on our Founding Cohort Waitlist and we'll be in touch.