Email 01
Is Chiang Mai right for your family?
Before anything else, the honest question. Who thrives here, who struggles, and what this place is and isn't.
A self-paced email course · $29
Moving to Chiang Mai: A Step-by-Step Course for Families
Everything you need to know, in the order you actually need to know it.
$29
12 emails · 4 weeks · self-paced - One email every 2–3 days
- Worksheets & checklists for each topic
- Yours forever — read whenever
$29
12 emails · 4 weeks · self-paced - One email every 2–3 days
- Worksheets & checklists for each topic
- Yours forever — read whenever
The problem with planning a move
Too Much Information, No Clear Place to Start.
Most people planning a move to Chiang Mai end up with a lot of information and no clear sense of what to do first. The reading is easy. Knowing which decisions depend on which other decisions — that's the hard part.
This course gives you a structured path through the whole thing. Twelve emails, one every couple of days, each one focused on a single stage of the planning process. By the end you'll know what your move looks like, what you still need to figure out, and what to do next.
Email by email 
Your 12-Step Move to Chiang Mai
Each email points you toward a decision, not just information.
Email 02
What would your life here actually cost?
The real variables and hidden costs that don't show up in generic cost of living guides, so you can start building a budget that actually reflects your situation.
Email 03
How does the way you work shape your options?
Your income situation is the first decision to settle before you touch the visa question.
Email 04
Which visa path is yours?
The main options, what each one broadly requires, and how to start figuring out which one fits.
Email 05
What are your kids' options for school?
The options worth knowing about, and why this decision comes before neighborhoods.
Email 06
How do you get around?
Grab, motorbikes, licenses, car ownership: what you need to know before you commit to a neighborhood.
Email 07
Which neighborhood fits your life?
How to narrow down where to live based on what actually matters for your family: school location, lifestyle, and budget.
Email 08
How do you find your home?
How the rental market works, what you can realistically do remotely, and what to expect when you arrive.
Email 09
When should you actually move?
The factors that should shape your move window: air quality, rental market, school enrollment timelines.
Email 10
How do you get set up once you land and move in?
SIM cards, bank accounts, where to shop, how to hook into services: the order to tackle it in.
Email 11
Do you need to learn Thai?
The basic phrases that actually matter, how to approach learning, and an honest take on what's realistic.
Email 12
How do you build a real life here?
Community, integration, and what the first six months actually feel like, because a successful move isn't just about logistics.
…and you're ready. 🧳
One clear path
Stop Planning in Circles
Close the forty browser tabs. Start at Email One and let the sequence move you through decisions that turn your vague plans into a to-do list you can accomplish.
Enroll for $29 →
Hi, I'm Lily
Why I Built This
I grew up in Chiang Mai — half Thai, half American, at home in both cultures. I left for London and New York to see what else the world had to offer, but it turned out the city that raised me was already the answer. I came back in 2017, and turning Chiang Mai into our family's home is the best thing we've ever done.
I'm also, for better or worse, pathologically helpful. So when friends started arriving and asking me which visa, which neighborhood, which school, I helped. When founders showed up wanting to build something here, I helped. When families landed and needed someone to call about the bank account thing, or the burning season thing, or the why-isn't-our-rental-what-we-thought-it-was thing, I helped.
These days my family takes up most of my time and attention, and I can't keep answering every random DM. But all that information shouldn't just sit in the back of my head either. So I've systematized what I know into this course — the same thinking I've been giving out one inbox at a time, now in the right order, for anyone who needs it.
If you'd rather skip ahead and talk through your situation directly, the consultation is here.
What you get
What Lands in Your Inbox
- 12 emails over roughly four weeks; one every two to three days
- A structured path through every relocation decision; sequenced in the order you actually need to make them
- Worksheets and prep checklists; to turn each topic into real action items
- Original content from years of consultation work; not just links back to the blog
- Links to the relevant CNXlocal guides; where they genuinely help
- The same thinking you'd get from a consultation; at a fraction of the price
- Yours forever; read at your pace, return whenever you need it
- No spam, ever; just the course and the occasional genuinely useful update
All that value, for less than a pad thai dinner probably costs where you're living now.
Get the full course
Twelve emails over four weeks — yours to keep.
Is this for you?
Who This Course Is Built For
This course is for families seriously considering relocation to Chiang Mai — and ready to start making real decisions instead of accumulating browser tabs.
It works whether your move is six months away or two years away. You'll come out of it knowing what your move involves, which decisions to start with, and what you still need to figure out.
If you don't have school-age kids, Email 5 is less relevant — but everything else applies.
The blog is free
So What Makes This Course Worth $29?
The CNXlocal blog is free and always will be — if you want to read everything yourself and piece it together, it's all there. This course is for when you want it sequenced into action. The order comes from watching enough families plan this move to know exactly where things go sideways, and which decisions need to be made before which others.
Before you enroll
Frequently Asked Questions
No. The blog is broad, deep, and free — but it's organized by topic, not by the order in which you actually need to think about things. The course is the same thinking sequenced into a deliberate path, with each email pointing toward a specific decision rather than just laying out information. Some of the material in the course also hasn't made it onto the blog yet.
One at a time, every two to three days, over roughly four weeks. The cadence is deliberate — it gives you time to actually sit with each topic before the next one lands.
They're yours to keep. Read them when you have the headspace, return to them when a topic becomes relevant. Most people read along live, but there's no penalty for falling behind.
Yes — moving as a family means making these decisions together, so it would be strange to expect otherwise. Forward the emails to whoever you're planning with.
That's actually the sweet spot. Many of the decisions in this course have lead times longer than people expect — visa timelines, school enrollment windows, rental market seasonality. Starting early is the point.
Most of the course applies regardless. Email 5 on schools is less relevant if you don’t have school-age kids, but everything else — visas, cost, neighborhoods, admin, language, community — works the same.
Your move, in the right order
Ready to Take Action?
Twelve emails. Four weeks. Twelve decisions you can actually start making.
Enroll for $29 →No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.