After being asked countless times for tips on a packing list, I finally compiled a checklist of things that you can thank me for later! Considering I had literally sold everything I owned to move to Hawaii and then ended up on this unplanned adventure, my full packing list is not really suggested. As a photographer I did have more equipment than I wanted, was happy with, or even used. So my # 1 tip is to pack lightly! You don't need as much as you think you do, and most things you can buy while you're traveling. I actually gave away a handful of things as I bought new things. So if you have a home base, I am going to highly suggest that you pack less. As your trip guide, I'm going to tell you to pack 3 times. Go ahead, throw everything in a pile that you want. Then remove everything that you DON'T NEED. Thennnn, you're going to cut down half the clothing you packed and put them right back into your drawers. Don't fight me on this. Less is more. I'm going to skip past some of the basic things and suggest things you might not have thought of instead.
Clothes
When packing clothing for your trip consider both the climate and activities you’ll be engaging in during your planned time frame. When I arrived to Vietnam it was in November which had a lot of cloudy and drizzling days. This called for many hoodie and rain jacket vibes. Whereas, when I arrived in Thailand early December the weather was warm, tropical, and hot. So if you plan to travel from one side to the next, you'll want to consider versatile pieces of clothing for outfits in all types of weather conditions. If you want to maximize your packing space, you'll want to include quick-drying fabrics. Black and other neutral colors are going to be your best mate. I honestly bought all new clothes for my travels and considered all my tops to be used in as many different scenarios as possible. Don't forget to pack shoes and waterproof sandals, like Chocos or Teva's.
Again, I wouldn't exactly suggest packing all this, as a handful of these things were custom made for me in Hoi Ann or bought while traveling. I acquired things along the way like card games, books, deck of cards, sarongs, etc. At the least you can see how much I was able to fit into my two bags
Keep in mind, if you plan to visit temples in S.E.A, both men and women are required to cover their shoulders and legs. You are not permitted to wear hats or shoes inside the temples either. I highly suggest embracing the culture and shopping for your own sarong, it's for the experience. Men wear them all over as their normal clothing, even in the big cities although less common. If you are going to an outdoor temple and it's warm outside, ladies can also wear a tank-top with a long sleeve lace styled shirt, which is very traditional and common to see. I did visit a handful of outdoor temples that only required a sarong, and often I only wore a tank-top due to the hot weather, so it wasn't always so strict. It's best to bring a sarong for your shoulders just incase.
Ladies:
If you're a travel influencer, then this packing list won't suit you, because we are going basic b**** mode. I'm talking granola girl vibes and gym shark style pieces of clothing that will roll up into a small ball and be light weight. Keep in mind that if you bring anything white, it will get dirty very easily and quickly. I'd honestly suggest avoiding white if you can go without. You're going to find so many cute tops everywhere you go. A small tidbit, is that most things you see at the street markets can be found everywhere else in the same country, such as the same patterns, styles, or exact top.
I know as a girl, you likely want to have outfits that look cute for photos, when the opportunities presents themselves, but comfort is everything! So find shorts that can be worn on hikes, to the beach, on a boat trip, and even out to the bars- such as black spandex. Jean shorts can be worn in essentially every situation but they are often heavy and take up more space, so bring your favorite one! Pack 2-3 bathing suits that can be mixed and matched with one another. I packed more and bought in different countries since I was traveling for so long and often wore a bathing suit multiple days in a row. I actually had bottoms that could be reversed inside out which was another cool trick I stumbled upon. You can still be styling with cute outfits, just keep in mind you'll still probably want to shop and bring things home! This adds to the experience, especially if it's only 2 weeks- 1 month.
Men:
I'm obviously not a dude, so I might not be the most helpful on the clothing category for you, but again we're talking basic colored clothing that can be mixed and matched. A pair of gym shorts, 1 pair of quick drying shorts, a bathing suit, a nice pair of khakis maybe for those nights out and you want to dress up a bit, convertible pants to shorts. A couple button downs that can be used for multiple occasions. Can you wear it to the beach, to the bars, on a long drive, or even an adventure through the mountains? Then bring it! 4-6 of your favorite T-shirts, ya'll have no issue wearing the same shirt for 3 days straight but for everyone else's sake don't do that. I'd suggest both sneakers and waterproof sandals.
Although you don't need to buy a sarong, it is apart of the culture for men to wear them and are often required of you to wear at all the temples. Generally they will supply them, especially at the more touristy locations. Embrace the culture and shop for your own, you'll look cooler than you think!
Miscellaneous travel items that you didn't know you needed:
A microfiber towel: This can be one of the most diverse items you can bring, as you can use it after a shower, a beach towel, and even a blanket during long travel commutes. https://amzn.to/4h2xBVB
Blow up camping pillow: Hear me out, skip the neck pillow. These take up far less space, you can clip to the outside of your bag, and they are lightweight! They've really come in handy for me on planes, trains, buses, hammocks, the beach, etc. They fit in the palm of your hands and get blow up easily with 2-3 puffs of air.
Eye mask: Just saying but nothing is more annoying than when you're in your hostel bed and in the middle of some quality REM sleep when someone comes in and turns on the lights at 1 am. They'll also come in handy on those long commutes or when you want to
Ear plugs: You may consider buying some to have for those noisy nights or even if you're just on a sleeper bus traveling for 6-16 hours.
An outlet converter. I suggest bringing your smallest cube for your normal charger and a power adaptor. I bought the adaptors while I was traveling. The original ones I purchased was Apple's travel kit and I didn't have the correct interchangeable charger. These are the 3 that I used: The first photo is the converter for Thailand and Vietnam, whereas the third image is the converter that I used in Indonesia (which has a USB and USB-C port) It was more
Homemade bug spray: While traveling in SEA you do need to keep in mind that malaria is a very real thing and it does happen. I'll admit openly that I didn't get any sort of jabs before going and just used a homemade remedy. I suggest using any combination of tea tree, eucalyptus, and lemongrass. I mostly used lemongrass but you can also just use lavender. If insects absolutely love you, try eucalyptus and lemongrass together. Using bug spray that you use in the stores daily is toxic for your skin and just doesn't smell good. I mostly just took the spray bottle with me and used it only when I noticed mosquitos coming around. https://amzn.to/40a1e1p
A combination lock: Me personally, due to all of the expensive electronics I traveled with, it was a necessity to only stay at hostels with lockers. I stayed in 2-4 hostels with lockers that were secured through a keycard. However, I found it was way more convenient to have a lock with combination numbers that didn't require a key of any sort to lose. https://amzn.to/485D9uD
Crossover/fanny pack styled bag (and yes, majority of men had these too.) They keep your important items like phone, hostel keys, and money strapped across your chest for safety. Ladies, skip the normal purses. Although I never saw any kind of theft from locals, I have heard that in places like Bali they would ride by on their mopeds. I honestly trust the locals far more than any travelers as in their culture it's a huge sin to steal and they believe it to be terrible karma, in this life and their next. I suggest something along these lines: https://amzn.to/401lmCX
Travel sacks or cubes: Personally I used 2 sets that I purchased through REI but if you want to find something similar on Amazon, here is essentially what I used: https://amzn.to/3YsNjlM
A day bag/small backpack: You really don't need anything big, this bag can serve as your personal item for flights, the bag you keep on buses and boats, or the one you bring to the beach. Always keep a change of clothes, and toiletries in this. I've heard plenty of stories of people who had an airline lose their luggae and had essentially nothing they needed. So think of it as your emergency bag - whatever you need the most is what should go in that bag. It'll come in handy if you ever go on an overnight tour and don't want to haul your luggage with you or you want to travel somewhere far and you're riding on the back of a motorbike.
A deck of waterproof cards! If you are looking to socialize and make friends, I promise this is by far one of the easiest methods of breaking the ice and meeting new people! A handful of hostels had deck of cards, uno, or board games, but not always. While sitting around on your first night at a new hostel you can ask whoever is around if they want to join and during this time you can ask about people's plans over the next few days and see if anyone aligns with what you're looking to go do. https://amzn.to/3NvEPnz
Activated Charcoal pills: If you've never been to any of the S.E.A countries and are worried about "Bali Belly" (food poisoning, diarrhea, bloating, etc) then you could purchase these to help coat the lining of your stomach. I do feel like personally, these took away my appetite. I highly suggest never brushing your teeth with running water, until you have been traveling in S.E.A more long term. https://amzn.to/3Y4irqo
Q&A
How did you wash your clothes?
When it comes to washing clothes in Asia, many hostels offer laundry services, but I found detergent sheets to be a game changer, especially for items like underwear, tank tops, bras, socks, and bathing suits. Since I was on the go so often, I would hand wash my most-used items with detergent sheets and hang them to dry overnight in my room or on my bunk bed. Traveling every 2-3 days, it was often inconvenient to drop off laundry and hope it would be ready before I had to move on to the next place. Although it is cheap to utilize laundry services, it was always more expensive through the hostels and it added up over time. Although I recommend the fragrant free detergent sheets, you can buy scented ones here on Amazon:https://amzn.to/4h44UrC  After more than a year, I still have roughly more than half of these detergent sheets left, as I sometimes only use pieces of it for smaller items.
What kind of backpacking bag did you use? What size was it?
I had a 55L backpack and it was $70, so if you're on a budget but want something that will last I highly suggest this. The pros for this bag are all the pockets. It helped me compartmentalize everything such as shoes, underwear, bathing suits, dirty clothes, important items. Honestly the only con I found with this bag was honestly the adjustable backing because it would squeak when I was walking and caused a little bit of instability, but I'd still highly suggest this as an option. There are a lot of hidden zippers, so you can store things like your passport and money in, that aren't as easy to find, so get to know your bag. It wasn't until I was roughly 5 months into traveling before I realized this bag has a pocket with a rain jacket for the actual bag that is attached. https://amzn.to/3Y5sXOc
Just in case you want to check out all the cool features of this bag :)
If you have any questions regarding my journey or want more tips, please leave a comment below and I will update them on the blog for others to read as well! Your questions often inspire me to blog about other topics so the floor is open!
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