What to take with you to Thailand and what things you don't need to take - our experience

I matured after returning for a small post about what to take with me to Thailand and what not to take. When we were going to Thailand, we did not take into account some points, although everything seemed to be very obvious, because the country is warm and cheap. And despite the fact that all the things fit into the suitcase, I am sure that this number could be reduced without any problems. So, not so much for the sake of advice, but for myself personally, I am writing a reminder note for the next trip. Otherwise we'll get too much.

The content of the article

What things do not need to take with you

First, I would like to talk about what is not necessary to take, because I have come across various tips on the network, and I would like to refute some of them. I will list the points, it's easier.

  • Winter jacket, winter shoes, and generally warm clothes. It is better to ask someone to take you to the airport than to drag it all along with you later. They took us, and we knew that it was warm in Thailand, but for some reason we still took a lot of warm clothes. One warm set of clothing (sweaters, for example) is enough. Alternatively, everything winter can be left in the airport storage room.
  • Waterproof jacket or windbreaker. I took my windbreaker with me, but I only wore it a couple of times when I rode my bike. It's easier to buy a cellophane raincoat locally, which is sold in every 7-eleven.
  • Tableware. For some reason we took with us mugs, spoons, bowls (the habit of a hiker). If you go to a hotel, then you do not need to take anything, you will eat in cafes, and if you rent an apartment, then there will be a kitchen. As a last resort, you can buy everything for a penny on the spot..
  • Towels and bed linen. We didn’t take it, and thank God. All this is in every hotel and is often available when renting houses and apartments for a long time (for a short one by itself). Again, everything can be bought locally.
  • Shampoos, soaps, cosmetics. All in bulk on the spot in the same 7-eleven. In many hotels, bottles of shampoo, soap, etc. are put in the bath, however, I'm not sure that it is always of good quality. In any case, if you have any special hygiene products, then you should take.
  • Mosquito repellent. This is a very useful thing and should not be neglected, but it is better to buy in Thailand, in 7-eleven or any supermarket. Local remedies somehow work better on local mosquitoes.

I will separately mention once again about winter clothing. It may be needed only during transit in some Novosibirsk (my experience), or if you initially fly not from Moscow (where you get on the plane through a heated sleeve), but from another Russian city, where they take cold buses to the plane. Below in the photo is my compact but warm down jacket, which is just suitable for traveling to warm countries, taking up very little in a suitcase..

What to take to Thailand

What to take with you to Thailand

The main

  • international passport
  • Flights (how to fly away cheaper).
  • Travel insurance (all about insurance in Thailand). Be sure to read and choose insurance for yourself, even if it's cheap, so that you don't get paid if something happens. Better not save much, medicine in Tae is expensive.
  • Money and bank cards. It is best to take a small amount in foreign currency (dollars / euros), and carry the main part on a card (travel map list), you can withdraw them without any problems, and what currency you have on your account does not matter.
  • An international driver's license with category A is desirable, if you are going ride a bike. In principle, everyone drives without them and, in extreme cases, pays a small fine of about 500-1000 baht. They check the rights mainly in Pattaya and Phuket. But I most often drive a car, especially since I have an international license with a category B. If anything, I recommend taking a car not in local rentals, but in normal international ones, especially if you need to rent.

My insurance rating for Thailand>

Clothes and footwear

  • Several light and light T-shirts / T-shirts. And if the slopes are to burn in the sun, then it is better with a long sleeve.
  • Several shorts or skirts.
  • Can I have some light pants, dresses.
  • Swimming trunks and swimwear.
  • Lightweight and ventilated shoes: sandals, sandals, slippers, etc..
  • One set of warm clothing: sweatshirt, warm socks, pants. It will come in handy if you travel on buses or trains, there are terrible air conditioners. Or, if you go to the north of Thailand from November to February, at this time it can be cool there in the evenings and at night (up to +5 degrees).

Useful

  • Medicines. You shouldn't take a lot, just the main thing, just in case: nurofen (for temperature and pain) and paracetamol (with Dengue, you can only take it), smecta and rehydron (for poisoning and disorders), iodine and hydrogen peroxide, etc. Just in case, example of our first aid kit. But in any city there is a pharmacy, everything can be bought on the spot. However, if you have a specific disease or are used to using certain pills, then you need to take them with you so as not to look there, and not everything may be on sale. And so almost any analogue can be found by the active substance (how to search. But I, frankly, am against self-medication. Better to do normal insurance, then the medicine will be prescribed by the doctor after the examination and they will be given right at the hospital (everything is covered by insurance).
  • Sunscreen. I would buy on the spot in Tai, but if the protective factor is important to you (in Tai for some reason it is difficult to find with the maximum factor), or you are a follower of some brands, then take it from home. The sun is really strong there, it is very easy to burn out.
  • Swimming masks and goggles. If you are going to snorkel a lot and at the same time you are finicky, then it is better to take everything with you. In Moscow, decent masks cost from 1000 rubles at Decathlon. Rentals on excursions are so-so and often do not correspond to the size of the face or leak. But, of course, for the sake of one excursion, I would not drag this from home.
  • Sunglasses for a bike. If you ride a bike a lot, then it would be good to have glasses that cover your eyes well, otherwise all sorts of rubbish gets into your eyes. Or buy a helmet on the spot, since rented glass is usually cloudy and scratched. I myself took glasses, again in Decathlon, with replaceable lenses, there are dark, there are transparent, convenient for any time of day.
  • The compact power strip can be useful for active travelers changing hotel after hotel. It happens that there are not enough sockets in hotels or they are very inconveniently located. But in principle, any adapter or extension cord can be bought on the spot, if you suddenly need it.

Since we're talking about my beloved Decathlon. There is such a life hack - when ordering online on the Decathlon website, but through the Letyshop cashback service, there will be a return of 2.5-5% for all goods. If someone does not know, then they now have delivery, so you can order everything home.

Optional

  • Multicooker. A very useful thing if you go with your child for the winter. Can be purchased locally. I don’t know how we used to do without it, it’s much more convenient to cook with it. Plus, when traveling between cities, it helps, at the hotel you can quickly make porridge or vegetables for a child. Now we take on all trips.
  • You can take a kettle if you like to drink tea every day. Once we bought a small teapot for 2 cups in Tae and took it with us for a while. But still, if we are talking about wintering, then it is easier to buy on the spot and then leave. And if we talk about overnight stays in hotels, then all normal hotels have kettles, either in the room or in the lobby (in guesthouses).
  • If you use 4G modems, then you can take it. The mobile Internet is well developed. But I personally prefer to surf the Internet through a smartphone, now all have this function. More about mobile internet in thailand.
  • Travel clothing and footwear if you are a hiker. Otherwise, good things are expensive in Thailand. But you don't have to take tourist equipment, since you can buy on the spot «disposable» tents and sleeping bags for 500-1000 baht.
  • Broken bank card. Sometimes they ask when renting a bike to scan a bank card instead of a deposit, or even leave it as a pledge. It is not necessary, of course, to take it, but if there is, then you can.

Below in the photo is one of the options for the contents of my backpack, which I take to Thailand (depending on the type of trip). Since I have a lot of equipment, it takes half of it. I even have a video on this topic: Contents of my backpack.

Contents of my 30 liter backpack

What clothes to take to Thailand

A separate paragraph. If you highlight the most important rule - then this is only summer clothes and shoes! There really, except for shorts and T-shirts and others like them, nothing else is needed, since it is almost always hot. And it is very desirable to have a light-colored top, otherwise I was worn out in my dark T-shirts, I was smart enough to take them with me. Therefore, it is enough just to have a sweater or sweatshirt for the evening or being in air-conditioned rooms..

And minimalists, who prefer to ride only with hand luggage, can really not take anything at all - clothes on themselves and a wallet with money. In Tae, cheap casual clothes can be bought and thrown away before departure.

P.S. This is all my personal experience, so your list of what to take to Thailand can be strikingly different :) Naturally, when I go for the winter with my wife and child, and not on a trip, then we take suitcases and we get much more things than in example with my backpack. But again, who drives how.

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