A man who was broke and stressed out in America decided to quit his job and move to Thailand – where he’s now living in luxury working as a content creator.
Back in 2019, Mike Holp, 38, originally from Austin, Texas, was working as a deliverista, earning between $15 and $20 an hour delivering food on his bike, living in a small apartment with three roommates.
He was forced to work tirelessly to make ends meet, and constantly felt like he was missing out on actually enjoying his life.
So in November 2019, he left his monotonous life in Austin behind, quit his job and booked a one-way ticket to Bali, Indonesia.
Holp figured he’d spend a few months traveling in Asia before returning home to the US.
But during his travels he ended up in Phuket, Thailand, and he instantly fell in love. He knew from then that he could never go back to his old life.
Holp has been living in Koh Samui, Thailand, for the last four years, where his financial situation has immensely improved.
He works as a content creator, while spending his days hiking, lounging on the beach or snorkeling.
Mike Holp, 38, was broke and stressed out in America. He decided to quit his job and move to Thailand where he’s now living in luxury while working as a content creator
He’s been living in Koh Samui, Thailand, for the last four years, where his financial situation has immensely approved
Originally from Austin, Texas, Holp was working as a food delivery biker and living in a small apartment with three roommates. He’s pictured here in Texas
He said he cut his rent and living expenses down, while greatly improving his quality of life.
‘Finances played a big part of my reason for leaving Austin,’ he told the Daily Mail. ‘Increasing cost of living, poor quality of life, homelessness problem, strict competition in the job market – I needed to make a change for the better.’
Holp said he now rakes in around $1,200 per month from his YouTube channel, Mike Abroad, where he documents his life in Thailand and has almost 12,000 subscribers. His most popular videos have over 100,000 views.
He also runs a Facebook page where he helps others ‘escape the rat race’ and move abroad to Asia like him – which has more than 15,000 members – and he published a book on the topic called Moving Abroad to Thailand Guide.
He brings in additional income from freelance work, including remote coaching and consulting for folks looking to make the same moves, and selling his photography.
He lives in a brand-new one-bedroom house just five minutes from the beach, and his rent is only $600 per month.
He estimated that his monthly cost of living varies from $1,200 to $1,800 per month and that he spends around $60 per week on groceries – about 30 eggs cost as little as $5 where he is living.
Holp works as a content creator, raking in $1,200 per month while spending his days hiking, lounging on the beach or snorkeling
He has cut his rent and living expenses down immensely, while greatly improving his quality of life
He lives in a brand-new one-bedroom house just five minutes from the beach – his rent is only $600 per month
‘My cost of living in US would easily be four to five [times] more expensive for a poorer quality of life,’ he added.
But saving money isn’t the only thing he prefers about living in Thailand.
He also praised the ‘super friendly people,’ the delicious food and the ‘warm tropical climate.’
In addition, he said he gets to see ‘beautiful scenery’ daily and has way more free time than when he was living in the US and working long hours just to get by.
And he gets to spend that free time soaking up the sun, swimming in the ocean or going on an adventure in the jungle.
In the end, Holp urges others to ‘take the plunge.’
‘It’s important to get out of your comfort zone in order to grow personally,’ he said.
‘Many people in the US never leave the country,’ he continued, adding that there are lots of people who ‘don’t even have a passport.’
When it comes to his new home in particular, he says, ‘Thailand has a lot to offer to anyone wanting to live a more unconventional life.’
