It’s no secret that Thailand is a hot and humid destination so here’s what I recommend packing to survive the weather and other essentials you’ll need!
For the flight
Passport
Copies of passport – it’s important to at least have one copy of your passport in case something were to happen to your passport
Travel insurance – some people say skip this but we definitely weren’t risking it. We got our travel insurance through this site.
Headphones / Noise cancelling heaphones – most planes use old headphone jacks so I bring a pair of older headphones in case the plane doesn’t provide them
Face Mask – to freshen up at the end of the flight. This might seem a little extra for most but after a 13+ hour flight, it’s something simple to pack to help you feel better
Toothpaste/toothbrush – also a little extra, but I’ve seen plenty of people brush their teeth at the end of long a flight
Clothes
The weather is one factor when it comes to clothes, but also make sure you respect the culture and dress appropriately. The rule with temples is to always cover your shoulders and knees. With the hot weather, chances are you will be in tank tops often so packing something like a sarong to carry around in case you need it to cover-up before walking into a temple is important! This list consists of everything I packed for a 10 day trip that all fit into a 40L bag, on top of everything else listed above/below:
Shampoo and conditioner – if you are staying in hostels or cheaper hotels, highly recommend packing enough shampoo and conditioner to wash your hair most days (sweat and ocean hair). The nicer hotels provide their own but most of the places we stayed didn’t provide any or enough.
Washcloths – if rubbing soap on your body is enough to make you feel clean, you could skip this, BUT most places did not have washcloths. They offered towels but no wash clothes
For the ladies: if you prefer tampons, pack some of your own if you think you’ll need them. You can only find tampons at a pharmacy, which aren’t as frequent to come by, but the convenient stores will have pads
Medical kit: Pepto Bismal, Dramamine, Aspirin, Bandaids, Benadryl
Packing cubes – we did 10 days with only backpacks so these were great to stay somewhat organized and everything compressed
Water proof phone cases – we used these to take videos underwater while snorkeling and they worked great!
Water Proof Dry Bag – if you’re island hopping, this will help keep your stuff dry
Makeup – keep it super minimal if any at all! I ONLY wore eyeliner/mascara and the rest stayed packed away because I would have just sweat it off
Do NOT pack
Straightener / Curling Iron – your hair is going to do whatever it wants in the humidity honey! Don’t waste space on these items.
Heavy makeup – foundation, any eye makeup outside of the basics (mascara/eyeliner), etc.
