While preparing your luggage to come to Thailand, please bear in mind the three following important rules:
1. In Thailand (and in surrounding countries), it is always summer! A good test to know what not to take with you consists in trying on your clothes in your well-heated home. If you are too hot, then no need to put them in your suitcase.
2. Thailand is a modern country, where you can find everything you want. Hence, no need to fill your suitcase with non-essentials “just in case” since you will be able to buy them locally (including what you will need for an expedition in less well equipped surrounding countries).
3. Be careful to take only around 15kg per person, since you will most probably indulge in buying various presents that will weight heavily on your way back. And, in the peak season, airlines are quite stingy with excess luggage…
The containers – bags and suitcases
The luggage you check in can be of various nature, shape and size, but the most convenient usually are solid, standard-size suitcases with wheels. Don’t forget to stick a label on them with your name, address and contact numbers, and to put a mark of some kind that will enable you to recognize them as yours from a distance. Also don’t forget to take note of their exact description and of their contents on a paper you will keep in your hand-bag, in case your luggage get lost (uncommon, but better be safe than sorry). Note that most airlines today stipulate that the maximum weight of any single piece of checked-in luggage cannot be more than 30kg.
The luggage you take with you in the plane are today very strictly regulated. You are entitled to only one cabin luggage per person, and the dimensions of such piece of luggage cannot exceed 55cmx40cmx25cm. It must be stored in the overhead compartments or under the seat in front of you. This luggage must not contain any sharp objects (scissors, Swiss knives…). Also restrict “liquids” as much as possible (defined as gels, lotions, toothpaste, drinks, soups, syrups, perfume, deodorants, shaving creams, aerosols, etc.), the containers of which must each be smaller than 100ml and must be put all together in a re-sealable plastic bag of 1 liter maximum capacity. Note that you can take in this luggage the baby-milk and medicines that are essential for the duration of the flight, but they may be checked at the airport’s security checkpoints. In fact, especially for young people and children, the most convenient is to take a small backpack for each person, containing personal items : toys/books, change/spare clothes, cookies/sweets for kids, books/magazines, computer, photo/video camera, sweater and documents for adults. These small individual backpacks will later come handy to carry water bottles, survival food and photo cameras during exploratory walks.
As for your handbag, you’d better take something practical that leaves your hands free as much as possible: small backpack (see above), belt-pouch, or at least shoulder bag.
The contents – clothes
Most of the time, you will need casual summer clothes (casual, but not provoking : avoid deep cleavages and see-through garments for ladies, see-through undershirts for gentlemen): shorts and T-shirts, light skirts and tops, linen trousers and polo-shirts, sandals and thongs, light moccasins…
For the wedding, bring an afternoon attire, elegant but light (possibly with hat for ladies), and a formal (yet not too hot) evening dress
For the beach and the swimming-pool, don’t forget your swimsuits and bathing trunks (nudism and topless practices are extremely inadvisable), thongs, possibly sarongs to get around comfortably
For the air conditioned inside buildings, don’t forget a light sweater, pull-over and/or shawl, and even a few scarves to protect delicate throats
For cultural visits (especially in Buddhist places), take long skirts for girls/women, long trousers for boys/men, long-sleeved shirts for all, and sandals our shoes that can be taken off and put back on very easily (no socks)
For walks in the nature or sports activities, take jeans and T-shirts, short shoes and socks
For babies, remember that the environment will consistently be at the temperature considered by medical doctors as ideal for newborns (28?C). They will need nothing else but small cotton bodies as long as they are in natural air. They will however need to be covered up if they are brought in the air conditioned and/or under the sun.
A piece of advice: Take only cotton under-garments; they are the most comfortable and healthiest type in tropical climate. Let’s remind ladies that it is highly inappropriate not to wear a bra, even (especially) under light clothes…
As a general rule, you will need to get changed at least twice per day (three times for kids). You’d better take clothes that can be washed easily and are not too delicate!
The contents – anti-sun paraphernalia
Sun glasses
Hats or caps
Small bags (back- or handbags) capable of containing a bottle of water per person
Sun block or at least high protection sun lotion
Soothing Aloe Vera gels or creams
Sunburn treatment cream
The contents – healthcare
The ladies will probably appreciate to have a strong tonic lotion that can clean the skin in-depth (don’t forget that the humidity rate in the air is high, even in “winter”)
Those that use tampons will need to bring a stock with them, since Asian ladies only use sanitary napkins
It is also preferable to bring one’s de-make-up cotton disks, since they are difficult to find in this form in Asia (although it is easy to find normal cotton wool)
You will need anti-mosquito product, but we recommend you buy it in Thailand (the brand « OFF » for example is much more efficient than what can be found in Europe)
Bring a few plasters, Betadine and Paracetamol, they always prove useful (especially if you have kids)
If you need them, don’t forget to bring antihistamines (for those who are easily allergic), medicines against travel sickness (to be put in your cabin luggage) and the medicines you use regularly. However, rather than bring a cumbersome pharmacy « just in case », we recommend you just note down each medicine’s molecule ; it will be very easy for you to find in Thailand either these medicines or their equivalents, and you won’t need a prescription.
No need to start an anti-malaria treatment, there is no risk where we will be (and it will always be time to start in case you want to venture later in a more dangerous zone)!
The contents – electrical and electronics
For those who indulge in digital photography, think about your memory space: if you do not bring your computer or an external hard-disk, you’d better take enough memory cards.
For those who indulge in traditional photography and especially in slides, please note that it is becoming quite difficult to find films for slides in Thailand ; better take a stock with you
You can bring your computer in Thailand without any problem; it is very easy to connect to the Internet in airports, hotels, cafes and other public places. Careful however if you intend to venture into less developed areas, your computer may suffer from climate and/or transportation conditions.
If you do not bring your computer, you can easily check your emails in the numerous cybercafés available everywhere (even in most remote areas in Myanmar or Cambodia); don’t forget in this case to familiarize yourselves with the way to access your emails via web mail, and to bring your email address book with you.
If your mobile phone is not blocked on your usual operator, we advise you to bring it with you; local SIN cards are cheap and very convenient. In this case of course, don’t forget to bring your phone charger as well!
Whether for chargers or other electrical appliances, you will very probably need to bring a universal adaptor. For your information, the picture below shows the main electrical plug standards in the world. Thailand uses types A, B and C.
The contents – books and documents
If it is relatively easy to find books and magazines in English everywhere in Asia, the situation is very different for other languages (including non-local Asian languages). Unless you are fluent in English and/or Thai, we advise you to bring with you a stock of books and magazines (including the guidebooks on Thailand and/or other places you wish to visit).
If only because you will meet 300 people at our wedding, and probably other interesting people during your expeditions around the region, we advise you to adopt a very convenient Asian tradition: name cards! Bring some with you, they will save you the hasty scribbling of your contact numbers on a piece of paper napkin (which, by the way, are scarce in Asia!
If you intend to rent a car and drive by yourselves (which we do not advise by the way!), you will need an international driving license (see the “Useful Addresses” page to know how to get one in France)
Especially if you intend to extend your stay and visit the region, you will probably need a few passport photos for whichever administrative formalities you will encounter (mostly visas). Bring a few of them just in case…
The contents – wedding presents
Those of you who wonder what they should bring us as wedding present should stop worrying immediately! Your present – an enormous, fabulous present – is your coming and participating in our big party. Nothing can make us happier than your presence, and this fantastic present is invaluable for us.
