About Ted
The short version:
I came to Thailand for two weeks. That was eight years ago. I still haven't booked the return flight.
The Longer Version
I grew up outside of Philadelphia. Went to college, got a decent job in marketing, did the whole thing. Cubicle, commute, happy hours on Fridays where everyone complained about Monday through Thursday. It wasn't a bad life. It just wasn't really my life.
In my late twenties I hit one of those stretches where everything kind of piles up at once. I won't bore you with the details, but the short version is: I needed a reset. A friend had been to Thailand and wouldn't shut up about it, so I booked a two-week trip with zero expectations and honestly not much of a plan.
I landed in Bangkok, spent a few chaotic days there, then hopped a flight to Koh Samui because someone at a hostel told me it was "the pretty one." Incredibly sophisticated travel research, I know.
But here's what happened. I got off the plane at this tiny open-air airport surrounded by palm trees, took a taxi to a cheap guesthouse in Bophut, walked down to Fisherman's Village that first evening, sat on the beach with a 65-baht Chang, and something just... clicked. I don't want to be dramatic about it. Nobody handed me a coconut and said "welcome home, Ted." But for the first time in a long time, I wasn't thinking about what I was supposed to be doing next. I was just there.
I extended the trip to a month. Then two. Then I started figuring out how to make money remotely so I wouldn't have to leave. I freelanced, picked up consulting projects, learned how to make a living from my laptop on a patio overlooking the Gulf of Thailand. It took a while. I ate a lot of 60-baht pad thai during the "figuring it out" phase.
And now it's been eight years.
Why I Started This Site
Here's the thing about living somewhere for this long: people find out, and then they have questions. A lot of questions. My inbox became a part-time job. Friends, friends of friends, strangers on Reddit, my mom's coworker's nephew who was "thinking about Southeast Asia." Everyone wanted the same stuff:
Where should I stay? Is it safe? How much money do I need? What's the food like? Should I rent a scooter? Which beaches are actually worth it?
I was writing the same answers over and over. So eventually I figured I'd just... write it all down properly. Once. In one place. With everything I actually know after eight years of living here, not the recycled stuff you find on page one of Google that was clearly written by someone who spent four days at a resort and called it research.
That's what Ted in Thailand is. It's every answer I've ever given, every mistake I've made, every tip I wish someone had told me before I got here, all in one spot.
What This Site Is (and Isn't)
It is: honest, specific, occasionally funny (I hope), and based entirely on years of actually living here. When I say a restaurant is good, I've eaten there. When I say a beach is overrated, I've been there enough times to know. When I tell you how to get from the airport to Lamai without overpaying, it's because I've done that drive roughly four hundred times.
It isn't: a highlight reel. I'm not here to sell you a fantasy. Koh Samui is genuinely one of the most beautiful places on Earth and I will stand by that until I die. But it's also a real place with real quirks, and I'd rather you show up prepared than show up chasing an Instagram photo that was taken at the one angle where you can't see the construction site.
I want you to come here. I really do. But I want you to come here informed, have an incredible time, and not waste money or energy on the stuff that isn't worth it.
A Few Things About Me
I live in the Bophut area on the north coast. Fisherman's Village is my backyard and I'm not even a little bit tired of it.
My go-to order at any Thai restaurant is som tum (papaya salad), but I ask for "Thai spicy" not "farang spicy" at this point. Took about three years to build up to that.
I've circled this island on a scooter more times than I can count and I still notice new things.
I think Koh Samui's west coast sunsets are the most underrated thing on the island. Fight me.
The worst tourist mistake I ever made was my first week here, when I paid 800 baht for a taxi ride that should have been 200. I've been making up for it by telling everyone exactly what things should cost ever since.
Want to Say Hi?
I love hearing from readers. Whether you're planning your first trip, you're already on the island and need a restaurant recommendation, or you just want to tell me I'm wrong about something, reach out. I read everything. Email me - [email protected] or follow me on Pinterest
Welcome to the site. I hope it helps you have the trip of a lifetime.
Or, like me, maybe skip the return flight entirely.