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Clothing for Southeast Asia | What to pack in your backpack or suitcase

If you are preparing your backpack to travel to Southeast Asia and you have doubts about what to take, you have come to the right place! In this article We share with you all the clothes for Southeast Asia, what's inside our toiletry bag and all those little things that you sometimes forget when packing and that you are grateful for afterwards.

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This part of the world is carIt is characterized by its temples, paradisiacal islands, jungles, and large cities. Most countries in the region share a warm and humid climate year-round. Therefore This list of what to bring to Southeast Asia will help you at any time and almost any destination, regardless of the month you travel.

Let's get down to business, we will answer the most repeated questions such as What to bring clothing to Southeast Asia? Suitcase or backpack? Which is the best backpack for travelling around Southeast Asia? or What to pack in your toiletry bag for travelling around Southeast Asia? If you have any further questions, you can leave us a comment at the end of the article.

Of all our recommendations I encourage you to try to buy the minimumrecycle everything you have at home or even borrow from a friend. But if you still need some things, I'll leave you during the article. links to Decathlon and Amazon of the companies we work with, so every time you buy through one of our links the price is the same for you and we get a commission that helps us grow this blog.

Backpack or Suitcase? Clothing for Southeast Asia

The eternal question! There is no single answer, It depends a lot on what you prefer and also on the destination in Southeast Asia. to which you are going to travel.

Our recommendation, if you do not have back problems, is a backpack, since on more than one occasion youcarYou will arrive at your accommodation by walking along beach sand or unpaved paths full of stones.. So we find it more comfortable to travel with a backpack to Southeast Asia. However, if you know that your trip is going to be in good hotels, in not too remote areas and almost always using a taxi, you will be fine with a suitcase.

Whether you choose a suitcase or a backpack for your luggage for Southeast Asia, don't go too heavy. cargado. Ideally, it should be a 40-50 liter backpack or a carry-on suitcase + small backpack.

Destinations for which we believe it is more comfortable to travel with a backpack: Laos and the Philippines. Also Indonesia and Malaysia if you are going to travel to small islands like the Stop o Togean.

The only way out of Malapascua, Philippines
best backpack for traveling
On the way to Bunaken, Indonesia

Small backpack for excursions

What to bring to Southeast Asia A small backpack cannot be missing either For excursions, again it depends on the trip you are going to make. In our case we took one that, although it is not cheap, does not take up any space and is very comfortable for excursions.

For very beachy trips Instead of a backpack for excursions, a waterproof bag can be very useful. to keep everything protected on boat trips. We carry a small for when we do snorkeling or diving tours.

Finally, something super practical to carry is a large fanny pack or small crossbody bag. Keep your documents handy and protected, cartera and mobile during transfers.

What clothes to wear all with travel to Southeast Asia

Now yes, we go with clothing for Southeast Asia, footwear and other essential items in your luggage.

Clothing for Southeast Asia

Although it is not clothing, one thing that cannot be missing for a trip like this is a travel insurance for Southeast Asia. We know that you never want to spend money on this kind of things but we consider it a must even if you are in excellent health and nothing ever happens to you. During a trip You are more exposed to problems of all kinds, not just health, and there are more risks in Southeast Asia than in other countries.

We recommend the Heymondo insurance company which has a very good reputation, a unique quality-price ratio and offers an automatic discount to our readers.

Clothing for Southeast Asia

As I told you before, The climate is hot and humid throughout the region, with very few exceptions, so all your Clothing should be light, comfortable and preferably made of cotton, which is much more breathable. The only warm clothes I'm wearing are a sweatshirt and a light waterproof jacket.

Consider bringing extra warm clothing, such as a packable down jacket, If you travel to northern Vietnam or Laos in winter, or if you are going to upload any high volcano in Indonesia like Bromo or Rinjani.

We carry all our clothes organized in compression bags. (packing cubes), his the best invention that exists to keep your backpack organized for traveling to Southeast Asia. As a tip, What works best for us to organize it is: 1 large one with all our everyday clothes, 1 medium one with the things we use the least, and 1 small one with underwear + an extra one that we share to put dirty clothes in.

As for clothes, I'm carrying 3 short-sleeved t-shirts, 6 tank tops, 3 shorts, 3 long cloth pants, 2 skirts, 1 thin shirt, 1 long leggings, 2 bikinis and underwear for 7 days. Also a large, thin, multi-purpose handkerchief to cover myself when entering temples, if it's cold or even as a sarong.

I recommend you take it clothes for 10 days, in as much as Finding laundromats is very easy throughout Southeast Asia, Even at the hotels themselves. You leave your clothes and in about 24 hours they'll be waiting for you with them neatly folded and smelling fresh. If I were going on vacation for 15 days, I would definitely pack clothes for the two weeks, but for longer trips I would opt to do laundry so I wouldn't have to carry so much. cargado.

Clothing for traveling to Southeast Asia
Handkerchief in a temple in Thailand
Clothing for traveling to Southeast Asia
Colder weather in Northern Vietnam

What shoes to wear in Southeast Asia

A very repeated question is What type of footwear do you need for traveling to Southeast Asia?And above all, how many pairs, an important decision if you don't want to travel too much cargado.

  • Sneakers, better if they are light, avoid very light colors, the skin and Gore-Tex (takes a long time to dry)carse) They will be good for climbing to viewpoints or doing any hike.
  • Semi-closed sandals that can get wetThey are very versatile. Some people also carry them.carPins, we don't see it as necessary.
  • Leather sandals or similar, in case you don't like walking with the others or prefer something cuter.
  • For very beach trips you can consider some flipflops o flip flops, although water sandals are enough for us.
Recommended footwear types for traveling to Southeast Asia

In our case Pau wears some slippers and some plastic Birkenstock-style sandals (like the black ones in the picture). I'm wearing the shoes on the top right (these) and some sandals Teva, the ones on the left. I used to carry leather Birkenstocks as a third pair of shoes, but they broke and now I've become more minimalist and travel with two.

As you can see in the photo below, footwear that can get wet and doesn't take long to dry is essential.carse, whether for waterfalls or beaches.

Clothing for Southeast Asia
This is how wet you end up sometimes

What to pack in your toiletry bag for traveling to Southeast Asia

If you need a practical travel bag I recommend this west another bigger one which is the one we have been using for 3 years and we love it.

As for the travel kit for Southeast Asia you have to bring everything you need for personal hygiene, toothbrush, deodorant, shampoo and gel (we carry the solid version so it takes up less space).

Of course, it can't be missed. sunscreen facial and body, the one we have left you linked is respectful with the seabed. And it is not out of place to have a aftersun In case you get sunburned one day, you need lip balm and a small bottle of moisturiser. Although you can get everything in South East Asia, the prices are similar or higher than in Spain.

Also don't forget a good one mosquito repellentas the Extra Strong RelecThere may be quite a few in some places and cases of Dengue fever occur relatively frequently. You can also buy it once in the Southeast, although they do not have as high a DEET content, they work well and are cheaper, you can find them in any supermarket.

essentials for backpacking

Kit basic recommended

Don't forget to prepare a small first aid kit with products you may need. Choose those medications that work best for you at home. headache, muscle pain and stopping a cold. We also carry Strepsils or something similar for sore throat, anti-diarrheal and a couple of sachets of oral serum.

You will find pharmacies everywhere, It's not worth it. cargues with many medications.

We recommend you bring a eye drops in case you get sand, a bug while driving or get bitten a lot after salt water.

In our medicine cabinet there are also dressings or anti-friction stick, especially if you go during the Spanish winter, your sandals may cause chafing., or fins while snorkeling (this usually happens to me).

For wounds we carry a package of sterilized gauze and a mini topionic like antiseptic. Again, both of these things can be found in any pharmacy, so take a small amount with you and buy more if necessary. But be careful, because wounds are common, whether from scratches, coral, glass on the beach, or falls.

If like me, you are prone to insect bites and sometimes you get reactions, add a cortisone cream to your list of things to take to Southeast Asia.

Asia insurance
Asia insurance

Technology and cables

This category of what to pack for a trip to Southeast Asia depends a lot on the person and whether they enjoy photography. In our case, we go quite often. carlittle ones, but with the most minimalist equipment possible because it takes up little space in our backpacks.

We carry the following:

  • GoPro 12 with cardive shop
  • Camera Sony Alpha 6600 with 18-135mm lens
  • Dron DJI mini 2 with 1 battery
  • 2 Laptops (Because we work, otherwise we would carry a tablet at most)
  • 2 Ebooks ⭐ Super recommended
  • Extreme battery, can be very useful to you

All We carry the cables in a cloth case along with the adapter so that everything is at hand.

Using the drone in Indonesia
GoPro to capture turtles

Check out our Indonesia guides to discover places as spectacular as those in the photos above. → Travel to the Togean Islands o What to see in Kuta Lombok.

More must-haves to bring to Southeast Asia

Let's go with those little super practical things to take to Southeast Asia, at least according to our experience, and sometimes we forget them at home.

  • Small microfiber towel in case in some hotel there were not (although they usually give you all of them no matter how cheap they are)
  • Towel/beach sarong thin. This style It's what we find most comfortable. We carry one for both of us.
  • Cloth bagThey don't take up any space and have a multitude of uses, such as avoiding plastic bags in supermarkets or when buying souvenirs. We also use it to take dirty clothes to the laundry. and they always return it to us washed.
10 easy ideas to reduce plastic while traveling
  • Reusable water bottle, In many hotels they have containers of good water to refill and if you buy a bottle it will stay cool if you pass it to your thermal bottle.
  • Sunglasses and cap or hat.
  • Goggles and snorkel tube, it is much more hygienic and you save yourself the hassle of searching for where to rent.
  • Rubber bands and a carabiner to hang things on your backpack are always a good idea.
best backpack for traveling

Up to this point The complete list of what clothes to bring to Southeast AsiaWe hope that this has been very helpful in finalizing the preparations for your next trip.

Start preparing your next adventure to Southeast Asia

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2 comments on “ᐈᐈ What to Bring to Southeast Asia | Checklist ✓”

    1. Hi Sofi, thecarWe record the footage through the DJI app itself; to edit the color or crop them, I do it in the same app. cariPhone shortcut and to combine several together with the CapCut app. I hope this helps! Cheers 🙂

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