Packing for Thailand
 

We are packing for THE trip to Thailand (Northern, too) and Singapore. We will be there Nov. Any suggestions of must-brings, including thoughts on plug-in mosquito repellers?

What sorts of activities do you plan?

Light jacket and sweater for northern Thailand.

Light, natural fiber clothing.

Bring a good mosquito repellant, like the micro-encapsulated sustained release Sawyers. I've never used a plug-in repeller, but I would assume it is no substitute for a good repellent.

Sunscreen

~cokesmith:we are going to be doing light trekking, biking once, mostly general touring with a guide in the north to caves and waterfalls, etc.
~rayong:taking jacket with Polartec® Power Dry® fleece fabric (light weight)and rain shell?
~Kathie:great suggestion for Sawyers. we have sprayed our clothes with their product. can one simultaneously apply repellent and sunscreen? do you think we need treated mosquito netting, also?
Thanks!

Yes, you can apply both repellant and sunscreen. As I remember, the repellant should be on top of the sunscreen.

As for mosquito netting, will you be staying in places that do not have air-conditioning? Those are the only places where you might need a mosquito net.

If you stay in a hotel with air conditioning you won't need a mosquito net since the windows will be shut. Even some cheap hotels may have a can of bug spray available for any bugs flying around the toilet area.

I always have a small flashlight with me. Comes in handy when the power goes off or you drop something under a bed or stand.

A ball cap will keep rain and sun off of your face. Also when walking through street markets the hat brim keeps low hanging things from poking your eye out.

Always have a roll of TP with you when you are away from your hotel for more than a couple hours. (Buy it or borrow it from your hotel bathroom and flatten it out so it takes up less room in your bag. Take some moistened hand-wipes with you. You can buy them cheap in Thai supermarkets and other stores. When you are out and about there may be no TP or running water in the toilets you encounter. Sometimes the toilet you use is behind a tree! (When out hiking never pass up the opportunity to use an available toilet or the next one may be that tree!)

Have fun.

again, thank you! I am checking in to the a/c situation now. Baan Orapin has it, as does Fern Resort. Our room at Soppng River Inn does not, but it has netting. Baan Soontree has a/c in Chiang Rai. I am checking into Little Home Guesthouse in Mae Salong, as I cannot tell from the website.

Just because a hotel has a/c doesn't mean windows will always be closed. Our hotel in Chiang Rai opened the windows when they cleaned the rooms and they left the doors open. same was true in Aonang. Have a great trip.

TP and your own wet wipes/wet tissue's a must in Thailand. I stopped over in Singapore for the first time while on a business trip, and stayed at a hotel apartment at Changi called Capri by Fraser, Changi City. Anyway, Singapore is pretty sanitized , clean city all over, so you shouldn't need anything extra! Oh, and chewing gum is still outlawed in Singapore. You won't be able to get it anywhere, so you might want to stock up on a pack or two as well. Just be discreet about it! You will also need to being sun block, it's quite hot and sunny in Singapore.

thanks wilson336.
yestravel, do you suggest mosquito netting for mid-Nov.?

I don't think you will need to carry mosquito nettings with you. What we do in rustic places, like the Fern resort etc, is to spray the room with insecticide around dusk and go have dinner. When we return to the room we switch on the A/C or fan and no mosquitos.

You can buy travel-sized toilet paper rolls at places like Target. Go to the area in health and beauty where they have their big display of travel products (shampos, deoderant, etc). I always bring a couple with me to Thailand, and they are easy to carry in your purse or day pack. No need to try to flatten a bigger roll from the hotel.

When in Bangkok, I will go to a super market and buy a larger full-sized "box" (or two) of kleenex, but it is in a soft pack. Very easy to take when I travel!!

great tips!

REading as we are gearing up to go in December.