stoke_girl_uk_2k1 asked:
Hi all,
Hi all,
I was just wondering if anyone who’s been backpacking to thailand, or at all! Could give me an idea what me and my friend will need to take thailamd in august for 4 weeks, we plan on travelling around, staying at hostels etc!! Thanks guys!! Thanks in advance
Backpack, money and ATM card, passport, mosquito spray and net, sun screen, pad lock, condoms, camera, umbrella and rain gear.
waterproof matches or a lighter
Poncho
flashlight
Cell phone (you can get a GSM phone (assuming your fro the US because your American phone most likely will not work unless its GSM) in Bangkok cheap and a Sim card and they work almost everywhere.
good hiking boots
An umbrella (for the sun and the rain).
I would suggest that you be very careful and stay in towns at night. There are a lot of poor and uneducated people in this country (I’ve seen a neighbor hack up a dog to eat) and although nothing may happen be very careful about being outside and outside the tourist areas at night. Here in the northeast (near the Mekong) I have seen people go out at night with all black clothes and if I hadn’t been looking you would swear they were invisible (just like Ninjas). They live in the rice fields and can come up on you without warning.
Thats not to say that Thailand is not a friendly enjoyable place to visit. Its just to say that if your in somebodies pot field or where some other illegal activity that you don’t know is going on you may have problems you didn’t suspect.
My wife always locks up the house anytime we go out and she has lived in this little village all her life. She has bars on the windows. (These are clues)
First of all. What do you need a back pack for ? I find travelling in Thailand much easier with a good sports bag with wheels on. as you won/t have to walk far, if you are staying in hostels etc., and there are left luggage areas,for when you are waiting for a bus / train etc.
Having said that, take cotton clothing your toiletries,etc .Oh ! and a lonely Planet travel guide book. Every thing you need you can buy here.. I have found the best mossie repellant is a roll on type from the pharmacy section of Lotus Tesco,, Every thing else you need is available at Tesco too.
If your phone is not locked in to a particular provider. you can buy pay as you use cards. Get a start up pack from any phone shop ,and there are millions of them, the most popular is 1 2 call..
Probably the only time you will be carrying a backpack is from your taxi/bus/tuk-tuk/songthaew to your hotel room. Many tourists simply carry shoulder bags and suitcases.
Bring padlocks with you to lock your room and bags up. If you intend to carry a backpack make sure you can lock it. Leave the laptop at home or it may be stolen at your hostel. Lots of cheap internet shops available all over Thailand. Bring extra SD cards or a portable hard drive if you intend to take lots and lots of photos.
Leave any valuables at home, stuff you would really miss if it was stolen or broken. If your hotel or hostel has security boxes – use them! You may be able to get a cheap hotel room for the same price as a hostel.
Cotton clothing is a good idea, also bring a ball cap too! A hat will keep the sun and rain off your face and if you are tall sometimes the bill hits pointy-hangy down stuff that would poke your eyes out. Thais are shorter than Westerners, often you bang into things that they walk under.
I like my coffee in the morning, I always travel with a little electric coil that heats a cup of water. You can use it to boil water for coffee, tea or to make instant soup. Looks like this:=
You can use this if you have long layover at an airport too! In Thailand you can get Birdy Coffee for around 3 or 4 baht per individual serving if you buy them 10 in a bag.
Keep away from dope and dopers, spending some time in the monkey house would really ***** up a trip! Oh yeah, don’t fall in love with a local cutie and end up sending her money after you go home – you might not be the only one doing it!
Have fun.