In a lot of ways, I was excited to be forced to pack for almost 3 weeks of travel in a 65L backpack. I was also daunted by this task, knowing my previous ways of packing. So, I started researching "what to pack for Thailand". I found many great lists and great suggestions. Based on all that, and based on my proud moments of actually fitting my life into a backpack, here is my packing list and suggestions should you also consider flashpacking Thailand.
Wear on Plane:
- Comfy pants (These also double as capris since thy can easily be rolled up. In Thailand, you need to wear pants or long skirts to many of the temples so these will be ideal since I can roll them up in areas where we don't need to cover-up as much)
- T-shirt (All the t-shirts I packed were sweat-wicking t-shirts since the weather in April averages around 30 feeling like 40 (Celsius) with the humidity)
- Sweater (This is the only sweater I am bringing since the weather in Thailand is so warm. It is mainly for the flight when they pump-up the cold air)
- Scarf (This will keep me warm on the plane and also be a good accessory to my outfits. It can also help cover me up in some of the Thai temples if anymore cover-up is needed)
- Compression socks (for the long flight)
- Running shoes (I plan on wearing these often!)
Purse:
This is a shoulder-bag I plan on wearing throughout the days and nights of our travels.
- Passports
- Wallet
- Sunnies & case
- Journal & pen (Although I plan on blogging during our trip to keep an electronic journal I can look at when we come home, I also wanted to keep notes during our excursions. My journal was also a fantastic birthday gift from my life-time friend +Devon Taylor)
- Phone & charger
- Toothbrush & toothpaste (I am packing this in here since I won't have access to my checked baggage on the plane, and the flight is so long, I will need to keep those pearly whites clean!)
- Birth control pills (Yup, the flight is that long!)
- Hand sanitizer (I am a bit of a freak about hand sanitizer, but if it prevents us from catching a cold while travelling, Im all for it!)
- Contacts & glasses (again, that long of a flight, prep for a "sleepover"
Camera Backpack:
This is my carry-on, it's also a fantastic camera backpack I purchased from Future Shop where the zipper is on the side closest to our body so it is near impossible to unzip without the person who is wearing it noticing.
- Camera, lenses, SD cards, lens cleaner, extra USB sticks, cords, & charger
- GoPro, cases & charger
- 2 neck pillows (for the flight, hung off the carry-on)
- 2 foldable water bottles (I am cheap, so to save on buying water at the airport once we are through security, I usually bring these. I know we will need to be careful about the water in Thailand, but we will use them when we can)
Backpack:
- 1 pair of gladiator sandals (I would recommend gladiator sandals over flip-flops since some of the tourist locations in Thailand ask that you have ankle straps and the back of your feet covered, even though you end up taking your shoes off. Also, I figure I can buy cheap floppy-floppies while in Southern Thailand if need be.)
- Bathing suits (I brought 3 pairs that I can mix and match, although I think this is probably over doing it!)
- Cover-ups (I have heard that you should be modest even in the be achy tourist towns so I brought 2 cover-up dresses)
- Shorts (1 pair of jean shorts and 1 pair of black work-out shorts)
- Skirts (1 black mini skirt and 1 long pink skirt)
- Dresses (1 long dress and 1 short dress)
- T-shirts (4 wicking t-shirts thanks to my favourite store in the world, Lululemon)
- Tank tops (4 comfy tanks for the beachy towns)
- Pants (Many places require long pants or skirts for women. I planned on wearing more of my work-out gear so long skirts wouldn't really go with that look. I opted for my long cargo Lulu's that I am wearing on the plane and 1 pair of long lulu tights that can be dressed up or down)
- Socks, bras, & underwear (enough for about 10 days - yep, we will need to do some laundry, not sure how I feel about the "turn them inside out" rule haha)
- Hat (love my fedora)
- Rain coat (I debated this one... I will let you know if it was worth it or not)
- Toiletries
- sunscreen (60 SPF, waterproof, sweat-proof)
- bug spray and wipes (Benz)
- razor blade
- vitamins & allergy pills
- extra contacts and solution
- hair stuff (sock bun, bobby pins, headbands, hair clips, elastics, etc)
- shower cap
- soap, conditioner & shampoo (travel size bottles from hotels - thank you Royal Suites)
- some makeup
- face wash
- lint roller (our dog Tobi tends to come with us in "spirit" wherever we go...)
Below you can see a picture of everything I packed which fit into the 65L black pack back lying ear the top of the bed. You can also see the size of the purse I packed:
Here are all the contents of what I packed, complete with socks and underwear in the centre of the picture (#sorrynotsorry hehe):
Tips:
- I rolled most of my clothing (it takes up less space).
- I combined like items in large clear ziplock baggies - this helped me stay organized and also ensures I can see where everything is - it also helps ensure the clothing doesn't get mixed up and become a mess in the backpack.
- I strategically placed items in the backpack.
- All of my toiletries went into one travel bag which fit perfectly in the bottom of my backpack. The backpack opens from the bottom, so this would ensure I would always have easy access to these items.
- I knew that I would not be needing my bathing suits or cover ups until later on in our trip (2nd 1/2) so I placed these items in my backpack at the hardest place to reach.
- Pack and re-pack, until you decide what you would like to bring or what you actually NEED!
I will follow-up to this blog when we return and let you know how I would revise this list once I have actually flashpacked Thailand and realize what I didn't need or wished I would have brought with me.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Please share your comments with me :-)