Getting Started Backpacking

To bring or not to Bring

If you're just getting started backpacking - It can be tricky deciding what to bring when you go traveling, so here's some help from someone who's traveled with a backpack since 2003:

Laptop - So many seem to travel with their laptops these days. Since starting my website, I've traveled with one, but I feel, if I didn't need it for work, it would be something I could do without - the reason: Internet shops are everywhere in Thailand and, if you're traveling to other Asian countries it's the same - there are many more compared with Western countries.

Most guesthouses still don't have wifi access in the downstairs area or in the rooms. There are wifi hotspots in shopping centers and other areas but at 20 or 30 baht an hour (by buying a password card from shops), it's often cheaper to head to an internet shop which are usually 10 to 20 baht per hour (20 to 40 baht hourly in Bangkok). I recently became aware of a useful service which connects to the mobile phone networks to get you connected. (you use a sim card and small USB like device, can cost about 400 baht for 100 hours of internet per month). The much smaller and lighter (often 1kg) notebooks are worth considering.

Clothes - Everyone's different with clothes and my habit of hardly ever wearing long (and often heavy!) trousers won't be for everyone - but I would say think twice about bringing more than 2 or 3 pairs of trousers. Many find that shorts are fine for the night too - nightlife is a lot less formal in Thailand (especially amongst other travelers - a bit more formal with Thai people), so head out to a restaurant or bar in T-shirt and shorts and you often won't stand out.

Bringing quite a few thin T-shirts and/or shirts makes life a bit easier with washing. Excessive sweating means that you'll probably want to change your shirt daily or twice daily, so having a decent supply will mean you don't have to be too occupied with washing. Some guesthouses are fine with you washing your clothes yourself in your room but many aren't - you can usually find laundry shops not too far from where you're staying - prices vary quite a lot. You can sometimes find do-it-yourself laundry machines where you put in 20 baht, load up to 4 or 5 kilos and wait 40 minutes. Some places do the washing for you - prices range from about 40 baht for 4 or 5 kilos (your washing folded and dried, not ironed) up to 30-50 baht per kilo in the more touristy areas.

Ironing often costs 5-10 baht per clothes item. Many guesthouses have a laundry service which is handy, often for 30 baht per kilo. If you go to a laundry shop before about 10am and it's a sunny day, you should get your clothes back by 5 or 6pm the same day.

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