The ultimate SE Asia packing list and prep guide for your next international trip.
Are you leaving the country for vacation soon and struggling to find a comprehensive SE Asia packing list?
Congratulations! You have arrived at the best SE Asia packing list known to woman.
Whether your itinerary includes Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore, Philippines, Cambodia, Laos, Burma, Brunei or Timor-Leste, let this packing guide prepare you for an amazing trip!
I’ve spent the past few weeks sifting through multiple sites, Pinterest pins, blog posts and reading through my own recent packing lists. I have pieced the best bits together to create one comprehensive SE Asia packing list just for YOU.
Please note that this post contains affiliate links and any purchase made through such links will award me a small commission (at absolutely no extra cost for you). These funds help buy me a coffee every once in a while. Learn more about it here.
Now before I get to the list itself, let me include some tips and tricks for flying internationally that you might want to read through.
Tips & Tricks
All set for a 3 week trip to SE Asia!
- DO NOT CHECK YOUR LUGGAGE. Seriously… Seriously! I NEVER check my luggage when traveling, but especially when I’m traveling internationally. The odds of it getting lost across seas is just too high. I couldn’t imagine packing all of my clothes and toiletries only to arrive at my destination to find out that my belongings didn’t make it. It happened to me once, and I never want to re-live that experience again. It’s just not worth the risk. So what do I do?
- Bring a carry on pack plus a personal item. My carry on for my most recent trip was this 40 liter backpacking pack from REI. I spoke with three different REI employees and 3/3 recommend this bag for travel so I decided to listen to them. I’m SO glad I did. It zips all the way down on both sides so that I can access everything in every location within the bag. Plus, it’s extra comfy and fit’s nice and snug on my back. Your carry on will go in the overhead bin so don’t pack anything in here that you’ll absolutely need during the flight. You can get to it, but it’s not convenient. My personal item is usually a smaller backpack/ handbag that I store my electronics, books, notepads, etc in. Basically anything that you’ll want access to during the flight goes in here, because this is the bag that lives under the seat in front of you during your flight.
- *Be sure to check weight and dimension specifications of carry ons and personal items through your specific airline as these restrictions differ across all airlines.
- Take a photo copy of your passport, your credit cards and your insurance card. Front and back people, front AND back. Now send them to yourself in a text, email them to yourself and send them to a friend or family member who is not traveling with you. If one of these things gets lost, you might find yourself still needing the digits.
- Print out your full itinerary. Include flight #’s, flight times, airline names, layovers, confirmation codes, what hotels you’re staying at and the confirmations for all of those bookings. I sort mine out day by day so I can easily navigate what I’m doing on which day in order to easily find what I need. Print a paper copy and carry it with you. Now… I know we live in the day and age of technology but I highly recommend you print this out on paper as well. Technology can fail in many ways but you can also misplace pieces of technology when traveling. I also leave a copy at home with a friend/ family member so that they know where they can reach me in case of an emergency. If they know the city and name of the hotel I’m staying in, they can reach the hotel directly to get in contact with me.
- Research the time difference. If you’re flying internationally there will be a time difference and I bet it won’t be a small one. I always do my research ahead of time to track the difference and plan on when I will need to be asleep/ awake on my flight there. I make sure to be asleep/ awake on my flight to match the time at my destination. This is the #1 way to beat jet-lag my friends. Start setting your internal clock on your way there.
- Use this SE Asia Packing List
Okay you’ve made it this far; just a bit further down for your SE Asia packing list, promise!
THE SE Asia packing list
Tops
- 1 Rain Jacket
- 1 Fleece
- 2 Work-Out Tops (think moisture-wicking)
- 2 Plain T-shirts
- 4 Cute Tanks
- 2 light cardigans
- 3 Lightweight Dresses
- 3 Swimsuits
- 2 Bras (1 tan, 1 black)
- 2 Sports Bras
- 2 Headbands (1 work-out type, 1 cute) <– not a top, I know but it goes on the top half of your body so this is where it lands on my list.
Bottoms
- 2 Pair Yoga Pants
- 1 Pair Work-Out Shorts
- 1 Pair Harem/ Parachute Pants <– perfect for temples
- 1 Pair Jean shorts
- 1 Pair Sleep Shorts
- 10 Pair Undies
- 3 Pair Good Socks
Shoes
- 1 Pair Hiking Sandals
- 1 Pair Sandals
- 1 Pair Tennis Shoes
Toiletries
- Bug Spray
- Pack more of this than you think you will need; we went through 3 bottles in 1 week
- Sunscreen
- Ditto on this one; pack more than you think you’ll need. A small bottle in Thailand cost us $18 which is absolutely insane
- Electrolyte tabs (Think Nuun )
- Emergen-C
- Any prescriptions
- Including travel RX’s that you got from your travel clinic. Ie. Antibiotics, malaria tablets, etc.
- Deodorant
- Do not forget this!!! The deodorant they sell in SE Asia has bleaching chemicals in it that will literally bleach your armpits. No thank you!
- Hand Sanitizer x3 <–soap&water isn’t always there for you
- Toothbrush & Toothpaste
- Razor
- Shampoo & Conditioner (travel size)
- Most hotels you stay at will provide this for free, but it’s nice to have your own back-up stash just in case.
- Body Soap/ Face Soap (travel size)
- Hydrocortisone <– you WILL get eaten by mosquitos, you WILL need some relief
- Tums
- Pepto-Bismol
- Lotion (travel size)
- Band-Aids/ Small First-Aid Kit
- including triple antibiotic (Neosporin)
- Chapstick w. SPF
- Probiotics
- These saved me from getting sick on SO many trips. Take them every day; one in the morning and one at night. I swear by them.
- Tylenol (Acetaminophen)
- Make-Up… Maybe
- If you’re brining make-up with you then pack the bare minimum. Don’t waste your time with anything heavy. You wont wear it and if you try, you’re going to sweat it off real quick. I brought mascara and eyeliner. I think I wore my eyeliner one night in Thailand.
- Tampons
- LADIES! Do yourself a favor and pack these… On my most recent trip I only packed 3 because I wasn’t supposed to need them and guess what… Mother nature invited herself on my vacation and showed up. I only packed 3 tampons and had 2 days left abroad… I went to 3 different stores in Bangkok before I found anything that would work. Tampons were incredibly hard to find. Just pack some. Please.
- Hair Ties & Bobby-Pins
- Wet Wipes <– mostly for the plane seat trays & armrests
3 Weeks worth of clothes and it all fit in my 40 Liter bag. Not pictured, the tennis shoes I was wearing. 
I always print my entire packing list, and lay it all out on the table. Once it goes in my bag, a I place a checkmark next to the item on the list. Works every time!
Electronics
- Converter
- &&&read the instructions on how to use your converter safely before you head out on your trip. There’s nothing worse than not knowing how to use your converter and blowing up your phone battery. I’ve seen it happen and it’s not fun to be abroad with a phone that no longer works.
- After hours of research I landed upon this converter and I am so pleased with it. Multiple USB ports AND it works with certain hair dryers. Amazing!
- Phone Charger x2
- Portable Phone Charger
- Camera
- Camera Charger
- SD Card(s)
- Headphones
- Laptop/ I-Pad
- Only bring this if you’re comfortable with potentially not coming home with it… things happen. If you can’t risk losing it, don’t bring it.
- When I went to the Philippines, I wasn’t comfortable bringing my brand new laptop. So! I opted to bring my i-pad. It’s a fraction of the price and doesn’t hold all of my main content. It didn’t do everything my laptop would have done BUT it got me through for a few weeks until I got home to work on my laptop again.
- Laptop Charger
Other Essentials
- Passport
- & a copy of it
- Paper copies of full itinerary <– incl. confirmation codes
- Cheap Sunglasses <–Leave the Ray Bans at home
- Fanny Pack
- This is an essential! Your fanny pack is in your sight the entire time and it’s attached to you so you cant accidentally leave it behind on a bus. Plus, they have really cute ones!
- Ziplock bags or a dry-storage bag if you have one
- LifeProof Phone Case
- Cash
- 2 Packs of Tissues
- Neck Rest for Plane
- Eye Cover for Plane
- Pen for flight <– to fill out customs papers
- Compression socks for flight
- These are awesome. And no, I’m not a 80 year old granny. They have cute ones, like this boho chic one.
Let me know if I missed anything!
Is there something you always pack that you can’t believe I didn’t include on my list?
I want to know!
