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This is a long one, but stay with me, there’s a lot of great info for a trip to Thailand!

Know Before You Go

Paperwork

• Passports must be valid for more than 6 months beyond your travel dates. Make sure to check the status of your passport well in advance. When we went to Peru, my passport was going to expire five months after our return, which meant I had to get a new one, which takes time. So get on it!
  • Make two copies of your passport. Keep one with your luggage and one with a family member at home.
• Print and keep safe copies of your itinerary details and tickets in case you run into problems accessing them digitally.
  • Also leave a copy with a family member so they know your planned locations in case of emergency.
• Print and keep safe copies of your vaccination history in case it comes up – see next section
• Contact the US Embassy in Bangkok and sign up for alerts on their website to ensure you have a plan in case of an emergency during your visit out of the country https://th.usembassy.gov/contact/

Vaccinations

If traveling to Thailand from the United States, there are no required vaccinations UNLESS you are traveling from a yellow fever-endemic region.

If you are coming directly from the United States and only traveling to places in Thailand, you shouldn’t be required to get any vaccinations, though these following vaccinations are recommended:

• Hepatitis A
• Typhoid
• Yellow Fever (vaccination certificate required if arriving from a country with high risk of yellow fever transmission)
• Routine vaccinations up-to-date (MMR, Tetanus, Polio)
• Rabies (if visiting rural areas or staying long-term)
• Japanese Encephalitis (if visiting rural areas for over a month or visiting during the May-October rainy season)
• Hepatitis B (especially if your trip may involve medical care, tattoos or piercings, or other situations with potential exposure to blood or bodily fluids)
• COVID-19 booster up-to-date

Currency

The local currency in Thailand is the THB – Thai Baht. $1 USD is about 32 THB.

You will have lots of advice online about how to get the best currency exchange rates, but let me stop you and tell you that it is NOT WORTH IT. When we traveled to Thailand, the internet had us going to the lowest level of the Bangkok Airport to a little spot that had the best exchange rate for USD to THB. I ended up getting myself an extra 10 THB by doing this. It wasn’t easy to get there, and as I walked away and did the math, I realized we put in all that extra work to get an extra $0.30.

IT’S NOT WORTH IT. Regardless of where you go, the exchange rate differences will be NEGLIGIBLE. Do yourself a favor and just exchange currency where it is convenient. I mean, obviously make sure the place is legit. Don’t do exchanges with unofficial money changers, only use official exchange houses or banks. It’s easiest to do this at the airport upon arrival. Exchange more money than you think you’ll need, and whatever you don’t use, you can exchange back when you fly home. And just know going in that you are going to take a loss when exchanging back to USD – there’s no getting around it. So make sure you have enough cash in the local currency, but don’t overdo it either. A lot of places accepted credit card, so for us, somewhere between $300-$500, or maybe 10,000-17,000 THB, was sufficient for our whole stay in Thailand.

Also keep in mind that when exchanging back, they will only exchange bills, not coin. So either give away your last coins as tips or keep as a souvenir! And speaking of tipping, it is not a cultural norm in Thailand, so most locals will not expect it, but they will be very happy to receive one.

TLDR: Don’t bother hunting down the best exchange rates, just exchange your bills where both convenient and legit – the airport or official banks. Stay away from unofficial money changers. $300-$500 for ten days in Thailand is probably sufficient, and tipping is appreciated, but not a cultural norm.

Water

Don’t drink the tap water in Thailand. Stick with bottled water for the duration of your stay. The last thing you need on vacation is to get sick.

Bug Protection

Mosquitoes can be a problem in Thailand, though we didn’t personally experience many issues. They carry risks of dengue and Zika, and they are most active at sunrise and sunset. Protect yourselves with DEET-based repellent and avoid areas with stagnant water. We brought mosquito repellent wipes and used them as needed.

Bangkok – mosquitoes are a year-round issue, but more particularly in the rainy season of May-September.

Chiang Mai – mosquitoes are present year-round with peak seasons being May-October.

Khao Sok National Park – mosquitoes are around, but they are often less prevalent. Surprisingly despite this, our bungalow at Anurak Community Lodge was the only time we ever had a mosquito net over our bed.

Krabi – moquitoes are present year-round, with higher activity during the rainy season of May – October.

Travel Adapter

Thailand uses a mix of outlet types, including Type A, B, C, and the Thai standard Type O. Many hotels have universal outlets that accept U.S. plugs, but bringing a travel adapter is still a good idea to be safe. This is the one we used, and we had no issues.

What to Pack

We always try to fit everything into carry ons so we don’t have to worry about checking luggage. This can be tricky with a longer international trip, but the key is to rely on hotel laundry services, which can be surprisingly affordable in places like Thailand. The other key is to decide ahead of time what to leave home and just purchase upon arrival. If your airline allows one carry on and one personal item, plan for using a CamelBak (or other hydration pak) as your personal item and put your fanny pack in either your carry on or CamelBak.

What to Skip (and purchase in Thailand)

• Water
• Snacks
• DEET – unless you are okay with using mosquito repellent wipes as needed like we did
• Washrag/Loofah – just use what your hotel provides
• Toiletries – just use what your hotel provides (unless you’re picky)

What to Pack in Carry-On

I’ll list separately what to keep in your Camelbak (personal item) and Fanny Pack (stuffed in either carry on or Camelbak). Pack light! Use hotel laundry services when you run out of clean clothes.

• 2-3 moisture-wicking and SPF hiking shirts
  • Chris wore something like this and I wore something like this
• 1-2 quick dry hiking pants
  • Chris wore something like this and I wore something like this, I liked being able to zip off the bottom and turn it into shorts
• Maybe 1 extra casual t-shirt
• Maybe 1 extra casual pants
• Sundess for more formal temple visits
  • Chris didn’t bring anything specific for this, he was able to just wear a shirt and long pants
  • I purchased a strapless sun dress and a white shawl to go over it – it was lightweight and appropriate
  • Temples require shoulders and knees to be covered for both men and women, and you will be turned away if you don’t meet the dress code. That doesn’t mean you have to dress fancy, you just have to be covered. This sundress was for a specific tour guide where we were instructed to dress a little nicer.
• Your favorite ballcap
• 4-5 pairs of underwear
• 4-5 pairs of socks, including good hiking socks
• 1 pair of pajamas
• Swimsuit
• Swimsuit cover up – I wore one like this, and though I didn’t end up loving how it looked on me, it worked perfectly
• Comfortable sneakers or running shoes – I’m a fan of Brooks Adrenaline
• Water shoes – this was great for our day at Khao Sok National Park and our tour to James Bond Island
  • I wore these ones
  • Chris wore these ones
• Flip Flops
  • Readers of my blog may remember I often refer to my trusty Croc Flops. I actually bought them specifically for this trip to Thailand! I needed something comfortable, waterproof, and would like nice enough with a sundress for visits to temples. These were perfect!
• Essential Toiletries
  • Travel-sized shampoo, conditioner, body soap
  • Travel-sized toothbrush, toothpaste
  • Deodorant
  • Brush, pick, hair ties, razor
  • Glasses, contacts, travel-sized contact solution
  • Make-up (keep it limited, it’ll melt anyway)
• Sunglasses – I love these polarized lenses and high UV protection
• Fanny Pack full of items listed below (stuff in carry-on or Camelbak/personal item)
• Camelbak (or other hydration pack) full of items listed below
• Phone Charger
• Travel Adapter
• Camera (unless just using your phone camera)
• Compression Cube for holding dirty laundry on the way home if you’re concerned about space

Fanny Pack

This particular fanny pack has gotten me through many trips, it’s perfect! It is big enough with several pockets without being too bulky. Some of these items may not be necessary for exploring through Thailand, but all of these items just permanently live inside my fanny pack and are not taking up extra space.

• Bandaids/Moleskin
• Chapstick
• Medicine (Ibuprofen/Tylenol/anything else you need)
• Inhaler (if needed)
• Lotion (travel-sized)
• Emergency blanket
• Tissues (travel-sized)
• Hand sanitizer (travel-sized)
• Phone
• Headphones (if you want to listen to an audiobook or music during flights or transfers)
  • Chris uses these because they block out noise
  • I use these because I CAN hear my surroundings and can stay safe on the trails
• Wallet/Money/Cash/ID

CamelBak

• 3 liters of water (water bottles available for purchase everywhere)
• Waterproof phone case – great for keeping your phone safe on longtail boat rides or swimming with bioluminescent plankton
• Sunscreen (apply BEFORE spraying yourself with DEET)
• Mosquito Repellent wipes – or DEET purchased in Thailand
• Regular wipes
• Cooling towel
• Packable rain jacket – rain can be unpredictable
• Portable Power Bank – in case your phone runs out of batteries from tracking your miles, listening to your audiobook, etc. This thing lasts forever!
• Portable Fan with lights (we didn’t bring this because we didn’t know about it until we hiked the Grand Canyon in 2025, but it would have been a game-changer!)

Worn during water excursions

• Swimsuit
• Hiking pants converted to shorts (Chris just wore his swimsuit with a t-shirt)
• Swimsuit cover up
• Water shoes – this was great for our day at Khao Sok National Park and our tour to James Bond Island
  • I wore these ones
  • Chris wore these ones
• Waterproof cell phone case
• Sunglasses – I love these polarized lenses and high UV protection
• Your favorite ballcap
• CamelBak full of items listed above – We love this Fourteener model
• Fanny Pack full of items listed above – I love this one

Worst case scenario, you don’t have room for souvenirs to bring home. In that case, check your carry-on bag for the flight home and carry-on your souvenir bag. The bottom line is that you want your vacation to be as stress-free as possible – so make sure you have what you need but aren’t carrying too much weight!

Up Next: the full itinerary of our entire trip to Thailand!

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