I thought my only choice was to grow up, get a job, and start a family. Instead, I moved to Thailand.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Martina Smidova, a 29-year-old digital nomad living in Koh Samui, Thailand. It has been edited for length and clarity.

At 25, I felt trapped in my corporate job.

I was working 9-to-5 as a project manager in the automotive field in the Czech Republic. With an hourlong commute each way, it felt like I was always either at work or on my way there.

One day, it hit me: there has to be another way to live. So I quit.

I decided to find a remote job and live abroad. I didn’t have a plan B. I told myself that I’d figure it out, and off I went to Asia. I’d visited before on vacation, and it felt like the right place to start over.

I spent half a year in Bali before traveling around the region, including to countries like Vietnam and Malaysia. But Thailand stuck with me the most.

It was the people, the food, and the lifestyle. I felt comfortable here — almost like home — so I decided to stay.

After spending time in Chiang Mai, about 450 miles north of Bangkok, and meeting my boyfriend in Phuket, we decided to move to Koh Samui together.

I wanted to experience island life

At the same time, I also wanted access to modern amenities. Living in Samui, you have everything you need — plus peace and quiet.

There are parts of Samui that are well-developed and attract many tourists, but if you travel to the other side of the island, you’ll find villages that feel frozen in time.

A year ago, my boyfriend and I moved into a two-bedroom condo in Bangrak, in the northeastern region of the island. We found it on Facebook Marketplace.

I knew I wanted to be in a good location. Even though it’s a small island, I didn’t want to travel an hour to get to the gym or somewhere else I needed to be.

We pay 55,000 Thai baht, or about $1,700, each month in rent. We have a common pool, but the view from the balcony sold me on the unit.

I have gotten to know some neighbors because I keep bumping into them, but because we are on such a holiday island, many of the apartments are Airbnbs.

It was hard for me to make friends

I still feel that way sometimes. There are different communities of people on the island, but they are often a bit older than I am.

I met all of my friends either through the gym or through other friends. While the digital nomad community of young people is slowly growing, many don’t stay for a long time. That’s the sad part about this lifestyle — you meet amazing people and then they’re gone.

But the locals are really open to helping you, so I reach out when I need something.

I do get by just by speaking English, but I believe my experience here would be much better if I could speak Thai — that’s why I’m planning to learn the language.

My life here is so different from back home

Now I work in operational management. But since my clients are in Europe, I work European hours, which start at 2 p.m. in Thailand.

I have the whole morning to myself. I’ll go to the gym, have a nice breakfast, head to a coffee shop, or meet up with my friends.

I start work in the afternoon and usually finish up around 6 or 7 p.m. Then it’s time to have dinner or to go for a walk on the beach.

Back home, everybody was rushing. I saw stressed faces all the time, but it wasn’t their fault.

In order to meet up with friends, you need to schedule it three months in advance because everyone’s so busy. But here, people are so chill.

My mom came to Samui to visit me last year. It was her first time in Asia, and she experienced culture shock.

I remember driving her from the airport, and she asked me incredulously, “You like it here?” It took her two weeks on the island to change her mind, and in the end, she didn’t want to leave.

Living abroad broadened my horizons

I’m going to be 30 soon, and I don’t plan on having kids yet. I’m not sure if I ever will, and I think that’s something that won’t resonate with my friends back home.

Before I started traveling, I didn’t think about it as a choice. You grow up, you get a career, then you get a family, and that’s how life works.

When I started meeting people who made the decision to pursue different careers or not have families, I realized, “Oh, it’s a choice.”

I try to reflect on my life every now and then. I’ve been living Thailand for four years, and even today, I still have moments when I can’t believe that this is my life.

I don’t plan on moving back in the foreseeable future. Of course, I miss my family, but I don’t miss the lifestyle.

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