Flight booked. Summer 2025: Relocation to Thailand

 

 

Wifey and I were discussing my international driver permit renewal today and it reminded us that we had forgotten something last year that was a pain in the butt when trying to get our permits. We'd forgotten to take our flight details down to the prefectural driver license office here in Okinawa...and so we had to hop around to various convenience stores to find one that would function with a printing app that you can load to your phone. It was a real chore and since we'd gone at a weird time, they were close to closing down for the day over at the licensing office. At the end of the day, I think any of them would have worked...but for some reason, getting the app to work was a chore. Anyway, this led to us booking my flight out of Okinawa...and I'd also need that booking information to apply for my extended Thai tourist visa. I decided to go with a tourist visa, with the visiting family justification, because we still have to register our 20-year old marriage there in order to apply for my more permanent non-immigrant visa. We'll have some hurdles to hop in the fall, for sure...but at least this flight's booked.

I might even have to resubmit a visa photo, since the one I submitted was taken at home...but I'll need one anyway for my driving permit, so it's not all entirely out of the way for doing. Many, many small steps along the way have helped pave the way for what I think will be a decently smooth (is that a thing in Thailand?) transition into a long-term visa.

Meanwhile, back here on Okinawa, we're still posting things for sale and even giving much of it away. A while back, I mentioned "letting go" as an important part of transitioning out of the military and whatever billet you have...I think that also holds true for all of these belongings that we just keep hauling from house to house through all of these PCS moves. Purge and travel light, my friends. Purge and travel light.