Packing list for Southeast Asia

I'm headed to Southeast Asia for one month (30 days). For the first two weeks I'll be with a student travel group, for the third week I'll be beachside with my old roommate and good friend Tianna, and for the final week I'll be in a remote area of northern Thailand volunteering at an elephant sanctuary. 

Of course I can pack however many bags I feel like packing, but I've decided the smartest move is packing one backpack and one cross-body satchel purse (big enough to be able to carry my camera, a water bottle, etc while gallivanting Asia). 

It turns out packing for 30 days abroad in said space is more difficult said than done, but I'm hoping it's easier than lugging multiple large bags around three countries would be.

I read multiple blogs and guides, asked around, etc. to figure out what I need and what would be best to pack. This is what I settled on taking (although a few things pictured didn't make the cut, and once I got it all packed I really didn't want to unpack just to re-photograph):

The official, final list of everything I'm bringing:

Clothing:

3 tank tops / 5 t-shirts

2 bras

3 sports bras

24 pairs of underwear

1 scarf/shawl

2 maxi skirts

1 maxi dress

1 middi dress

1 pair khaki shorts

1 pair running shorts

1 bathing suit

1 pair Chacos sandals 

1 pair Toms canvas shoes

1 rain jacket

I am only bringing what liquid toiletries fit into this airplane-approved plastic bag. 

Toiletries:

2 mini aerosol bug sprays

1 Anti-itch cream 

2 sunscreens*

2 face washes (one scrub, one cleanser)

1 daily facial lotion - SPF 15

1 toothpaste (the second one pictured was cut)

2 Dr. Bronner's Castile Liquid Soaps - apparently, these soaps can be used as shampoo, conditioner, body wash, soap to wash clothes, etc. And, they're vegan, organic and ethically-sourced soaps, if that kind of thing matters to you.

1 conditioner (the shampoo pictured didn't make the cut) 

Makeup: 2 BB creams*, mascara*, a tiny perfume*, and face powder

*asterisk indicates that I got the product as a sample from either Birchbox or Sephora. I will forever love samples for traveling's sake!   

Misc items: 

q-tips

bandaids

razor

medications

tissues

hairties

comb

headbands

sunglasses

headphones

eye mask

tissues

book

journal

Nikon camera + extra lens + charger

iPhone + charger

 What I'm wearing for the 30+ hours I'll be en route

And it all fits! I'll report back next month with what worked and what didn't. After a nightmarish time getting a new passport/visas after USPS lost my original, having trouble checking in, and barely getting everything finished on time... I'm all set. I couldn't have gone through the process of getting a new passport without my loving mother! 

The alarm is set for 5 hours and 30 minutes from now... 

A new adventure awaits. 

What I learned in college

Well, I'm a college graduate.

So what did I learn in the last four years? Journalism, Spanish, Italian, blah blah blah. What else, you ask?

1. I learned to listen to my body. If something feels wrong, it probably is. I was inexplicably exhausted, went to the doctor and it turned out I had an extreme iron deficiency that took months to restore. I went through IV treatments, long days at Emory, etc. Listen to what your body has to tell you.

2. Asking for help is not bad and doesn’t make you weak. I visited the counseling center at Georgia State and went through nine months of weekly to bi-weekly counseling to work through all kinds of things. I think therapy is just having a tough conversation with yourself, and the therapist is the moderator for that conversation. It’s a journey, but it made me happier than I have ever been in my life. I can't wait to start going back once I get a real job and some money. There's such a stigma behind therapy, but I wholeheartedly believe in it. Mental health is just as important as physical health.

3. People (friends, family, teachers, strangers) will have opinions ranging from current events to what you should do with your life. These opinions will be both solicited and unsolicited. Just because people give their opinions doesn’t mean you have to agree. Consider them, entertain the opinions, and then make an informed decision for yourself. 

4. The first three months of your new relationship doesn't really count. Everyone puts their best foot forward at the beginning of a relationship, and true colors don't always shine through at first. Keep that in mind.

5. Take things day at a time... Okay. This sounds obvious. But I was so much more zen when I realized things can look overwhelming when laid out on a calendar, but all you can do is take it one day at a time. 

6. On a related note, try not to go crazy with the planning. I like to know EVERYTHING I’m doing. In high school, I planned out a blueprint for how I wanted college to go, which included a summer of interning at Vogue in NYC. Obviously dreaming is good, but love your life. LIVE your life. Be a little spontaneous. Accept finding a passion you didn’t plan or expect to find, and embrace it. You can’t plan every inch. Leave some things up to chance…and be excited about it.

7. Try different things. I bounced around so many friend groups between the newspaper, my sorority, going through different musical taste phases, and working at restaurants. You don’t have to like one specific thing or be one specific thing. 

8. Remember that friendships take work. If you're always saying, "We'll do something next week," you'll find that people stop asking you to do things. Reciprocate. 

9. On the flip side, remember the relationship you have with yourself is hands down the most important relationship you’ll ever have. It sets the tone for every other relationship. So, if you’re too tired or just don't feel like going out Friday night, pop open that bag of chips and Netflix it. No shame. Look out for #1 because no one else will. 

10. Oh...and study hard. Or whatever. ;) Of course an education is invaluable for all of the obvious reasons, but I have this theory that some of the most important things you learn in college could never be taught on a white board. 

I’ll miss this chapter of my life dearly and hold the lessons and people I met close to my heart forever. I'm excited to be moving on to even bigger and better things. Thank you, Georgia State, for making me who I am today. No other school, city, or friends could have influenced me in the same way. I’m proud of who I am right now and fully believe in the person I would like to become. I’m a work in progress, but that’s the beauty of it –– I always will be.

I'm out, y'all!