Diamonds may be considered a girl’s best friend, but there’s no jewel on earth that can offer advice during a hard time or make you laugh over drinks at your favorite bar. Real girlfriends are an important part of any women’s life, especially women living abroad.  Expat women come to learn quickly that valuable advice and the support of their circle of friends can greatly improve a life “away from home.” 

Whether a newcomer to Thailand or a long-term resident, an expat women’s life in the land of smiles is certainly full of amazing experiences and, inevitably, certain challenges. Fortunately, a growing online social network is making sure that women in Thailand have an opportunity to connect, share, gather and live it up!

The Chicky Net social network for (mostly expat) women in Thailand aims to help women make the most of their time in this fascinating country. Currently with over 2,000 members, the user-friendly site offers an interactive platform for members to meet, exchange information, learn about events in the community, and much more. Membership is free and women can explore content for four main locations - Bangkok, Phuket, Chiang Mai and Hua Hin – as well as general, country-wide information.

The path of expat living in Thailand has been forged by many that have come before. Forums on the site offer a chance for the common wisdom of the group to be shared, making even the most migraine-inducing situations easier to bear. Forum topics include health, kids and family, food and wine, leisure, and home and garden. Forums are also a great place to get recommendations on the best restaurants, golf courses, child care services, dance clubs and more. Contrary to other sites which offer generic “living in Thailand” advice, the answers to questions posted to the Chicky Net forums are current, location-specific and coming from real live women, not copy writers or advertisers.

Beyond the interactive platforms on the site, Chicky Net events are a great way to connect with new people. Fancy finding the best khao soi in Chaing Mai, playing a round ten pin bowling in Hua Hin, reading a good book in Bangkok or snorkeling in Phuket? Why not enjoy it with new friends? Event listings include a diverse range of activities perfect for an equally diverse range of women.  Book groups, sporting events, art exhibits, and cocktail meet-and-greets are a few of the current offerings. The events are a great chance to discover like-minded people or to have a totally new experience. And if an certain activity isn’t available, it’s easy for members to make a new post and recruit people to join their own event. Some events are for Chicky Net members only (when you need a little girl talk) while other events welcome spouses, partners or the whole family.

Additional tools in the Chicky Net toolbox include classified ads, photo albums and interesting expat interviews. There is also an extensive list of women bloggers in Thailand that makes it easy to find well-written, entertaining and at times, very moving accounts of the female experience in Thailand.

Overall, Chicky Net social network offers up the potential for expat women to reach out beyond their regular social circles and to discover the best of what Thailand has to offer.  A girl certainly could survive without a site like Chicky Net, but, really, why would she want to?