Have you ever wondered what are the most popular YouTube Channels About Thailand by Foreigners?
Foreign YouTube Channels About Thailand: Popularity, Expat Life and Long-Term Experience
The other day, I was watching a YouTube video featuring Bangkok Pat called 27 Years in Bangkok… “It’s Not the Same City” , in which he talked about how he came to Thailand and eventually became a YouTuber.
It got me thinking about the many foreign YouTubers who make videos about Thailand and Bangkok. There seems to be a lot more of them these days. Some are here on holiday; others have made Thailand their home. And some have been living here for many years.
With the help of my mate ChatGPT, just for a bit of fun research – nothing too serious people! – I decided to look at the subject from these three different angles. The results make for an interesting mix of travel, food, lifestyle and expatriate channels. Read on to see who made the lists.
- Which are the 20 biggest YouTube channels about Thailand or Bangkok run by foreign nationals?
- Which channels are run by foreigners who actually live in Thailand?
- And which creators have the benefit of at least 10 to 15 years’ experience of living in Thailand?
1. What are the 20 most popular YouTube channels about Thailand or Bangkok run by foreign nationals?
This first list looks at foreign presenters, expatriates and overseas travel creators who make videos about Thailand, Bangkok, Thai culture, food, travel and everyday life. Thai nationals and channels presented by Thai nationals are excluded.
The list includes channels featuring both English-language and other foreign-language content.
Subscriber numbers are approximate and reflect figures available around November 2026. They will change, so treat them as a snapshot rather than permanent figures.
There is an important distinction between channels devoted almost entirely to Thailand and international travel channels that have also produced substantial content about the country. I have included both, but the descriptions indicate the difference.
| Rank | Channel / presenter | Approx. subscribers | Nationality / background | Main Thailand content |
| 1 | My Mate Nate | 15.6m | American | Thai life, entertainment, challenges and travel |
| 2 | Mark Wiens | 12m | American | Thai food, street food, restaurants and travel |
| 3 | The Food Ranger | 5m+ | Canadian | Food, street markets and international food travel |
| 4 | Drew Binsky | 5m+ | American | Thai culture, people, unusual places and travel |
| 5 | Bald and Bankrupt | 4.5m | British | Travel, local people and less-touristy destinations |
| 6 | Kurt Caz | 4.2m | South African | Street life, nightlife, local culture and travel |
| 7 | Bangkok Pilla | 3.9m | Indian | Bangkok and Pattaya daily life, food and family |
| 8 | Harald Baldr | 2m+ | Norwegian | Thailand street life, travel and local experiences |
| 9 | Lost LeBlanc | 2.2m | Canadian | Travel, hotels, islands and Thailand holidays |
| 10 | Indigo Traveller | 2.07m | New Zealander | Documentaries, local communities and real-life experiences |
| 11 | Gabriel Traveler | 600K+ | American | Walking tours, transport, accommodation and travel |
| 12 | Retired Working For You | 458K | American | Retirement, expat life, property and living costs |
| 13 | Roberto Vs The World | 449K | Foreign presenter | Hidden Thailand, adventure and local experiences |
| 14 | Mickey Stotch | 404K | American | Thai and Southeast Asian food and travel |
| 15 | Paddy Doyle | 342K | English | Thailand travel, accommodation and adventures |
| 16 | Johnny FD | 200K+ | American | Expat life, entrepreneurship and living in Thailand |
| 17 | Global Travel Mate | 133K | Foreign presenter | Bangkok walking, neighbourhoods and everyday life |
| 18 | Keis One | 117K | American | Digital nomad lifestyle and living in Thailand |
| 19 | Thairish Times | 60K | Irish | Expat interviews and experiences of living in Thailand |
| 20 | Gary Butler – The Roaming Cook | Smaller channel | English | Thai food, restaurants and local food experiences |
Source for subscriber estimates and channel coverage: YouTube Toolkit.
A qualification: this is a curated shortlist, not a definitive numerical ranking of the 20 largest foreign-run channels. YouTube does not publish a ranking that combines a creator’s nationality, the amount of Thailand-related content and subscriber numbers. Some figures and nationality details, particularly for smaller channels, would benefit from further individual checking.
2. Which YouTube channels about Thailand or Bangkok are run by foreigners who actually live in Thailand?
How the list has been compiled.
This is a narrower category than the first list. To be included:
- The presenter must be a non-Thai national.
- They must actually live in Thailand, rather than simply visit on holiday.
- Their channel must feature Thailand, Bangkok or expatriate life here.
- Thai nationals, Thai-presenter channels and international travel channels that only visit Thailand occasionally have been excluded.
I have included creators from a range of countries, rather than concentrating only on English-speaking Americans and British nationals.
The subscriber figures are rounded estimates, not audited live counts. The list includes larger English- and French-language channels as well as smaller European-language expatriate channels. The current residence of some creators is better documented than others; where there is uncertainty, this is identified.
| Rank | Channel | Approx. subscribers | Country | Main content |
| 1 | Retired Working For You | 458,000 | USA | Retirement, expat life, property and living costs |
| 2 | Sabri Thaï | 159,000 | France | Expat life and everyday Bangkok |
| 3 | Gregor Brown | 158,000 | USA | Moving to Thailand, visas and cost of living |
| 4 | Sam Tyler | 148,000 | UK | Bangkok life, apartment tours and expat interviews |
| 5 | Global Travel Mate | 133,000 | Netherland | Bangkok neighbourhoods and everyday life |
| 6 | Keis One | 117,000 | USA | Digital nomad and expat lifestyle |
| 7 | Joyce Sin | 113,000 | American | Living alone in Bangkok and travelling Thailand |
| 8 | Paul Lee | 92,000 | USA | Digital nomad life, finance and Bangkok |
| 9 | Stefan Chang – Thailand Auswanderer | 87,500 | Germany | Daily life, relocation and living in Thailand |
| 10 | Michael Rudy | 74,700 | Germany | Expat life, property and Thailand |
| 11 | Thairish Times | 60,300 | Ireland | Expat interviews, Thai culture and business |
| 12 | Jett Gunther | 45,800 | USA | Luxury homes, hotels and lifestyle |
| 13 | Phuket 24 Hours | 38,000 | Germany | Phuket living and local experiences |
| 14 | Leo in Asien Thailand | 37,100 | Germany | Life and travel in Thailand |
| 15 | My Koh Samui Thailand | 35,300 | Germany | Koh Samui and expat life |
| 16 | Ricky in Isaan | 35,100 | Australia | Rural Thailand and everyday life in Isaan |
| 17 | Richie and Maybelle | 33,100 | England/Thai | Phuket property, business and lifestyle |
| 18 | Sai Farang | 22,100 | France | Expatriate life in Thailand |
| 19 | Native Farang | 21,300 | England | Family life, Thai culture and travel |
| 20 | Jona Thaïlande | 21,200 | France | Expatriation and everyday Thai life |
Sources for subscriber figures and residence information include channel rankings published in September and November 2026, creator directories and individual channel statistics.
Important qualifications: this is a best-effort shortlist, not a fully verified worldwide top 20. For some creators, it is not clear whether the information about their current residence is up to date. Those entries should therefore be treated with caution rather than as confirmed cases.
3. Which foreign YouTubers have the longest experience of living in Thailand?
For this third list, I have applied a stricter test than in the previous two sections.
I have looked for foreign nationals who have spent at least 10 years living in Thailand, preferably 15 to 30 years or more, and who run a YouTube channel covering Thailand, Thai life, culture, travel or expatriate experiences.
The entries are divided into two groups:
- Long-term residents: people whose residence in Thailand for 10 years or more is supported by publicly available information.
- Established Thailand creators: people with substantial experience of Thailand, but whose continuous residence or precise length of residence needs further qualification.
This is not a ranking by subscriber numbers. The intention is to identify creators with substantial first-hand experience of living in Thailand, rather than to manufacture a top 20 from biographies that cannot be reliably verified.
- Stronger matches – 15 years or more, or substantial long-term experience
| No. | Person / channel | Nationality | Thailand experience | Content |
| 1 | Bangkok Pat | British/Thai background | Arrived 2002; left in 2009 and returned in 2016/17 | Bangkok history, neighbourhoods, culture and hidden places |
| 2 | Dan About Thailand | British | Nearly 20 years | Expat life, business, property and Thai society |
| 3 | Mark Wiens | American | Based in Bangkok since around 2010 | Thai food, restaurants, street food and travel |
| 4 | My Mate Nate | American | Bangkok since 2013, according to an earlier professional profile | Thai culture, entertainment and lifestyle |
| 5 | Global Travel Mate | Dutch | More than 10 years in Bangkok, documented in 2021 | Bangkok neighbourhoods, walking tours and local life |
| 6 | Brett Dev | American | Long-term Chiang Mai resident; exact start date needs confirmation | Digital business, Chiang Mai and expat life |
| 7 | Minority Nomad | American | Reported long-term Bangkok resident; exact start date needs confirmation | Travel, Thai society and local experiences |
| 8 | Lillys Life | American | Koh Samui since 2013 | Thai family life, food, travel and everyday experiences |
| 9 | MyLand Thailand | Swiss | Moved to Thailand around 2011–12 | Expat life, Hua Hin, Cha-Am and provincial travel |
| 10 | Living in Phuket Thailand | British | Thailand since 2011 | Phuket lifestyle, property and relocation |
| 11 | Thailand Bound | Foreign presenter | Ryan Otis reports more than 15 years in Thailand | Expat life, Thai culture, retirement and experiences |
| 12 | All About Life in Thailand | Foreign presenter | Thailand since 2011, according to the creator’s own biography | Thai life, laws, visas, culture and practical information |
| 13 | BlaueKlausTV | German | Nearly 20 years in Thailand, according to its creator profile | Pattaya, expat life, nightlife and Thai culture |
| 14 | Jon Canton | English | Just over 20 years | Personal experiences, work, business and life in Thailand |
| 15 | Scott Mallon | American | Thailand since November 1995 | Thai society, photography, personal experiences and expat life |
A few qualifications are worth noting:
- Bangkok Pat has a mixed British/Thai background and his time living in Thailand has not been continuous. I have included him because of his unusually long personal experience of Bangkok.
- Chris Parker of Retired Working For You is deliberately excluded from this group. Although he first visited Thailand in 1994, he did not move here until 2019. Visiting a country over a period of 25 years is not the same as living there for 25 years.
- An earlier professional profile records My Mate Nate as living in Bangkok from 2013, although another creator profile gives 2015. The precise starting year therefore needs confirmation.
- Additional channels worth investigating – 10 years or more, or potentially qualifying
These are useful additional research leads, although I would not claim that all the creators’ histories of living in Thailand for 10 years or more have been independently established.
| No. | Person / channel | Nationality | Thailand experience / subject |
| 16 | George Newman in Thailand | American | Reports more than 15 years; retirement and everyday life |
| 17 | Muay Thai Pros | American | Stephen reports living in Thailand since 2011; Muay Thai and Thai training culture |
| 18 | Tim Newton / The Thaiger | Australian | Thailand since 2011; news, current affairs and society |
| 19 | Retiring to Asia | Foreign national | Interviews and experiences of long-term residents; one featured guest had lived in Thailand for over 30 years |
| 20 | The Narrow Gate | Foreign presenter | Worth investigating for its Thailand-based community and cultural content; residency duration needs verification |
I would treat these five entries as channels worth investigating, rather than as five additional confirmed members of a top 20.
4. Summary and conclusion
I watch a lot of YouTube – as a result of getting a free one-year Premium subscription from my bank – but i was surprised how many of these Youtubers/channels i actually know – only thirteen of them. I have watched, some more often than others: Bangkok Pat, Dan about Thailand, Gary Butler, George Newman, Jon Canton, Joyce Sin, Lilly’s Life, Native Farlang, Paddy Doyle, Paul Lee, Ricky in Isaan, Sam Tyler, Tim Newton.
There seemed to be few females in these lists. I have no opinion as to why that is.
Looking at these three lists side-by-side highlights just how varied the Thailand-related YouTube scene has become. There are large international channels that feature Thailand alongside other destinations, specialist channels devoted to food and travel, and creators whose subject is the practical reality of living here.
The second list narrows the focus to foreigners who are actually based in Thailand. That makes it particularly useful for anyone interested in day-to-day life, rather than simply watching holiday videos.
The third list goes a step further by looking for people whose experience extends over a decade or more. Their perspective can be especially valuable because they have seen Thailand change over time.
These lists should not be treated as definitive league tables. Subscriber numbers move constantly, and it can be difficult to establish a creator’s nationality or how long they have lived in Thailand from public information alone. I have therefore included qualifications where appropriate and separated stronger matches from entries that need further investigation.
Whether you are planning a visit, thinking about moving to Thailand, already living here or simply interested in the country, there is no shortage of foreign perspectives to explore. The best channel(s) will depend on what you are looking for: food, travel, Bangkok neighbourhoods, retirement, practical advice or an honest account of everyday life, and the character of the Youtuber.
One thing is certain: Thailand provides plenty of material for YouTubers, and the people making these videos offer a wide range of perspectives on the country.
