It’s been a long time since I reached an age that entitled me to a special privilege. At 16, I earned the privilege to drive; at 18, I enjoyed the privilege to vote; and at 21, I was entitled to drink alcohol (an opportunity that was squandered since I didn’t start drinking until I was 30). To be fair, I’ve been in the entitled white male class for years but, at this point, I was expecting the next age of privilege for me to be around 65, when I could begin to collect social security.

What I recently learned, while going over the various tourist visas available on the Thai embassy website, is that this year I became eligible for a special Thai visa, one specifically for foreign tourists over the age of 50. It allows you to remain in Thailand as long as you have a minimum of $25K in a Thai bank account or maintain a monthly income of $2k.

Certainly, this is designed for older men looking to live cheaply in a land with younger girls ready to serve their sugar daddies, but I am excited, personally, at the prospect of having the option to retire 15 years earlier. I’m sure I can find something else to do for my 65th birthday.