Before visiting Thailand, we knew it would be hot and humid. I guess that’s the price to pay for such beautiful and lush surroundings.

Expect to be constantly sweating. I quickly realized that there was no point doing my hair and makeup, because the second you leave the air-conditioned hotel room, it all melts. Occasionally, I’d notice a local Thai woman with beautiful hair and makeup, and it was a mystery to me how she accomplished it!

We managed to explore in the humid conditions and enjoy ourselves. In fact, despite his complaints in the heat, Chris will tell you that our trip to Thailand was a top-2 vacation experience, beaten only by our trip to Peru. Here’s what worked for us.

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Short on time? Jump to the TL;DR summary.

Moisture Wicking Clothing

This really helps more than you’d think. It’s not just that it cools you down a bit, it’s that you are less sticky. If your clothes aren’t sticking to you from constant sweating, it’s much less miserable than it could be. Chris wore something like this and I wore something like this.

Cooling Towels

One of the simplest and most effective things you can carry in Thailand is a cooling towel. You’ll probably notice I’m wearing one in most of my pictures.

All you have to do is get it wet and wrap it around your neck. It doesn’t even have to be cold water.

It sounds too simple to work, but it really does. We used ours constantly—especially during our all-day motorized scooter rides, temple visits, and outdoor adventures.

Drink Water Constantly

Maybe this is obvious, but it’s pretty important. In addition to the cooling towel, you may notice I’m carrying a CamelBak full of water in a lot of my pictures.

Cold water isn’t exactly easy to find in Thailand, so our water wasn’t always cold, but we did the best we could by keeping our water bladders in a hotel fridge overnight. It didn’t keep the water cold for very long, but it’s the best we could do.

Smoothies Are the Secret Weapon

We discovered this one quickly. Ice-cold smoothies throughout the day made up for our lack of cold water in our CamelBaks.

Smoothies were everywhere in Thailand, and we took full advantage of that. We probably had them two or three times a day, and we tried just about every flavor we could find. Often times, I’d order a smoothie for myself along with Chris, but only drink about half. Chris was happy to finish off what I couldn’t.

They weren’t just delicious—they cooled you down fast.

There’s something about an icy fruit smoothie in the middle of a hot day that resets your entire body temperature.

To this day, Chris still talks about how he wishes he could get a smoothie like the ones we had in Thailand whenever he’s hot. The fresh, exotic fruit made them special and uniquely Thai – nothing we’ve had at home compares.

Portable Fans Would Have Been a Game-Changer

We didn’t bring one.

We didn’t even know about them until later—after our Grand Canyon hike—but this small portable fan was a game-changer in the heat of Arizona. It would have been incredibly helpful in Thailand.

Don’t Be Afraid to Ask for a Fan

Chris asked for a fan everywhere we went. Every hotel, usually before we’d even showed our ID upon check-in, his first utterance would be, “Can you send a fan to our room?”

He’d even ask the wait staff of restaurants to bring a fan sometimes. This was a bit embarrassing for me, but ya gotta do what ya gotta do. People were generally happy to find one for him.

Take Cold Showers (or Baths)

In Krabi in particular, where our hotel air conditioning wasn’t great, sometimes it felt like there was nothing to be done to relieve the misery of the heat. In those moments, a cold shower did the trick. There was one night in particular in Krabi where we just sat in a cold bath for a good 20 minutes.

7-Eleven

They were everywhere. They are everywhere at home in Utah too, but for some reason 7-Elevens at home aren’t quite the oasis they were in Thailand.

7-Eleven was a consistently reliable source of not just air conditioning, but GOOD air conditioning. It was an immediate difference walking inside. It got to be that we’d plan our walking route specifically to pass one.

We didn’t linger, the brief moments inside were sufficient to restore our energy and keep going. I’d get an ice-cold Pepsi Zero each time. Those black bottles became a symbol of relief. Though I much prefer Diet Dr. Pepper (a rarity in Thailand), even today, seeing a black bottle of Pepsi Zero gives me a fleeting memory of relief.

Chris’s strategy was simply to get “whatever was coldest.”

TL;DR: How to Survive Thailand Humidity

• Moisture wicking clothing
• Cooling towels
• Drink water constantly
• Smoothies
• Portable fans
• Ask for a fan
• Cold Showers
• Respite from 7-Eleven

Up Next

Despite the heat and humidity, Thailand was an incredible experience, never to be forgotten. I’m hopeful that these simple tips and tricks will allow for others to travel there and experience the joy, beauty, and hospitality that Thailand has to offer.

Up next: The official packing list that helped us prepare for Thailand—and the few things we wish we had brought.

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