Ultimate Thailand Packing List: Must-Haves for a Stress-Free Adventure

Thailand was on my visit list for really long time and here is my ultimate Thailand packing list, of the things I found useful and some things that I have regretted taking with me.

TDAC and scam websites

I’ve added this section recently and it was not originally intended as part of Thailand Packing List, but since TDAC was introduced I thought I will mentione dit.

Since 1 May 2025, Thailand has replaced the traditional paper TM6 immigration form for all foreign nationals, with some exceptionm arriving by air, land, or sea with the new Thailand Digital Arrival Card (TDAC) which at this time is completely free. This implementation aims to streamline the entry procedures and improve the overall travel experience for visitors entering the country. Make sure to fill it up before travelling! The instructions on how to fill it can be found here.

Thailand Digital Arrival Card application

The Official Thailand Digital Arrival Card (TDAC) website. TDAC is a mandatory online form that replaces the traditional TM6 arrival card for all foreign visitors entering Thailand by air, land, or sea. Not required for transit or accessing with Border Pass.

Be ware of fake websites that are not affiliated with the Thai government, that will charge you a fee for TDAC. Examples of the fake websites listed below and they might look very legit with “.th” as top level domain, but any Thai citizen can purchase that. Information provided in those websites if false, in order to charge you money for handling of the application which otherwise it is free on the official government site. They manipulate with the statements that you cannot apply in different language with more than 72 hours prior arrival (which is false).

One of the websites managed by Siam Legal (law firm based in Bankok) states:

“There is no minimum time to complete it before you arrive, but approval may take time, so if you wait until you actually land in Thailand, you will experience further delays if your TDAC is not done ahead of time.”

Which makes sense, if you submit too late you will not be able to pass imigration until your TDAC goes through.

Though on https://tdac.immigration.go.th/ it says:

“Foreigners are required to submit their arrival card information 3 days in advance of their arrival date in Thailand.”

But it also doesn’t mention any agencies that can submit in advance and guarantee it will be approved upon your arrival. The official website allows to submit from 3-4 days before your arrival to the very last minute.

Applying through a third party (even though legimate agent) just means:
1) you will pay the additional fee, make sure to use one time card payments if possible (so that your details if stolen can’t access your funds) or credit card that will guarantee your refund if any details stolen or service is not provided.
2) you don’t know how your personal data (and we are talking about your passport details, date of birth, mobile, email etc) is handled and where it will be sold after that.
3) probably it will take longer as the approval will be done through the same official government organization
4) there is a risk that application might not go through at all, then what happens with your fee?
5) if you plan changes you will need to request refund (when otherwise would be free). It is not clear third companies will issue that refund as they have strict deadlines, and even then no gurantee.

Non-official websites that make you pay for early application of TDAC:

There is a lot of posts about AGENTS CO., LTD saying it is scam, I can’t prove or deny it is a legit company, so you will have to judge it by yourself and watch the instagram video below before you do.

❔https://tdac.in.th – third party service, even though it seems legitimate company website in Thailad (operated by AGENTS CO., LTD), it is designd to redirect registrations to https://tdac.agents.co.th, but comapany is registered in Thailand’s offical company registry.
❔ https://agents.co.th/tdac-apply, seems legitimate comapny (again operated by AGENTS CO., LTD) in Thailad, but charging fees for early applications, which otherwise more than 3 days before arrival you cannot apply in the official website. Also, they recently change URL from https://tdac.agents.co.th, which looks a bit suspicous. The google search screams that it is a SCAM, so I’ll let you to decide.

If you are applying 3-4 days before arrival apply directly through the official website to avoid any unexpected fees and giving your personal data to a third party!

Definitely scam websites:
🚫 https://www.ivisa.com/thailand/apply-now – third party service, bad customer reviews, check here
🚫 https://tdac.info/apply-now/, non official service, bad customer reviews on Trustpilot. Check here and here.

Additionally you can always check the website in question in https://trustpilot.co.uk/ or just google to see what people say about one or another website. Apparently some of the sites are being ran by known scammers who were previously convicted in Bangkok for other scams and illegal activity.

If you think you have been scammed from one of those websites, especially the ones based in Thailand, make sure to report it to Thailand Tourist police by calling or sending an email [email protected].

Just apply for your TDAC 3-4 days before your travel and apply through the offical website and you will be just fine! Remember, that TDAC doesn’t gurarantee your entry to Thailand, as it is not a visa, and it is a must requirement for your entry.

Essentials

1. Passport, which must be valid for at least 6 months after your intended return.
2. Visa (you can check here, but EU nationals can stay 60 days with a stamp given at a border, which will be reduced to 30 days soon, so always check before travelling). Also must fill TDAC 3 days before your travel.
3. Cards (cash can be withdrawn at ATMs in Thailand). Yes cards, bring multiple ones as cards can be often blocked by your bank. Read the tips below. You can also bring some cash in your currnecy to exchange (for emergencies), but be aware of exchange scams (taking note when you are not watching, old or torn bills and etc) as well as show me your money scam.
4. Travel insurance. It depends on your activities, but always check that your travel insurance covers it all (scuba diving, trekking and etc)
5. A comfortable backpack – you can travel with a luggage, but believe me backpack is much easier and comfortable. I brought my 65l backpack, which I bought in 2003 in Biltema (Sweden) and it was perfect. I can see they are still producing similar ones for around £54, which is a bargain.
6. Comfortable hiking shoes. I wouldn’t recommend boots as it is hot and I didn’t encounter challenging terrain, so unless you do something unusual bring your hiking or trail shoes.
7. Spare shoes or sandals. I can my sandals and I found them very useful whenever I didn’t want to wear my hiking shoes. It can get really hot, so breathable footware is essential.
8. A paper copy of your documents in case of emergnecnies.
9. Your medicines. Some medicines might be difficult to get in Thailand, but you can get prescription medication without prescription there in most of the cases (for back pain and etc). Also bring all required documentation for your prescription medications, especially controlled substances.
10. Sunscreen. If you have your preferred suncsreed bring it as you will need it. I used SPF50 as I have light sking and burn easily. A bottle of 200ml lasted 28 days for me, but I tanned in the sun with full body exposed only like 4-5 days. You can buy sunscreen in 7 eleven or other stores almost everywhere in Thailand, but chemicals allowed in products might vary in EU and Asian countries, including Thailand.
11. Sunglasses – you will need those for sure!

Clothes

I read before travelling not to bring to much clothes and I did not listen. It was really annoying to drag heavy backpack around, when I could have taken a half of my clothes. However, bringing less clothes means doing laundry often. Also it depends if you pay someone to do it, or going to do it yourself. If you are doing yourself it will take you around 1.5-2h of your time, which you could spend doing something else. Well I spent my laundry time posting my videos and phtos as well once had an interesting interaction with locals. Also, in some places it is the only options to do the landry yourself, so bring some detergent sheets. I did laundry 3 times in 29 days, but I did have slightly more clothes thant below.

So your Thailand packing list depends on how long you are travelling, here is my advice for 30 days travel.

1. 5-6 Fast drying, breathable t-shirts.
2. 5-6 cotton socks, maybe a pair of lightweight higking socks for longer tours/hikes.
3. A long sleeve fleece in case you are in the situations where it is cold and also useful for boat trips.
4. A wide brim hat – a lot of sun there. However, I used my baseball cap most of the time there and it was fine.
5. 5-6 underwear.
6. A tank top. If you are going to the islands, bring a tank top. Yes it is not respectful to go to temples and etc with it, but it is amazing walking the beach. Also, you can buy it there, but most of them huge stickers on the chest that will just make you sweat.
7. 2-3 Shorts, best with zippers to keep your pockets save and from losing things, but make sure they do not expose too much of your legs as that might be not acceptable in Thai culter, so almost down to the knees ones are fine. Of course, it depends where you are and what you are doing, but shorts down to the kness, was fine in almost all temples. My advice, bring hiking pants that can unzip into shorts, so it easy to make them long in case you are visiting some temples.
8. Long pants, as per my not above, the ones that unzip to shorts are the best.
9. Raincoat. It depends when you are going to Thailand, but having a re-usable plastic one is a good idea in case of a rain. Otherwise, you can leaven your jacket at home (well depends on your activiites of course).
10. Swimming shorts (leave your speedos at home).

Toilteries

Pack only what you really use. I packed eye drops, perfume and etc, which I didn’t use. Your perfume. in Thailand will be mosquito repellent. Also no need for toilet wet wipes, as every single bathroom will have a hose to wash it down and you will get used to it.

1. Insect repellent (yes there are mosquitos in Thailand)
2. Sunscreen as mentioned above.
3. Deodorant
4. Shampoo, body wash. I used only 100ml of shampoo in a month as some places do have shampoo and shower gel (even the cheap ones). It all depends if you can use any and have your preference.
5. Toothpaste and toothbrush.
6. Hand sanitizer
7. Wet sanitizing wipes. Sometimes useful to clean your hands.
8. Toilet paper roll. In rare cases there was toilet paper, so it is good to have one on you.
9. Sun protecting lip balm. I used Blistex Ultra Lip Balm with SPF 50.

Electronics

Electronics is an important Thailand Packing list. As though you might be able to find everything you need in Thailand, but in some remote areas it might be really tricky.

1. Your phone wth a good camera and plenty of storage. Do empty your storage as you will take a lot of photos and videos.
2. Power bank. Mostly for your smarphone. tocharge on long train or boat trips.
3. Camera. I had Canon Powershot SX70 HS, which has an amazing zoom and lenses are fixed on it, so it is lightweight and great to point and shoot. However, it sometimes have a bit wanky focus when taking macro pictures of wild life.
4. Action camera, as with that you can film or take photos underwater. Also great in conditions where your phone/camera can get wet or otherwise damaged. I used Gopro Hero 12 and got some amazing footage of me riding bikes and etc.
5. Charges, cables and adapters. Plug type A and C was the most frequent I have encountered. Universal travel adapter is the best to have, and also it gives additional USB ports to charge your camera and etc.
6. Earbuds. Noise cancelling ones are great for train rides.
7. Corded earphones. I found them useful when staying. inthe capsule in Phucket as the one sthey offer have terrible sounds quality, since they had free Netflix, I could watch some TV shows before sleep.
8. E-book (optional , but useful on long train rides). I had my old one Sony PRS-T2, which has a touch screen and models is already discontinued, but even if it got stolen I wouldn’t cared about it. I finally read Alchemist during. the trip!

Emergency kit

Essential part of Thailand packing list is to bring all the things for emergencies. Of course better they don’t happen, but on a long trip you might bruise your skin either by a monkey or a coral and you want to be prepared.

1. Compede blister kit. It’s just simply a life saver.
2. Band aids, for other cuts. I did have a small slepp and fall, which required bigger band aids to cover the wound. You can buy it there too if needed.
3. Antiseptic wipes for your wounds.
4. Food poisoning medication, such as activated charcoil and Imodium (to stop Diarrhea), but consult your docuter before using those medication.
5. Heart burn medication. Personally sometimes I got a heartburn from all that spicy food and beer, so it was useful to have it at hand.
6. Motion sickness medication, if you are suseptible to sickness motion. Some boat tour operators hand it outbefore the trip too.
7. Simple painkillers like Paracetamol or Ibuprofen (works best for headcakes for me), but all depends on your condition, so do consult your doctor.

Other things for Thailand

Even though it is not part of Thailand packing list I thought I will mention some other useful things:

1. Fast drying towel for the beach (if you are going near sea)
2. Swimming shoes for snorkelling (if it is shallow). You can buy them for 200-300 THB. Do bargain!
3. Drone would be great to bring, but unfortunately it is a lot of hassle and if you are travelling less than 14 days, not even worth considering as it can take up to 14 days to get approved. You cannot request it before your trip, unless you have a Thai number (registration requires Thai number). Thai laws are very strict regarding drones, so it is not worth risking a year in prison or up to 40,000 Baht (~ £900) fine. Also you can’t fly in National Parks (nor you should) as it is meant to protect the wild life, big cities will be difficult to fly too and Bangkok I believe is a no fly zone too.
4. Last, but not the least, make a note of Tourist Police telephone number in your mobile, memorize and possoble in some other place, just in case some emergency happens: 1155.

Regrets with my Thailand packing list

1. I brought the jeans and I literally never wore them as it was so hot and I didn’t go out much or went to expensive restaurants but if you do plan going out a lot it might be worht having some light material pants or jeans to wear.
2. No tank tops were added in my Thailand packing list, due to the same reason you shouldn’t wear shorts too short. However, in Koh Lipe I really wanted a tanktop as it was so hot and it is very touristic and most of the people were in tank tops and t-shirt was just too hot to be in.
3. I wish I didn’t bring my jacket as well, as it just took the space and literally I haven’t used it a single time. Warm fleece was enough for boat trips.

Useful tips in Thailand

1. When using your credit card in Thailand, make sure to use it with PIN code, at least the few first times. Mine got blocked because of that and calling a bank from abroad is a real hassle. Eventhough, the first time I used was at airport with PIN to withdraw money and second time contactless to pay for goods in 7 eleven, but my bank thought it was a fraud. If you do need to call your bank and it is a free number you can call it from Skype (though Skype is probably gonna be gone soon).
2. Most ATMs will charge you for the withdrawal, so best to take out the maximum amount they give you (10,000 – 20,000 THB). Of course, that depends on the duration of you travel, but on average I was spending around 6-8,000 THB in a week, with most of my accomodations being booked and paid already online.
3. Leave your expensive jwelery at home. Petty crime can happen in Thailand.
4. Always keep change (coins). It is useful when bargaining and quite often you need to pay for the bathrooms with it.
5. Keep any comments about Thai Royal family to yourself as this can lead to a big fine or even land you in prison. The Royal Family is respected by Thai people, so resepect Thai Royal family and culture. Also, never step on the money with your feet for the same reason as above.
6. Before you go, watch the video below about common scams in Thailand, which is not common as Thai are honest people in general, but in very touristic areas you might encounter some. Be cautious. I’ve encountered only one with a guy pretending to be a security in front of The Grand Palace in Bangkok, but no harm was done as I remembered in time. Avoid pingpong shows.

None of the links are sponsored and given just as an example. Leave a comment if you found this Thailand packing list useful. Also checkout my packing list for Inca Trail in Peru, Toubkal summit guide as well as planning Jordan Trip planning. Hope you will have the best time of your life in Thailand! So far it is one of my most favourite countries!