WHAT I SHOULD HAVE PACKED

After backpacking for a little over 2 months now I have come to realize I missed a number of things while packing! I also realized I over packed on numerous items as well.
In this blog post I'm going to go over some of the things I wished I had packed and some of the things I wish I left at home!
So lets get into it...

WHAT I SHOULD HAVE PACKED...

T-SHIRTS - This was such a silly mistake on my part!! I honestly have no idea how or why I over looked such an essential item! T-Shirts are a HUGE item I wish I brought more of. Currently, I am only working with 1 t-shirt & I cant even begin to tell you how much it sucks!
T-Shirts are great for so much here in Asia! Since your in the sun almost all day they are great for covering your shoulders & back from the sun. I cant stress enough how important they are to bring!
LIGHT WEIGHT PANTS - Since one of the main things Cameron and I enjoy doing in Asia is visiting temples I really wish I had brought more light weight pants or sweat pants. Sure, there super easy to find here in Thailand and very affordable but they also rip very easily! I brought a number of leggings and workout style pants but they don't really do the job here. In some temples you are not allowed to wear tight fitting pants making my yoga pants off limits. So, if your going to be doing some temple visiting, make sure you bring some light weight easy to wear pants!
LOOSE FITTING TANK TOPS - Like T-shirts, tank tops are also great here, there easy to wear and very breathable.. however, the tank tops I brought were again workout tanks with built in bras from LuLu Lemon. These ones are cute BUT they get uncomfortable fast! I really wish I had brought some more cheap loose fitting tank tops.
MORE SHORTS - I brought 4 pairs of shorts but I wish I had changed some of my pants out for extra shorts! Shorts are great here because it does get super hot & there easy to pack! So ditch your
leggings for shorts!
SUNSCREEN - This is pretty obvious... I really thought I would have had enough sunscreen but when you wear it here everyday all day you go through it super quickly! Plus buying sunscreen at home is way more affordable then buying it here. In Asia for sunscreen the cheapest you'll find a small & I mean TINY bottle is about $10. So pack extra!!
SHAMPOO & CONDITIONER - This is also a small thing I over looked while packing. I thought it would be easy to buy both of these items here & I was wrong! Shampoo is super easy to find but it does get a little expensive. However, conditioner is impossible to find! If you do find it, you'll pay an arm and a leg for it! So stock up! If your like us and your cheap, a great way to save some money is when your in a hotel that offers shampoo - TAKE IT ALL! We would re fill a water bottle with any shampoo that was given at the hotel, it comes in handy for doing your laundry too!!

WHAT I COULD HAVE DITCHED...

PANTS - Simply too hot here for pants on the regular, you really only need them for bus rides & visiting temples. One pair will be fine!
FIRST AID ITEMS - I brought so many first aid items that I thought I might end up needed but honestly haven't even touched. Anything you may need you can find here at any local convenience store. A few good items to bring are: Band-Aids, Pepto & Advil! Other than then, leave the rest!
MAKEUP - This I know most people wouldn't have even brought but I did. I thought maybe we might go somewhere and ill want to throw on a little mascara etc but I honestly haven't even touched any of the makeup I brought.

If your deciding to go backpacking for more than a few weeks just remember to pack smart! I thought I had it all figured out but as the days go on I realize how much useless stuff I brought and things I really wished I had. Less is definitely more!! Make your bag as light as possible - that is the key since you might end up walking with your bag for hours & the lighter & smaller the bag the easier it is to get on flights, buses etc!
Keep checking back because in my next post Ill go over my perfect backpack & whats in it for traveling South East Asia!
Thanks for reading!