And why I’m Still Here 20 Years Later…
I left the United Kingdom at 39 and haven’t seriously considered going back once in over twenty years.
Not through three countries, one marriage, one divorce, and now raising my 11-year-old son alone in the Philippines.
This isn’t another glossy “expat dream” story. It’s the real one — the reasons I walked away from corporate life, what I found in Southeast Asia, what broke, what worked, and why I’m still here at nearly 60.
The Breaking Point
In my late thirties I was a Managing Director in a corporate environment. Good salary, respected position, ticking all the right boxes.
On paper it looked fine. In reality I was completely burnt out.
I woke up one Monday and realised the motivation had just… gone quiet. I was going through the motions, and a voice in my head kept saying: “This isn’t it. This isn’t what your life is supposed to feel like.”
So at 39, with some savings and assets behind me, I sold up and walked away. Some people called it a mid-life crisis. I call it the best decision I ever made.
First Stop: Thailand
I landed in Thailand and it did exactly what I needed — it forced me to slow down.
The heat hits you the second you step off the plane and the country basically says: “Relax.” I decompressed, started enjoying mornings again, and remembered what it felt like to be present instead of constantly chasing the next target.
Thailand was beautiful, the food was incredible, and the people were warm. Cost of living was manageable. But after a few years I knew it wasn’t my forever home. Visa rules, property restrictions, and that constant feeling of being an outsider eventually pushed me to move on.
Kuala Lumpur – A Stepping Stone
I spent about a year in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Modern infrastructure, excellent healthcare, world-class food, and a cosmopolitan vibe at a fraction of Western prices (alcohol excepted).
It was a good chapter — especially while I was with my then-girlfriend (later wife, now ex-wife and mother of my son). KL suited a certain type of expat very well, but for me it was a bridge to the next move.
When we were expecting our son, we decided to move to the Philippines. He was born here, and that decision shaped the last fourteen years of my life.
The Philippines – My Real Home
I’ve now lived in the Philippines for fourteen years — mostly in Angeles City (a place that gets a very particular reputation that doesn’t tell the full story). I tried Negros Oriental for a year but found it too slow and boring.
This isn’t an extended holiday. This is real life.
My son goes to school here. I do my shopping, hit the gym, ride my motorcycle, meet friends, and have my morning coffee. This is home.
The story is more complicated than most expat channels show: I got married here, had a son, and we later divorced. Because divorce isn’t available in the Philippines, I had to handle it through the UK system — something I’ll cover in detail on this channel because it affects so many expat relationships and almost nobody talks about it honestly.
Today I’m a solo parent raising an 11-year-old boy as a nearly-60 British man in Angeles City. That changes the entire expat experience. It’s not “retirement freedom on the beach.” It’s full, responsible daily life in a very different culture.
So Why Am I Still Here After 20+ Years?
Four honest reasons:
- The pace of life
Things move differently here. Once you stop fighting the slower rhythm and the extra forms, it becomes genuinely good for your health. My blood pressure is living proof. - My son
He’s growing up comfortable in two cultures, speaking Tagalog and English, with both Filipino and expat friends. At 11 he already has a wider view of the world than I did in my late teens. That’s priceless. - The cost of living
The quality of life I enjoy here — space, food, freedom, time — would cost me three or four times more back in the UK, and I’d be stressed and cold. Simple as that. - I’ve built a real life here
Not a temporary setup. Real routines, real relationships, real community. It took time, but it happened.
What This YouTube Channel Is Really About
Naked Expat exists to give you the information I wish I’d had twenty years ago.
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No filter. No dream-selling. Just the straight truths about visas, healthcare, relationships, parenting abroad, growing older here, what can go wrong, and what actually works.
I’ll talk about the awkward stuff other channels skip: the loneliness that can creep in, the relationship dynamics, the legal realities, and the moments when you look around and think “Yes — this is exactly where I’m supposed to be.”
If you’re over 50 (or getting close) and you’re wondering whether there’s a better way to live the second half of your life, I want this channel to be genuinely useful to you.
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