Vitals to Bring from Home
When you are
away do not carry your passport on you. Almost all hostels have lockers, leave
it there. Everything else can be lost and replaced, even if it takes a bit of
time and hassle. You lose your passport and things are going to be really hard.
On a similar note, don't have all of your cards on you. Leave at least one
credit card in your locker. I also left my debit card unless I was going to
pull out cash. Most all places only take cash, so there is little reason to
carry around cards. If you do happen to lose your debit card, having a credit
card that you can get a cash advance with will save you a lot of trouble.
o
Documents:
Passport / Vaccine records / Scuba record book and card (It would be quite a
bummer to plan on going diving and being limited because you forgot your card)
o
Money: Cash (keep some USD )
/ Debit card / 2 Credit cards (at least one you can withdraw money with)
Items from Home that will Help
All of these
items you could do perfectly fine without. However, I did find myself very
grateful to have each of these.
o
Day pack: Whether its a
spontaneous three day trip to Pai where you don't want to lug your big pack, or
a hike up a mountain where having water is key; having a good day pack is a
must in my book.
o
Protective purse: This
is the biggest novelty item I have on my list. I could have done perfectly fine
without it, but I enjoyed not having to worry about where my bag was on my
body.
o
Lonely Planet Guidebook & Phrasebook: I’m
not going to lie; the guidebook was bulky and rather heavy. I still found it to
be worth the extra weight. I love reading on my tablet, but I found that
guidebooks and phrase books are much better as just that, books.
o
Stroller bag: It
seems strange, but checking my backpack was much easier and safer when I didn’t
have to worry about the straps or clips getting ruined
o
A small pocket notepad: I
used this to keep track of my expenses, what I ate and little things that
happened throughout the day.
o
Book sized notepad: It
was nice to have a place to write tid bits of stuff for myself. Also nice to
have paper in general.
o
Pen, Pencil & Sharpie
o
Compass: Wandering around the
city trying to use a map would have been much easier with even just a small
pocket compass.
My Choice of Electronics
Even half way
around the world, when I wanted to disconnect from a life back home for a bit,
I kept a plethora of electronic devices with me.
o
Camera & Accessories: SD
cards / Extra camera batteries / Camera Charger
o
Selfie stick: As
dorky as it may be, it really was fun to have at times.
o
Tablet or Laptop / Phone
o
Portable charger / Charging
cables
What to Wear Along the Way
As I’m sure everyone is aware, Thailand is very hot and very humid. Jean material is not something you want to be wearing in weather like that. Tight t-shirts also proved to be rather uncomfortable. I would stick to tanks and loose shirts to be most comfortable in the heat and humidity.When traveling to Thailand for a month, the only clothes I would have needed were one of each of the following:
o
Tank top / Loose cotton top
/ Nicer loose top / Spaghetti strap shirt / Light jacket
o
Dress or Skirt / Cotton
shorts / Shorts that will dry quickly / Nicer shorts (I liked these) / Yoga pants or Tights
o
1 Pair of flip flops / 1
Pair of tennis shoes – You won’t need anything more. If you do need nicer
dress shoes, you can buy a pair
o
2 Pairs of socks
o
2 Swim suits: If
you plan to scuba dive I recommend bringing one you don’t mind wearing out a
bit.
o
1 Sports bra / 2 Normal bras: I
brought a push up and a case to protect it. Never wore it and the case took up
a ton of space. Definitely an item I don’t intend to bring again.
o
Underwear: Personal
preference on how many. This will most likely be what determines how often you
have to do laundry.
o
Hat / Sunglasses / Watch:
If you have one you like, bring it. If not, there are plenty of places to buy
one.
