"I Have Already Managed To Overwinter In Thailand, Bali And Sri Lanka." How To Prepare For Your First Wintering And What To Consider When Choosing A Location

Where is the best and cheapest place to overwinter — in Bali, Thailand or Sri Lanka? A detailed comparison of countries in terms of prices, infrastructure and security can be found in our interview with Victoria Orlik.

About choosing a country for wintering — the main criteria

— In which countries have you already spent the winter? How do you choose a direction?

— I have already managed to overwinter in Sri Lanka, Bali and in Thailand.

I have several criteria for choosing a country. The first “wintering station” for me was Sri Lanka: then the warm climate, surfing and not very high prices were important to me. The advantage was that there are a lot of guys from Sri Lanka In Russia, I felt safer that way.

I am currently spending the winter in Thailand, namely on Phuket. I have something to compare it with, and for me personally, this location turned out to be the most suitable.

Closer to the specific points that I am paying attention to:

Excellent infrastructure everything is at hand: cafes, laundress, shops, gym, yoga, beaches, spa. It is easy to close all everyday issues here. Minimum traffic jams — it’s great for beginners to learn how to drive a scooter or motorcycle here.
Good roads. I love to drive a motorcycle and I love long—distance travel with the company, so cool roads are really a mega bonus in Asia. In Thailand, everything is fine with this.
The community. First of all, I always try to join the crowd with the Russian-speaking guys, the contingent on Phuket really responds to me: everyone is calmly communicating, getting to know each other. Of course, if you wish, you can find “your” people in any country, but in Personally, I do it faster and easier. With each wintering, there are more and more acquaintances, and it’s very cool when there are friends in different countries.
Beaches. I love the ocean, the sea and everything related to it! Especially if the beach can be reached in 30 minutes or even faster. The most beautiful and well—groomed beaches in my opinion are Karon, Kata, and Nai Harn na Phuket, as well as the excellent Mirissa beach in Sri Lanka.
The price of housing is of great importance. I pay attention to the price-quality ratio. Now in Southeast Asia, it has become expensive to spend the winter in season almost everywhere, especially in Thai and Bali. The level of comfort that we are used to in In Russia, it is available here for about X2 of the prices in the same Moscow. A decent room in a condo in January/February for 1 month will cost 30,000 baht—45,000 baht (approximately $850—$1,250).For this money, you get a beautiful view from the window, high-quality repairs without mold, sometimes even a kitchen. The price includes light, water, Internet, cleaning, parking and a gym with a swimming pool. There is cheaper housing, but it often happens with “nuances”: then ants, then termites, which gnaw the closet stably 2 times a day, a noisy road outside the window, tired repairs and dampness.
Ecology and cleanliness. And then Thailand turned out to be number one in terms of cleanliness for me: a minimum of garbage on the streets, for Asia — they are right very clean! In Bali, the most comfortable location from this point of view is Ubud. In Sri Lanka, it is Nuwara Eliya in the center of the island. There is no ocean, but the place is very atmospheric and calm.
Stable Internet connection. In Bali and in In Thailand, everything is generally good with the Internet — you can always negotiate with the landlord to upgrade the tariff to 50 or even 100 megabits / sec. Sri Lanka also has such an option, but the schedule of power outages across the island creates problems. I was unlucky enough to be there in the midst of the 2022 crisis, when I had to sit without electricity for 12 hours a day.
The rainy season. In Bali, this period is even more or less tolerable, but in In Thailand and Sri Lanka, rains make life very difficult.
Meal.This is a topic that I certainly can’t get around. Most of all, I liked the food and the way it is prepared, in Bali and in Thai. I strongly follow the diet and it is very important for me that there is a wide variety of products. It’s stressful in Sri Lanka. For example, in the city of Veligam there is only one small store where basic products, such as chicken or milk, are regularly running out. Wet wipes are generally in short supply, but can be found at a pharmacy if you search. I can recommend good steaks at the Locale Gastrobar & Hotel. But in Sri Lanka, amazing and cheap seafood and fruits are what it’s definitely worth going there for at least a vacation.

About the experience of wintering in Sri Lanka, Bali and in Thailand — comparison of destinations

— Let’s talk about each wintering experience. When did you spend the winter in each of the countries and how long did you stay there in total?

— I spent 2 months in Sri Lanka, and in May 2022 I moved to Bali, where I lived for a year. Compared to Sri Lanka, the difference in terms of infrastructure, service, availability and quality of products immediately caught my eye, plus Bali has a more developed international community. After that, I spent a month on Phuket, and I liked it even more there.

— Why is it good to live in winter in each of the three directions?

— In Sri Lanka, wintering is suitable for those who respond to the simplest and most rural Asian vibe. Veligama and Mirissa are the mecca of surfing during the winter in this country, the contingent gathers very pleasant, there are many activities. The island itself is incredibly beautiful, the nature is so majestic that in some places you even want to cry from the beauty! I recommend taking a 5-7-day trip around Sri Lanka, be sure to visit the Yala National Reserve, Nuwara Eliya and Royal Botanical Park in Kandy.

Bali is also a favorite place for surfing, the unique culture of the locals, the magnificent nature. Everyone will be able to find hobbies according to their interests: yoga, drawing, “ecstatic dance”, kitesurfing, just surfing, tennis, vocals, mafia and much more.

There are many different locations in Bali. The island is large and it can be studied with interest for 3+ months. The most beautiful locations for me personally are: Handara golf club, Nusa Penida, Jatiluwih Rice Tarraces, Amed, Gunung Batur, Kintamani.

Thailand is for lovers of beaches or nightlife. There are cool roads here, there is good housing. There is also excellent infrastructure, more comfort and opportunities for families with children than, for example, in Bali. Amazing fresh and delicious food.

— When is it better to come to each of these countries for the winter? When does this season start and end there?

— Sri Lanka: the rainy season lasts from mid-April to the end of October, it is pronounced, it rains regularly.

Bali:The rainy season starts from the end of October and lasts until the beginning of March. The rest of the time is considered the “dry season”. Despite the rains, which can be prolonged, they still fly here from all over the world in winter. The rainy season is not as pronounced as in Sri Lanka, so we can assume that the season in Bali is all year round.

Thailand: the rainy season is pronounced, especially on Phangan / Koh Samui, but also on I would not recommend flying to Phuket in the summer. The high season starts in mid-November and lasts until mid-May.

About the necessary documents for wintering

— What do you need to move to these countries for the winter (documents, etc.)?

— Let’s go through each country.

Sri Lanka:

A passport valid for at least 6 months.
Arrival Card, filled out in advance on the website or upon arrival.
Visa: until March 31, 2024, an ETA (electronic visa) can be obtained for free, but it cannot be extended. If the visa expires after March 31, you can extend the visa for a fee. With this visa, you can enter the country twice within 30 days.
Return ticket: optional, regular ticket booking is also suitable.
Medical insurance: it is not very important to have it as a document for entry, but in fact it is mandatory to issue it to all travelers.
Confirmation of accommodation reservation: optional, do not ask.

*A negative PCR test result and a vaccination certificate are no longer required.

Bali:

A passport valid for at least 6 months.
Return ticket: yes, you need to apply for a visa on arrival / tourist visa. Just a reservation will do.
Visa: the fee for a visa on arrival is 500,000 IDR⁣ (about 30 USD), the visa is valid for 30 days. There are also visas that allow you to stay in Indonesia for 2-3 months or longer.
Medical insurance: optional as an entry document, but mandatory in fact for all travelers.
Confirmation of accommodation reservation: optional, but there are cases when the availability of reservations was checked at the Moscow airport / upon arrival.

*A negative PCR test result and a vaccination certificate are no longer required. You will also not have to fill out the e-HAC questionnaire in the PeduliLindfungi application, which was renamed SATUSEHAT Mobile in April.

Thailand:

Passport: there are no specific requirements for the validity period of the document, but it is better that it is valid for at least six months before arrival.
Visa: Russians are allowed to stay in the country without a visa for up to 90 days. Upon entry, you will be stamped with a permit — that’s all, you don’t need to pay anything extra.
Medical insurance: optional as an entry document, but mandatory in fact for all travelers. Medicine is very expensive here, especially dentistry. Use insurance.
Return ticket: optional, regular ticket booking is also suitable.
Confirmation of the accommodation reservation is not required.

*A negative PCR test result and a vaccination certificate are no longer required.

— What difficulties might you have encountered at the stage of preparation for the winter and already upon arrival in the country?

— If we talk about Russians, then all issues with the preparation of documents take no more than 30 minutes — and you can get a visa on arrival. This year I only bought tickets in advance — I took them 4 months in advance at a bargain price.

Most often now there is one big difficulty: finding a place that you would like in terms of price-quality ratio. Prices have risen, but housing has not improved. You can spend from several weeks to one or more months searching.

Everything else is small things that you can easily handle on your own; basically, these are some everyday moments that can be annoying at first. The most important thing is to establish a way of life in the first week, and then you can enjoy life.

About the search for housing and monthly expenses

— How were you looking for housing for this period in each of the places? What about the prices for rent, communal services?

— On Bali and in In Thailand (Phuket, Phangan), housing prices have increased by about 2 times over the past two years since the lifting of covid restrictions. In any of these countries, you can rent a room for 20-30 thousand rubles ($220—$330), the only question is the quality of this housing. Renting a cozy villa by a company in a pleasant area for 3 rooms will cost an average of 3000-3500 dollars.

* Read about life and rental prices in Sri Lanka in our material.

— How did the cost of living differ in each country? What, in general, about food prices, basic expenses?

— My friend and I were just discussing this topic the other day. We came to the conclusion that it makes sense to fly to Asia for the winter if you are ready to spend at least $ 1,100 per month: only decent housing will cost from $ 450, and you also need to take into account expenses for renting a scooter, gasoline, groceries, travel.

Bali and Thailand are on the same level for me on a budget. In Tae, it is more expensive to rent transport, gasoline and food in a cafe. In Bali, it is about 15% more expensive to rent a house, but very cheap gasoline / taxi, more budget entertainment.

For comfortable wintering in Asia now, on average, you need to be ready to lay a budget of $ 1,600—$2,200.

Important tips for those who are preparing for their first winter

— What do you like about such an experience, wintering?

— For me, wintering is not just an opportunity to spend the winter in the warmth of the ocean. It is also an opportunity to broaden your horizons, meet friends, explore the world from different angles. For example, in all the countries where I wintered, from the very first week I was faced with an incredible number of events. Sometimes it seems that there is more going on here in a week than in ordinary life in a month.

Life experience can be gained very quickly here. Everything is somehow simpler, or something, and people are easier to climb.

— What advice can you give to those who are just going to spend the winter somewhere else?

— A very good question! I have already accumulated such a list of tips, I share:

Before the trip, chat with those who already live in a location that you are interested in wintering. It may seem trivial, but I will say it anyway — I always advocate for safety. And each country has its own peculiarities. For example, there are a lot of thieves in Bali. They steal phones, money, jewelry, helmets, bikes, etc. I personally know people who had money stolen from a safe in the villa. For some reason, even the police won’t help find the culprits. It is very safe in Thailand, here you can leave the keys and money in the bike and be calm.
Do not neglect SPF, even if it is cloudy, the sun is very active in this part of the world.
Be sure to use mosquito spray — Dengue fever does not sleep. She is still very hard to bear. Also, they still haven’t come up with a cure for it.
Respect the traditions of the locals, no matter how strange they may seem to you. Behave calmly with expats, especially those who have been living in this country for a long time, do not get involved in scandals and do not offend anyone.
Join the community as soon as possible, do not stay at home most of the time. All the coolest impressions from Asia can be obtained by sharing emotions with friends. Be open to new acquaintances. Wintering is a great way to develop networking skills.

Taste this world, wintering is great!