Hi everyone, I’ve put together this packing list South-East Asia for you based on previous experience. I have been travelling the world as a digital nomad since 2019 and have been to SE Asia a few times. You can also use this list for any other country that tends to have a tropical climate.
I was definitely not prepared the first time around and with each trip have learned something new. I created this list for you so that you can avoid the unnecessary hassles and mistakes that I made 🙂
Let’s separate it into sections to keep things clean. First up, things to pack in your main suitcase.
P.S. I have written a summary of this packing list South-East Asia for you below in list format. Scroll down to the bottom of the page.
P.P.S. This post contains affiliate links where by I receive a small commission for you using my links, at no extra cost to you. These affiliate links help pay for the maintenance costs of running my blog. I thank you for your support.
What clothes should I pack for South-East Asia?
For South-East Asia, I highly recommend taking light-weight clothing with you. It tends to be humid and hot in this part of the world, meaning you will get damp and sweaty. Not only will you be more comfortable wearing light clothing, it also takes up a lot less room in your suitcase.
It’s good to note that whatever clothing items you decide to take with you, will not come back in the same condition that they left in. Think sun cream, sweat, dirt. White clothing does not come back white.
TIP! Less is more. You won’t wear approx 40% of the items you take with you, trust me. Pack less. If you need a new t-shirt while you are away, you can definitely find one.
BONUS TIP! Choose neutral colours and patterns that can be paired with multiple things.
Last trip around Asia I did hand-luggage only and took just 16 pieces of clothing with me, total. However, I managed to make 36 different outfits from that, meaning a whole month of fresh looks!
To give you an idea of what clothing to pack, here is my packing list South-East Asia for my upcoming 2-3 month trip.
Tops – T-shirts, vests, dressy, long-sleeve = total 14
This is enough to keep me going 2 weeks without laundry service.
Long-sleeved: I will take 2 long-sleeved tops for night times just in case it’s breezy. They are also good for planes/air-coned buses. The rest is a mix of the above depending on personal style and preferences.
They are small and lightweight, and take up barely any room.
Bottoms – Shorts, trousers, skirts = total 10-12
Shorts = 4-5 pairs of flowy, light-weight shorts and 1 pair of denim. You will wear shorts everyday. Flowy shorts are small and easy to pack.
Trousers (long pants)= 2-3 light-weight trousers. I always travel in trousers, and I like to wear them on a night.
The weather is usually warm enough to wear shorts, but I personally like to cover my legs to try and avoid mosquitoes.
Skirts = 3-4. I take a mix of short and long skirts.
The above is definitely based on personal preference. If you like wearing skirts instead of shorts, obviously adjust the list to your own style.
Dresses / Playsuits I have 2 beaches dresses, and 3 play suits. Both are great for travelling.
Bikinis / swimwear = INFINITE. As many as you can fit it in. I’m not even joking haha. My first trip to Bali & the Philippines, included in my packing list south east Asia were a mere 4 bikinis.
This has to be the biggest mistake I made during that trip. We spent nearly every single day in the water, or at a beach.
TIP! You wear bikinis more than you wear underwear. Take enough.
Getting your hands on swim stuff at this side of the world is also not an easy task. They tend to be rubbish material and ugly designs, OR very expensive Australian-boutique style swims. When you’re in Asia, you’ll notice the $150 price tag sting a little more.
This trip I’m genuinely taking 12 bikinis with me. Yes, this may be a little overboard but I am scarred for life ha. More is more in this case 😛
Jumper (sweater) – Take a jumper with you for travel days. The aircon on boats, planes, buses, taxis can sometimes be unbearable.
Socks & Underwear – Socks are like gold dust. They ALWAYS go missing. Who knows where to? It’s a common question. Make sure you take enough socks with you, considering you will probably lose at least half.
I take enough knickers/thongs with me to last 2 weeks. They are very small and take up 0 room. I also take 3-4 bra’s, yet rarely wear them.
Take a hat and sunglasses with you!
Packing list for South-East Asia – Footwear
We all know that footwear take up most of your space within your suitcase, and so we’re going to take a minimal amount with us.
90% of the time you will be wearing flip flops or sandals. I take 1 pair of each with me.
I then take 1 pair of trainers (sneakers) for hikes / travel days
and ultimately, I take a pair of water shoes for boat days. You may not think they are necessary at first, but I can tell you from experience that having a pair of watershoes would have saved me on countless occasions.
I am 100% travelling with them from now on. I use these ones from Cressi. If you prefer trainers that are waterproof, these are great.
If you are based in the UK, click here for the water shoes
Packing List South-East Asia – Essentials
If you take just one piece of advice from this blog post, be it this:
Take bug spray with you. Preferably with 50% DEET.
Malaria and Dengue fever are present in SE Asia and unfortunately there isn’t much that can be done to prevent them.
For malaria, you can get tablets beforehand, for dengue there’s no prevention.
Your best bet is to use bug spray daily.
The higher the DEET, the stronger the protection. This also means the stronger the smell, ahh. I have this bug spray from Relec.
Also, make sure you have sun cream and at least one hat.
Packing list South-East Asia – Accessories
Dry Bag & Microfibre towel
Most of your time will probably involve being close to water. Whether you are at the beach, out on a boat tour, kayaking through lagoons, trekking to waterfalls, you get the point.
I highly recommend taking a dry bag with you, to keep your valuables safe. If you are a photographer like me and carry expensive equipment with you, it’s definitely worth spending $30 on a bag to make sure they don’t get damaged.
I have a 20L bag, which fits my Canon 6D Mark 2 camera plus 24-105 lens, a DJI Mavic Pro 2 Drone, spare batteries, SD cards, my wallet and my microfibre towel. These towels are made from quick-drying material – perfect for travelling!
If you are in the UK, click here for dry bag and here for microfibre towel.
Poncho or Raincoat
Oh, the tropics. When it rains, it really rains. I was drenched to the bone within 10 seconds of getting caught in a tropical downpour.
It was epic, but I was soaked.
You definitely need to take either a raincoat or a poncho with you when travelling to South-East Asia.
Especially if you have equipment that you need to keep dry.
There are raincoats that fold up neatly into a tiny bag that can be clipped onto the side of your handluggage. I highly recommend one of these as they take up little to no space.
Scarf or sarong
For entry into all temples you must be covering your head, shoulders and knees. Having a thin light-weight scarf or sarong that you can use to cover your skin definitely comes in handy at this side of the world.
Hair bobbles / ties
Just like socks, these go missing ALWAYS. Pack extra.
Sun cream
First Aid Kit
This kit contains plasters, bandages, alcohol wipes and more.
Power bank
I can’t tell you how often this comes in handy, especially if you use your phone throughout the day to take videos. I use this amazing power bank that can fully charge my iPhone 6-7 times before it needs recharging! * It is also compatible with Android.
UK link: Powerbank
Packing Cubes
Packing cubes are great for keeping things organised, and also save space. I find these ones very useful as they are different sizes and shapes.
Rolling up your clothes into packing cubes keeps them neatly inside my suitcase. I organise them by items (tops, bottoms, accessories, etc) so I know where to find each thing when I need it.
UK link: Packing Cubes
Extension Cable & Adapter
One of my best travel tips is this one: Travel with an extension cable! Most people do not think about bringing one, but they are great for 2 reasons:
- You only need to bring ONE travel adapter to put on the end of your extension cable
- Lots of hotels, and especially hostels do not have enough plug holes! With an extension cable you simple need one, and can charge multiple things at once.
In most countries across South-East Asia they use the 2-plugs, same as in Europe. There are some places that you need the thinner 2-plugs, but it is not common. If that’s the case, you can usually grab one from a nearby shop. Most EU plugs will work in Asia.
If you are in the UK, here is an extension cable, and travel adapter suitable for South-East Asia. Please note, Thailand uses different voltage so check beforehand what you can use there.
Snorkel
Lastly for my packing list South-East Asia, suitcase edition, is a snorkel!
If you are planning to be in this side of the world for a while, buying your own snorkel makes so much sense.
Not only will you save yourself money in the long run, you can dive in whenever you like and admire the underwater world!
If you are heading on a short trip and don’t want to take one with you, don’t worry. You will be given one on all boat tours, and there will be places to rent them in other occasions.
Please be wary of how they wash them however. My doctor told me that it’s one of the easiest places to pick up Hepatitis B. Make sure they are using alcohol or strong detergents to clean them before putting them in your mouth.
I have this snorkel from Cressi that I love.
UK link: Snorkel
Click here For a full-face Snorkel
So, now that the big suitcase is out of the way, you may be wondering what to pack inside your hand-luggage case.
Here is a checklist for you of the things I always pack in my hand-luggage case:
- Valuables (phone, laptop, camera equipment, money)
- Spare clothes – If your suitcase goes missing, you have another set of clothes to keep you going for a few days. Also, if you are travelling long-haul, it’s sometimes nice to freshen up and get changed.
- Spare underwear – same reason as point two.
- Bikini / swimwear – if your suitcase goes missing, you can still hit the beach
- Headphones – both headphones suitable for iPhone jack and headphones for planes so you can use your own headset for in-flight entertainment
- Roll-on deodorant, toothbrush and toothpaste, hairbrush, small flannel to freshen up (all 75ml or less).
- Eye mask and ear plugs (most long-haul flights provide this)
- Fluffy socks – I cannot live without these on flights!
- Jumper (sweater) – remember what I said about the aircon
- Sweets. I like to have a packet of sweets for landing that I can suck on to stop my ears hurting.
- If I’m not on long-haul, I’ll take my own sandwich and fruit with me as I always get hungry on flights.
- Re-usable water bottle that I can refill at most airports. Long haul flights will also fill them up for you free of charge. UK link.
Packing List South-East Asia Summary (List Format)
For my 2-3 month trip I am taking
- Light clothing. (14 tops (inc 2 long-sleeved), 10 bottoms (shorts, trousers [pants], skirts), 1 jumper [sweater], 2 beach dresses, 3 playsuits
- Bikinis – A LOT. As many as possible (personal preference)
- Socks always go missing – take extra. So do hair ties.
- Underwear – I take enough to last me 2 weeks.
- Hat & sunglasses
- Footwear – 1 pair of flipflops, 1 pair of sandals, watershoes and 1 pair of trainers (travel days / hikes)
- Essential: BUG SPRAY, preferably 50% DEET
- Dry Bag UK link: Dry Bag
- Microfibre towel UK link: Micro fibre towel
- Raincoat or poncho
- Scarf or sarong to cover head and shoulders at temples
- Hair ties
- Sun cream
- Powerbank – This one is great. UK link: Powerbank
- Packing cubes – Help keep your things organised!
UK link: Packing cubes - Extension cable & Adapter. Most countries in Asia use EU plugs.
- Snorkel – highly recommend if you plan to be in the water a lot.
UK link: Snorkel.
As always, if you found this blog post helpful, please let me know in the comments below or DM me on Instagram! I love to know that it helped at least one of you for your trip so your messages mean a lot 🙂
