As we sold our belongings on Craigslist a few months before leaving for Thailand, we figured we didn’t have to sell everything. While we aren’t going to bore you with the entire list of contents we managed to fit into each of our three bags, we did want to highlight some of the items that came in super handy at the very beginning of our move to Thailand. In addition to about ten shirts and five pairs of shorts (and skirts, for Angela), unmentionables, and toiletries, here are a list of other important items.
Ten Items We Are Glad We Brought to Thailand:
1. Wine Key
Not those complicated contraptions found at Brookstone or Williams Sonoma, but the traditional ones that servers and bartenders use. In our case, we are happy to be able to open our 45 baht ($1.50) large Chang beers or to crack open a bottle of imported red wine for spaghetti night.
2. Old Bay and Cajun Seasoning
Nothing says home-country cookin’ like the spices of your home country. You think I’m going to find Old Bay and Cajun Seasoning in Thailand? No, because we’ve already looked.

We brought seasoning to Thailand…I know…what?!
3. Suctioning Sponge/Soap Rack (aka, Mini Shower Rack)
A great alternative to putting our soap bar, pumice stone, and razor on the shower floor…
4. Medical Bag
We have already used pepto, ibuprofen, hydrocortisone, wet wipes, bug spray, antibacterial gel, and sunblock in the first ten days of arrival. All of these items were in our old medicine cabinet, travel-sized, and unexpired. There was no point in throwing them away only to repurchase in Thailand (albeit, cheaply). We definitely have no regrets bringing these items.
5. Crocs Shoes
We never thought in a million years we’d own a pair of Crocs, but we each purchased a pair right before we moved to Thailand. These shoes are incredibly comfortable, are surprising breathable, and have kept our feet covered and clean. Additionally, they actually look pretty good on.
6. Small Backpack
A purse will certainly work, but having straps on either shoulder offers extra security that your bag won’t fall off mid-ride on a mo-ped. Plus, the man of the team can carry it, too.
7. Travel Laundry Bag
You know, the kind that pops up? It’s ten times better than a plastic bag, and folds down next to nothing when it’s time to travel. It makes you feel less like you are living out of a suitcase, and well, more like you are living at home.
8. Towels
Of the four hotels we stayed at during our initial stay in Thailand, all four of them lacked wash cloths, and two of them lacked hand towels. Once we moved into our new apartment, we had NO towels of any kind. We brought bamboo-cotton blend wash cloths and hand towels, but the REI bath towel we brought was compact, super absorbent, and fast drying.
9. Laundry Drying Line
Until you try air drying your laundry for the first time, you won’t realize that it is impossible to fit an entire load of laundry (in our case, two) onto a typical-sized drying rack. The AAA drying line we brought is made of two lines twisted together so that no clothespins are required to hang clothes.
10. Hanging Cloth Shelf
Not a single place we’ve stayed at since being in Thailand has been equipped with a dresser. All we’ve had available are standing wardrobes, so the handing shelf came in really handy and gave us more organized vertical space for our folded clothes.
What are some items you would bring, or have brought on your travels or moves?
uhh, can I find bay leaves, cayenne pepper, paprika, oregano in Thailand? In Chiang Mai? I could make my own cajun seasoning. Man I’d love to make a gumbo up here
Yes, actually! International grocery stores carry these spices. Gumbo sounds delicious (we make our own version at home too – happy to have those flavors every once in awhile).
If you are a woman, have size 9+ feet (US) and want to work as a teacher, bring your own shoes. Even in Bangkok it can be challenging to find shoes suitable for work larger than size 8/8.5. Thais seem to be getting taller and bigger than when I first went in 1979, but it seems that their feet remain stubbornly less than Western-size. Bigfoot strikes again :-)
Exactly! We mentioned women can wear up to a size 8 in our Thailand Packing List post, so it’s good your experience is the same as ours. Although clothes can be tailored, finding hand-made shoes is nearly impossible! Luckily, amazon.com does ship to Thailand (for an extra international shipping fee).
I’d love to know how easy it is to get things delivered online. Is amazon written in Thai over there? how easy is it to order western things online and get them delivered to you?
We’ve never tried, and we don’t know of the Thai equivalents for eBay/amazon/etc. We used to be big online shoppers, but since moving here we’ve really cut back on consumerism. It looks like Amazon will ship to Thailand for an additional (up to) $5, $14, and $25 per shipment for standard, expedited, and priority courier shipping. At least it’s possible if you really need something!
Wait — Megan are you going to thailand soon!?!? I WANT DETAILS!!!
I can show you where to get hair clippers from! That was something i needed pretty swiftly. 600B will sort you out a usable pair. We haven’t got an oven either :-(
We’d never thought that hair clippers would be hard to find, of all things. That’s great that you know a place where we can buy them.
let us know before we come visit if you want us to bring anything! We have free shipping with amazon prime, plus access to a commissary! So we might have more access to things like brownie mix and american spices?
I may need to start making a list! There have been a few things we can’t seem to find… like hair clippers…. As for brownie mix, there are no ovens here! – but you can bake a batch before you come over :) :) :)
haha We remember this feeling. Realising that you might perhaps have to repurchase a lot of the stuff you’d just got rid of. But I must say you’ve come pretty well equipped to have thought of a suction rack! Welcome to Thai life guys. You’ll love it