Take it or not? The ultimate Koh Phangan packing list
Are you about to go on vacation to Thailand and are wondering: “What do I have to take with me and what can stay at home?” We have put together the ultimate “Koh Phangan packing list” for you… what you should take with you and what you can also leave at home .
Understanding
Cash
You should always have some cash on the road in case of an emergency. You can always come into a situation where the credit card does not help you. If you've got around 150 or 200 euros or dollars, you're on the safe side.
Spare credit card and emergency number
The ATM does not spit your card anymore, you lose it or it gets damaged. By the time you receive a new credit card from your bank, your vacation is almost over. In case of loss or theft of your credit card, it is important to have your bank's contact details at hand to block them as soon as possible.
Some credit cards are better suited for a stay abroad than others - we have tips for the right bank card in Thailand in this article put together for you.
Insurance
A travel health and accident insurance spares in the case of your nerves and your wallet. Even if you only need her ten times, she has already expected it. If you get seriously ill, or have an accident that causes you more than a few scratches, it can be really expensive in Thailand too. In addition to the treatment costs there are rebooking fees for flights, costs for the extension of the stay, for accompanying medical personnel, for special transports and so on.
Our recommendation: Travel insurance at Allianz.
Waterproof document bag and passport cover
The most important thing abroad is your passport and documents. You should guard them like the apple of your eye. In Thailand you are officially obliged to always have your passport with you. If you decide against it and leave your passport in the hotel safe, you should have a copy or at least a scan on your smartphone.
We strongly recommend you passport and other important documents in one document case or Passport Cover to preserve! You can quickly get into a tropical downpour, which, for example, in the wet passport blur stamps and can become illegible.
Koh Phangan Map or business card from the hotel
Does not have to be packed at home, but after arriving on the island: One of the everywhere free maps or a business card from the hotel. It happens quickly that you get lost, the cell phone battery is empty or you want to go home by taxi and suddenly you can not remember the name of the beach! Not every taxi driver knows every hotel name, but with the right name of the beach you can get on.
The basics - bags, toiletry bags & Co.
Backpack or suitcase
We prefer to travel with a backpack because it protects our backs. If you know that your hotel is right on a paved road, of course, a trolley or a Travel bag with wheels Make sense. Maybe you would rather in Haad Yuan or on Bottle Beach Set up camp - beaches that are easiest to reach by taxi boat. In such cases, a suitcase is extremely unwieldy and you even run the risk of damaging the piece of luggage.
Our recommendation: Backpacker backpack with rain cover
Clothes bag set
With these practical things you bring some order in your luggage, they prevent the heavy wrinkling of clothes and they allow you to find the desired one quickly with a targeted handle. In addition, accommodations in Thailand are often quite Spartan equipped with storage facilities, also here you will panniers to serve you well.
Backpack for day trips
Again, we give preference to the backpack, for example, pretty shoulder bags, they are just so practical and versatile. It makes sense here to make sure that the backpack either fits in the hand luggage or folded can be stowed in a large luggage.
Our recommendation: Foldable backpack
Drybag
For boat trips or hikes to waterfalls, drybags with gold are not worth the effort. Smartphone, camera and wallet stay nice and dry even if you fall into the water. For the important things is enough Drybag with 2 liters capacity .
money belt
Give pickpockets no chance and keep most of your cash, passport and credit card in one place money belt on. Pickpockets are special on the Full Moon Party and a problem while traveling over Bangkok.
sponge bag
We find the Toiletry bag to unfold, with a hook for hanging super handy. They can then be easily reorganized and everything finds its place.
Shopping bag, drinking straws and bottles
To avoid all the plastic bags, you can get one Jute Bag plug in. In Asia, the awareness of avoiding plastic is not as sharpened as ours, a separate fabric bag contributes immensely to the protection of the environment, without it would be a great effort. The same goes for drinking bottles. Once you've arrived, you can buy 7 liters of water bottles in any 11 / 5 or supermarket, or an 20 liter balloon at the Thaishop, and get your water on the go in your shop Trinkfasche fill and save tons of disposable plastic.
Clothing:
Clothing
You can pack clothes really sparingly, so that enough space remains for the new favorite pieces. What we absolutely advise is one thin jacket or a light hoodie, In busses or at the airports, the air conditioning is often quite fresh, and when it rains, the wind can be really cool. There is everything to buy what you need, with two exceptions. One is that Socks with the gentlemen, there is simply the size problems. Second, this is the Swimwear for women, Often it seems as if the size labels sewn randomly, swimwear is almost impossible to try on in any shop and experience shows that most problems occur with the tops.
Shoes
Most of the time you walk here flipFlops around, and they are on every corner. With large sizes, it can be difficult and the selection is much lower. For trips to waterfalls, or trekking in the jungle we recommend Trekking sandals take. They have good grip on the outsole, are comfortable to wear through the footbed, provide you with a secure fit and protect the toes from hitting stones or roots. For Koh Phangan you can High heels Incidentally, leave them at home, neither the streets nor the dance floors are suitable for such shoes ...
Towels
You do not have to take towels, every accommodation provides which, often even bath towels for the beach. But what should definitely be with one is Packtowl, This is easy, can be folded very small and dries in a flash. Always at hand, at the top of the pack.
The toiletry bag and the first-aid kit:
On Koh Phangan, you have the wonderful opportunity to bring you empty cosmetic containers Unpacked Koh Phangan to be replenished with ecologically and organically produced products. In general, we advise you to travel only with small travel sizes, because you get most of the products easily on site. Sunscreen and facial care should be taken from home, while hair and body care can stay there.
sunscreen
Take necessarily enough sunscreen From home, these products are very expensive in Asia because they are all imported. Exceptions are sunscreens with very, very high sun protection factor. Since Thais prefer not to get tan at all, even normal body lotion often contains sunscreen, often with SPF 60 - 80. If you are not extremely light-skinned, you will not take any tan home with you with such strong sunscreen.
On the other hand, we advise even die-hard sun worshipers, at least in the beginning to use sun protection factor 20. Even though temperatures in Europe are often reached in summer far exceeding 30 degrees, the sunshine in Thailand is many times stronger due to its proximity to the equator.
Coconut oil as a sunscreen
Another sunscreen that is cheap in Thailand is coconut oil. Here you should note, however, that the sun protection factor of coconut oil only corresponds to the very low value 2.
After Sun Products
In Thailand there are excellent aloe vera products at reasonable prices. Alternatively, we recommend a care balsam with natural vitamin E for the Regeneration of the skin.
Face Care
Here in Thailand caution is advised. In very, very many products is one Whitening active ingredient that lighten the skin. The reason for this is that the Thais want a brighter complexion. For the tropical climate we recommend a light fluid or Serum with matting effect, You should also bring your eye care from home.
Make-up
The climate is hot and humid and our make up is not done for that. If you put on full make-up it will at best dissolve, in the worst case it will disappear. In our opinion, one is enough waterproof eyeliner, waterproof mascara and possibly lip gloss.
Shower gel and soap
An appeal to the ladies, please be careful with the Asian shower gels. They can burn our sensitive mucous membranes to such an extent that you have to struggle with them for a few days. Our recommendation is very clear to soaps. There are wonderful, high-quality, biological soaps in Thailand at low prices to buy.
Body Care
Here you can draw on the full, only in a few products, a whitening supplement is included. You can find products in every quality and price segment.
Hair Care
You can confidently leave your complete hair care at home, in this you are in paradise. Shampoo, balm, pack or lace oil, everything is available. It is worth to try the Asian products, which do not exist with us.
Shave
No problem with disposable razors, but the shaving cream is relatively expensive. It really pays off to pack a sufficient amount here.
Anti-mosquito protection
You can get mosquito sprays in Thailand in every 7 / 11, every pharmacy and in most convenience stores. However, you should have a small size handy in your luggage, if you have to wait outside for the journey. Locally you are best off to Sketolene or OFF!
What you definitely do not need to take with you is a mosquito net, In almost all accommodations there are some, and if not, you can easily buy one in the 20 baht shops.
drugs
Thailand's pharmacies are very well stocked and you will also find well-trained employees who are competent and happy to help you. Even in the 7/11 shops you can get paracetamol (“Tylenol”, “Sara”,…), flu medication and charcoal tablets. If you need special, possibly even prescription, medication, you should of course take enough of it with you. If you get travel or seasick, these products should also be handy in your luggage, as well as a small disinfectant spray and a pack of plasters.
The technique
iPad
Tablets are small, slim and lightweight, which makes them the ideal travel companion for us. Especially in the tropics and on the beach we advise against using a laptop. As long as you do not need a complete working device while traveling, you can do almost everything with the iPad Air take care of. With fewer openings, hinges and a lack of a physical keyboard, the risk of sand or moisture reaching the electronics is much lower. Another advantage is the very long battery life, which puts almost every laptop or smartphone in the shade.
Photograph
For most of us, a smartphone with a good camera is sufficient. Here it is P30 Pro from Huawei currently definitely the absolute flagship.
Anyone who attaches more importance to photography is with this System camera from Olympus well served.
Reading material
We love that Kindle Paper White, Even in the sun you can read very well, it is waterproof and a book recommendation from the beach neighbor is easy, fast and uncomplicated downloaded.
Power Bank
Indispensable for us on trips. If you have longer waiting times to bridge, the battery of your tablet or smartphone is almost empty, so take one Power Bank With! There are also on Koh Phangan electronics shops selling such external batteries, but this is unfortunately cheap products from China, which will hardly survive the holiday.
Do not forget: The power bank belongs in the hand luggage!
Music
If you would like to listen to your own music, we recommend taking a portable Bluetooth speaker with you. By the way: ours Lieblingsbox has an integrated power bank, which you can leave at home.
Rechargeable flashlight
An flashlight is indispensable when traveling. Especially in the tropics you should always see where you step or reach out. In addition, there are more power outages on Koh Phangan and by no means every hotel has a generator.
power adapter
Basically, our plugs already fit into the Thai sockets, but not 100% correct. If you love your electronics, you can put an adapter in between, preferably with USB ports to charge your phone, tablet, Kindle and camera safely. With this multi-adapter do you have the possibility at the same time to load several devices at the same time?
Further important information for your Koh Phangan vacation:
Arrival: How to get to the island
The island travel guide - all important information at a glance
Summary: What must necessarily!
For your Koh Phangan trip you can do without full toiletry bags and first aid kits. You do not have to bring towels or mosquito nets. Even with clothes you can save, there are beautiful things to buy here.
You should definitely pack personal medications, sunscreen and facial care. The smartphone, a flashlight and a power bank are also indispensable.
What should you never miss in your luggage? What do you pack on each trip? Write us a comment, we are curious!