Thursday, June 18, 2015

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. 

No comments:

Post a Comment