Almost a decade ago I looked in the mirror and decided I was done.

I decided right there and then that having a 9-5 job, getting a mortgage and paying for it until I was too old to wipe my own ass, then marrying some fucktard who may leave me and destroy my life at age 40 because she picked up a copy of Eat, Pray, Love was not the life for me.

I booked a one way ticket to Thailand and never went back. I’ve been living in Asia now for eight years solid, with just a few trips home. I decided on Indonesia.

So what’s it really like? Why should a young man contemplating an alternative path in life consider South East Asia? Walk with me and I’ll talk you through the good reasons to sling your hook, pack your bags, and head East…

Why I will never leave Asia

There are almost too many good sides of living here to count, but I’ve narrowed it down to a few important things which I think will be of some sort of consideration to men reading this.

1. Liveliness

The first thing that you will notice when you visit and or move here is how alive it is.

Southeast Asia is teeming with people, the economies here are booming and growing, and a massive middle class is forming. You could compare it to what America must have been like in the roaring twenties and thirties. Nations are forming, finding their identity and starting to taste power. It’s pretty exciting to be a part of all this and gives you great insights into how society works.

I live in Jakarta, which is a huge city of some 30 million people. At any time of the day or night there is something to do and somewhere to go. Malls, bars, clubs, and entertainment are abundant, and there are always people around. The city never sleeps and so no matter what time of day it is there’s always something to do.

For some this may be a bad thing, but for the young and hungry man, it’s great! There’s never a boring moment unless you allow it to be so.

2. Cheap cost of living



The cost of living in Asia does vary from country to country, for example Indonesia is about twice as expensive as The Philippines, but compared with Western nations things are insanely cheap.

A nice four-bedroom family home in a gated community could be rented for about $500 USD per month, and a studio apartment like the one I currently live in with a pool and a gym costs roughly $250-$300 per month.

Eating out is so cheap you can almost not afford to eat in. I recently took Mrs. Freedom out for an Italian meal in which we had starters, main courses and deserts in a top class restaurant, and the bill came to $25. Add taxis on top and that’s around $35 all in.

Things are beginning to get a little more expensive in Asia, but it’s still a bargain for everyday things. Consumer goods cost the same as back home, but then I’m not interested in them so it doesn’t concern me.

In Jakarta I can take a taxi to the other side of the city for less than a one way bus ticket back home. With a decent salary, it’s easy to save and build wealth here.

As a friend of mine recently said “It’s easy to enjoy more for less out here.” I think that’s about a perfect way to sum it up. You can pretty much get an idea of how things are by taking the current salary you earn and imagining you earned three or four times more. If you earn 100k in Asia, it would be like earning 300-400k in Europe or America.

3. Increased Status

I don’t generally give a flying shit what other people think of me, but everyone to some degree craves status.

In Asia as an expat you will automatically be given status. This does not count for the wave of human trash that descend upon Thailand for two week benders from around the globe who locals despise, but to the expatriate worker involved in business, teaching English or working at a corporation.

You will be looked up to as a Westerner and given respect. Of course there are always bad apples who will hate you wherever you go, but in general Asian people are awesome and will both welcome and respect you as long as you treat them with respect in turn.

We all know for a fact that with status comes many benefits – respect, authority, and an increased dating life. All of these things will come to you when you move to Asia, and that is a personal guarantee.

4. Better quality of women

I’ve already spoken about the increased dating life, but now I want to talk about relationships in general.

Loading...

Women in Asia are better than women in the West in several ways – they are more feminine, more traditional and less aggressive.

90% of them actually want to get married and be stay at home moms. There are a few who have bought into the feminist BS, but most still want to play that traditional role. They’ve been raised to believe it is a good thing, and it is! Divorce, broken family, and abortion rates here are much lower than back in Babylon.

Now don’t get me wrong here. Women the world over are bat shit crazy and Asia is no exception. You’ve got to be careful and beware of the gold diggers. Many of the girls you will meet here in bars and clubs are working girls in disguise, so you need to go in with your eyes open. When an Asian woman goes wrong, it can be a messy, messy sight. But then again that’s no different than back home.

That being said, if you meet a nice, educated girl with her own job, you’re in for a treat. It’s not uncommon for my lady to cook me a meal and watch me intently as I eat it to see if I’m satisfied, then snuggle up to me without complaint. In the past, I’ve had girls I was dating give me full body massages, cook, clean, and physically bathe me when I was injured, and pretty much be the feminine ideal most men nowadays crave.

Their expectations are much more realistic too, if you’re a decent bloke and a good provider, you won’t have any drama with an Asian lady. The fact that other females will constantly be competing against her for you also works to your advantage. It’s like running game 24-7, but you don’t even have to try.

Bonus – If you do marry here, it is as simple as A, B, C to keep all of your financial assets outside of the country and therefore if shit goes south, she has no legal way of laying claim to them.

5. Lifestyle enhancement

Living in Asia will change your lifestyle quite a bit.

Since it’s such a beautiful place people spend a lot of time outside. The weather is almost always good, so going to the beach, lying by the pool, snorkeling, scuba diving and the rest of the fun stuff is much more frequent than back home. Take note that if you live in a big city it can be insanely difficult to get out of the traffic, so pick a location closer to nature.

Having access to some of the most beautiful tropical islands in the world, as well as the means to enjoy these things because you aren’t worrying about how to pay the rent, leads to a much better lifestyle for a young man.

In the last few years I have been on vacation 10+ times. I’ve been snorkeling in Bali, quad biking and jet skiing in The Philippines, and generally having a ball!

All of this was just not possible for me back in the rainy UK. I don’t know about where you live, but the lifestyle here in Asia is a big jump up for me.

6. Greater opportunity

This is perhaps the biggest factor of all.

If you’re an ivy league-educated middle class Westerner there probably isn’t much of a shortage of opportunity for you back home. For men who like to live by their wits and their balls, however, Asia is paradise.

For a young guy with ambition and an entrepreneurial spirit, there are plenty of opportunities in Asia. Many start out teaching TEFL and then move into other fields. I work in oil and gas, a good friend of mine works in marketing, and a guy I have just recently met who is a champion power lifter started his own business delivering paleo meals to offices and is making bank. None of us have a college degree, but we are able to make a good living and enjoy life without too much stress or worry.

Don’t get me wrong, this can all be done at home, but it is much more difficult in my view. In Asia, the opportunities are there and a lot of people will assume that because you are a Westerner, you know something worth paying for. It’s not always true, but I sure as hell wouldn’t complain about having an advantage like that.

Conclusion

Asia won’t do it for everyone. Some come here and crumble and go back home, while some stay for a lifetime. Like everything else, no two people will feel the exact same way about it.

However if you love adventure, have a bold spirit and an open mind, and are looking for a way out of the brain grinder back West, Asia may be the very place for you.

I can’t make you any promises, but as a wise man once said “If you never try, you never know.”

Read More: The Good And Bad Of Teaching English In Asia