Thailand is quite the mixture of large, economic powerhouse cities and small, rural towns so there are a few items that I made sure to pack on my trip. When I go back to Thailand, I will be making sure to pack the following items.
Thailand is quite the mixture of large, economic powerhouse cities and small, rural towns so there are a few items that I made sure to pack on my trip. When I go back to Thailand, I will be making sure to pack the following items. I have also included links to Amazon.ca and Amazon.com for your convenience, feel free to click the blue links to visit Amazon.
- Tissue
As with a lot of countries, there is a very high chance that the public bathroom will not have toilet paper plus there are other helpful uses for it like blowing your nose, having something to sneeze into, if you are eating street food or in a vendor stall then you probably won't have napkins, these can help with that too! These Kleenex travel packs are super easy to pack and fit into a pocket: Amazon.ca | Amazon.com
- Disinfecting Wet Wipes
These are great as sometimes you'll want to wipe things like toilet seats, door handles, airplane seats, remote and phone in your hotel room, or trying to get a stain out. These are the ones I pack with me on every trip: Amazon.ca | Amazon.com
- Hand Sanitizer
While wet wipes are great, they actually are not meant to be used on skin so packing hand sanitizer is also extremely helpful. These hand sanitizers are ones that I have used and I like them both, they are also TSA & carry on friendly and easy to not only pack but carry on you:
Amazon.ca | Amazon.com
- Sunscreen
The sun is super strong in Thailand so besides a hat and sunglasses, you will also want to pack a good sunscreen. I did run out while I was in country and while there were lots of 7-11's around that carried some, all of them had what looked to be skin whitening ingredients. As a red head, I have sensitive skin so I know how burning from the sun wasn't an option so I risked a chemical burn instead as I'm sure I cannot get any whiter lol. Due to the humidity, I highly suggest a waterproof, sport sunscreen like these ones and since I was alone I used the spray ones as no one was available to get my back. Amazon.ca | Amazon.com
Incase you do get sunburnt, you will want to bring some after sun with you as well. As someone who gets burnt regularly, I love the Burt's Bees after sun: Amazon.ca | Amazon.com
- Collapsible Water Bottle
It is super humid in Thailand and you will go through water quite quickly. Due to this I will swing by a grocery store (or 7/11) and purchase the largest container of water I can get then I will put it into a collapsible water bottle to take with me when I head out as this helps me save some money by not having to purchase the expensive bottles at the tourist sites / temples. This is one of my favorites as it folds up quite small: Amazon.ca | Amazon.com
If you are heading somewhere that getting bottles of water won't be easy or maybe you want to save on the plastic then grab a LifeStraw as the tap water in Thailand is not filtered enough for Western's stomachs. It filers better than the Brita water bottles so it is well worth the investment: Amazon.ca | Amazon.com
- Insect Repellent
Mosquito's can be killer in Thailand and since you will be wearing sunscreen, you will want a deet free bug spray. The reason for this is because deet will cause sunscreen to work 40% less plus mixing deet with sunscreen causes the deet to absorb 3x more than without the sunscreen and as deet is not supposed to be applied directly on the skin, that is bad. OFF! is a brand I have used for years and I find works well: Amazon.ca | Amazon.com
While not getting bit is always the goal, it is not always the way things go so you will want to pack some After Bite as well: Amazon.ca | Amazon.com
- Power Adapter
Thailand uses 220v and Thailand just like the rest of Southeast Asia, suffers from strong power surges so you'll want to make sure that the power adapter you use has surge protection. These travel adapters cover 150+ countries and also have built in fuses that will blow to protect your devices if there is a power surge: Amazon.ca | Amazon.com
- Ziploc Bag
Whether it is using them for holding liquids, dirty clothes, or even wet items having some ziploc bags on hand are super helpful. I like using their large freezer bags as I never know what I am going to use the bag for so the bigger the better (they are easy to cram into spaces or pack any liquids you are traveling with in them to save space) plus I find that the freezer bags are thicker just incase something breaks inside of them: Amazon.ca | Amazon.com
For any liquids going in my carry on, I really like using these bags so then I know that I am packing within the airlines / TSA's size limits: Amazon.ca | Amazon.com
- Electrolyte Tablets
There are three reasons to bring electrolyte tablets:
1. the alcohol is cheap, electrolytes will help with hangovers
2. outside is super humid so it is easy to sweat and dehydrate, electrolytes hydrate faster than water alone
3. if you get sick, it will be coming out at least one end and electrolytes will again, help rehydrate you
Nuun is the brand I pack with me and it saved me in Cambodia: Amazon.ca | Amazon.com
- Waterproof Phone Case
Besides the humidity and dust that you will come across while exploring the cities, if you are planning on heading to the beach, river cruise, or any other activities that could get your phone not only wet but damaged, it is handy to have a waterproof case that will also allow you to take photos with your phone. While I have a case that works specifically with my phone, these Joto cases are highly rated: Amazon.ca | Amazon.com
- Wired Headphones & Headphone Splitter
Both are great for the plane if you bluetooth ones die but also, if you take any audio tours then with the splitter you only pay for one audio guide but can connect it to two headphones but you will need wired headphones to do this.
My favorite wired headphones are Skullcandy: Amazon.ca | Amazon.com
This Belkin, five way splitter has come in handy because you can adjust which hole you put your headphones in for comfort or if there are more than two of you, you can all listen! Amazon.ca | Amazon.com
- Neck Wallet
Pickpockets are quite rampant in Bangkok and some hotels do not have safes so keeping your passports on you is a must. A neck wallet that fits under your clothes can really help make a difference. These ones are unisex and sit comfortably under your clothes: Amazon.ca | Amazon.com
- Anti-theft Day Bag
While having a neck wallet is nice, sometimes you actually want to have a bag to put things into or have things easily accessed. My favorite brand is Travelon as I've had their messenger bag for almost 15 years (plus 20+ countries) and it is still in the same shape that it was the day I bought it. They also have a ton of great anti-theft features. Having a bag that is unisex and plain is also helpful so these are great options: Amazon.ca | Amazon.com
- Luggage Locks
Make sure that you get TSA approved locks so you can put them on your luggage while flying but they also come in handy when it comes to leaving your luggage in the room while you are out as housekeeping can be very snoopy sometimes.... If you do not have a TSA approved luggage lock then they will cut the locks off your bag at the airport to have a look. I always trust Master Lock and haven't had an issue so far: Amazon.ca | Amazon.com
- Folding Travel Backpack
Some days you end up shopping and buying more than you want to carry or you are heading somewhere where a backpack makes more sense then the day bag, this is where a folding backpack comes in. They fold down to a size that is easy to pop into your daypack and bring out when needed: Amazon.ca | Amazon.com
- Quick Dry Towel
Depending on where you are staying, you host / accommodation may not provide a towel, the bathroom is a wet room and you use all the towels to prevent water from running out the door (true story!), or perhaps you want to bring something with you to wipe away the sweat / humidity well this is where a quick drying towel comes in handy! Amazon.ca | Amazon.com
- On Location Travel Resources
While phones are used for pretty much everything these days, sometimes there may not be an internet connection, your battery dies, or you don't want to pull out your tech which is where these items come in handy:
- Travel Guide: I really like Lonely Planet's but there is also Fodor's, Insight, Frommers, National Geographic, Top 10 / DK Eyewitness and so many more.
- you could also get individual city guides if you are not visiting the entire country like Lonely Planet Bangkok, DK Eyewitness Top 10 Bangkok, but no matter which you choose, just make sure it is the most up to date version as things have changed since COVID.
- Carry a phrasebook: while the guides above usually have common sayings and words, if you are headed out of the main cities then having a phrasebook / dictionary comes in very handy. I again, like Lonely Planet's.
- Food Allergy Reference: if you have food allergies then trying to translate what you need can become a matter of life / death and you cannot afford to have a mistake. The Allergy & Anaphylaxis Australia website has quite a few translated sheets that you can print to provide any restaurant while travelling.
