A (longer) trip through Southeast Asia requires a lot of planning and of course the backpack has to be packed. But what do you have to think about? And what do you need when traveling that you may have been without in your entire life? I have written a packing list for you here with the things you should definitely take with you to Southeast Asia.

Of course, these are just tips and maybe you don’t need everythings. You can also take other things with you that may be important to you but are not on this list. But from experience I can say that you shouldn’t travel without these things:

Documents

Passport

The most important thing on your trip is probably your passport. Before you start your trip, make sure your passport is valid for at least 6 months.

Visa

Before entering each country, you should check at least 7 days in advance what the entry conditions are in the respective country and what kind of visa you need. Sometimes you get a visa directly upon entry. However, in some cases, you may need to apply for the visa a few days in advance.

Credit card

Before you travel, you should let your bank know that you will be abroad for a while. Otherwise, your card may be blocked due to unknown transactions.

Travel insurance

Accidents can happen anytime and anywhere. Particularly in Asia, diseases are circulating that are unknown to us and many tourists also have accidents while riding scooters. Be sure to have health insurance, accident insurance and liability insurance. Alternatively, luggage insurance is also recommended.

Clothing

Rain jacket

If you are traveling to Asia during the rainy season, you should definitely not go without a rain jacket.

Comfortable clothing

When choosing clothes, you should not only limit yourself to the best and most stylish items of clothing, but also take clothes that are comfortable, can get dirty and can also break. The washing machines in Southeast Asia are also not always very trustworthy, which is why your clothes suffer a lot during the washing process and after a few months they no longer look as nice as they did at the beginning of your trip. You won’t need jeans in Asia either. There will hardly be any occasions where you could wear jeans. Besides, it’s far too warm for that anyway.

Nice clothes

Nevertheless, you should pack one or two fancier tops, as you will definitely want to experience the nightlife of Southeast Asia. And you probably don’t want to stand in your dirty hiking clothes in a bar or club 😉

Warm clothing

You should mainly pack short and airy clothes for your trip to Southeast Asia. But for cooler evenings or hostels where the air conditioning is set very cool at night, you should pack 1-2 thick sweaters.

Clothing for temples

In Asia you will very often visit temples or holy places where you have to cover your knees and shoulders. Therefore, have the right clothes with you for such places. However, you can also buy shawls and skirts to cover your shoulders and knees almost anywhere.

Swimwear

It is very important that you have swimwear with you. Because you need them for swimming in the sea, in the river, in the rainforest, for surfing or just for sunbathing on the beach.

Cap or headgear

The sun in Southeast Asia should definitely not be underestimated, which is why you should definitely take a cap with you. You don’t need to wear a cap all the time, but on hot days when you spend a lot of time in the sun, you shouldn’t go without a cap.

Thrombosis stockings

You should definitely get thrombosis stockings for long flights and bus rides and use the breaks on bus rides to stretch your legs. After all, it would be a shame if your trip was ruined by thrombosis, especially if this disease can be avoided.

Shoes

Flip flops

Flip flops or simple slippers are best suited on the beach, so you should definitely have a pair of flip flops with you.

Sports shoes

For longer walks and hikes, you should definitely have shoes with you that are very comfortable and that you can walk well in. Shoes should also be allowed to get dirty. Depending on whether you plan to do a lot of hiking, hiking boots may also be an option.

Cosmetics

Mosquito spray

Wherever you are in Southeast Asia, there will be mosquitoes that can also transmit diseases such as malaria or dengue fever. So take a small supply of mosquito spray with you, which may be a little more expensive, but is also very effective. You can also buy mosquito spray pretty much everywhere in Asia. It’s best to buy this at the pharmacy.

Suncream

Under no circumstances should you leave the house without sunscreen. You should also always have enough with you if you are out and about for a whole day. The sun in Southeast Asia is very strong and severe sunburns can occur quickly. You can also buy sunscreen locally in Asia, but make sure that it is sunscreen from well-known brands, which costs a little more.

Travel hairdryer

Most hostels do not provide hairdryers, straighteners or anything similar, so you should take a travel hairdryer with you (if you need a hairdryer or something similar). However, the humidity in Asia is so high that your hair dries very quickly in the sun. Elaborate hairstyles are also not worth it, as they don’t last long due to the high humidity.

Medicine

In case of an emergency, you should always have medication such as painkillers, cold medicines or plasters with you. Although you can also get some important medications locally, since you may be in more remote areas, you may not be able to get them as quickly. Be sure to also pack your vaccination certificate.

Electronics

Socket adapter

Even though most sockets in Southeast Asia are very similar to sockets in the EU, you should definitely get a global socket adapter before you leave. This means you always have the right plug for every socket with you.

Headphones

In Southeast Asia you will probably travel a lot by bus, train or plane. Headphones are particularly suitable for trips lasting several hours to pass the time with music, podcasts, series or films.

Power bank

Depending on whether you are traveling for a long time in one day, have a long bus ride ahead of you or are spending several days camping, at some point your cell phone battery will slowly run out. A socket is not always available directly. I therefore recommend that you pack a power bank that is sufficient for multiple charges.

Laptop

You don’t necessarily need a laptop, it’s up to you whether you want to take one with you or not. However, to save the photos you take with your phone or camera to a second storage location, you can regularly drag them onto your laptop. In the event that your phone suddenly breaks or you lose it, all of your great photos will not be lost forever.

Hard drive

If you decide to take a laptop with you, then a small hard drive may also be worthwhile. You can store all your photos and videos on this and you don’t have to worry about anything getting lost.

Camera, GoPro & Drone

Whether you want to take a camera, GoPro or drone with you or not is also up to you. Of course, the pictures you take with a good camera will be a lot better than the ones you take with your phone. You can take great photos underwater while snorkeling, especially with a GoPro. The shots you can take from the air with a drone are always breathtaking.

So if you decide to take a camera, a GoPro or a drone with you, be careful that it doesn’t get stolen. In addition, you always carry a heavy load with you on long tours. Flying a drone is also not permitted in all countries in Southeast Asia. Before entering the respective country, find out whether you are allowed to fly a drone. In the worst case, there is a risk of long prison sentences.

Others

Padlock

In most cases there is a small locker available in the hostel where you can store your valuables. For this you should definitely get a lock and always carry the key with you (of course a combination lock works too and is even more practical).

Neck pillow

Since you have to take long flights, long bus rides or long car journeys during your trip, a neck pillow is worth it for these long journeys. With this you can sleep much better and you won’t get a stiff neck either.

Earplugs and sleep mask

I never wanted to sleep in a hostel again without earplugs and a sleeping mask. It will always happen that you have people in the room who don’t care whether others are already asleep. They come into your room at two in the morning, are loud and turn the lights back on. In order not to notice too much of it, I recommend a sleeping mask and earplugs.

Towels

Not all hostels provide towels, so you should definitely take one with you. A beach towel can also be worthwhile to lie on the sand on the beach and enjoy the sun.

Backpack

For excursions, you should have a backpack with you that has enough space for food and water for a whole day. Since you’ll probably be walking a lot and also walking up and down a lot, a shoulder bag is hardly suitable for longer tours.

Packing cubes

For more organization in your backpack, I recommend storing all your things in packing cubes. Since you often travel every 2-3 days, you will often have to pack and unpack your things. In order to avoid regular chaos, the backing cubes can help organize everything better.

Dry bag

It doesn’t matter whether you’re exploring waterfalls, going on a boat tour or swimming at the beach. You can store your valuables such as a camera, drone or cell phone in a dry bag to ensure that they don’t get wet and break.

Sunglasses

Just like a cap, you shouldn’t go without sunglasses in strong sunshine.

Umbrella

You don’t necessarily need an umbrella if you already have a very good rain jacket with you. Nevertheless, it can still be worthwhile to have an umbrella with you, especially in very heavy rain. However, you should keep in mind that an umbrella also takes up a lot of space in your luggage and is difficult to transport.

Drinking bottle

For your trip to Southeast Asia, you should also pack a drinking bottle of around one liter. Although you can’t drink the tap water there, some hostels provide free drinking water that you can use to refill your bottle regularly.

Travel detergent

Maybe you don’t have a laundromat available or you just have a t-shirt that urgently needs to be washed. Then it’s not worth taking the few items to the laundromat for 24 hours. Here it can be useful to have travel detergent in your luggage. With this you can wash your clothes quickly and easily at the sink.

Chewing gum

Depending on whether you have problems with air pressure while flying, you should always carry a pack of chewing gum with you on flights.

If you are traveling to Australia as well, you can also check out my blog post Packing List for traveling to Australia.