Braydon Barrett moved his family from Utah to Asia in 2024, hoping to build a remote life around his online fitness coaching business. Eight months later, he and his family were back in Utah after what he described as a major visa mistake and a difficult stretch of moves across Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, and the Philippines.
Barrett said he and his wife had talked for years about living outside the US. After their son was born in 2023, they decided it was the right time. His wife stayed home with their child, and because he ran his business remotely, he thought the move was doable.
Thailand was the destination he chose after researching visa options. The family took a 10-day scouting trip, settled on Pattaya, and moved on the day their son turned one in April 2024. But when they arrived, Barrett realized he had misunderstood their visa window. He had expected 90 days to sort out a longer-term option, but they only had 30 days.
That forced the family into a scramble. They tried to make a longer-term visa work in Thailand, then moved to Malaysia for three months. Later, Thailand introduced the Destination Thailand Visa, a five-year visa for remote workers and digital nomads. Because applicants had to be outside Thailand while waiting, the family moved to Vietnam and applied from there.
Barrett and his wife were approved almost immediately, but their son’s application took longer. By the time their three-month stay in Vietnam ended, they had to leave again. In Manila, where they were headed for a flight, they hit another snag when a hotel could not find their reservation and they spent two hours sorting it out with security. Barrett said that was the final straw.
He also found that the geography of remote work was not as simple as he expected. His clients and employees were in the US, which meant he was sometimes starting work at 3 a.m. or taking calls at midnight. He said he thought managing his company from across the world would be easier than it was.
Back in Utah, Barrett said his family was happy to have them home. He called the return bittersweet and said he felt like he had failed. But he also said the experience brought him and his wife closer together, and that he still loved the people, culture, and weather in Asia.
The broader lesson for founders is simple: flexibility is valuable, but it is not free. If your business, family, and visa status all depend on moving parts, one mistake can turn a dream setup into a logistics problem fast. Start smaller than you think, and make the paperwork part of the playbook before you move the whole company.
