8 Things to Buy Before Backpacking Southeast Asia for the First Time
This post is not sponsored.
If you’re traveling to Southeast Asia for a week or maybe even a year, there are some things that you will want to buy before you go.
What I mean is that while some places in Southeast Asia are better than others for getting what you need, there are some things that just can’t be replaced when you’re abroad.
Therefore, I wanted to write this list, so that others could learn from my mistakes, especially regarding the items that don’t seem as obvious as your electronics.
8 Things to Buy Before Backpacking Southeast Asia
The following list is written in no particular order of most or least important, but there are few things that may not seem obvious, such as my suggestion for new sandals below.
1. Combination Lock
If this is your first time to Southeast Asia, it’s likely that you’re going to stay in a hostel of some type or another, and generally speaking, all of the backpacker hostels that I’ve ever stayed in had a place to lock up your valuables.
However, this is obviously pretty useless if you didn’t bring your own lock.
For this reason, I recommend a simple combination lock because a key is one thing that can easily get lost.
2. Rain Jacket/ Shell
While this may not be true for everywhere, it can rain a lot in Southeast Asia, especially during the monsoon season!
To this point, one place visited rained so much that all the streets and shops within the town flooded with a foot of water!
Therefore, it’s important to travel with a quality rain shell before visiting, which can be a necessity for both hiking or simply walking around.
3. Backpack Rain Cover
Going with my recommendation above, a rain cover for your backpack is just as important as a jacket, whether you’re traveling to hike or simply walking from place to place.
I say this because you need to protect your most valuable electronics that you might have with you, and remember, any nice piece of gear that you have with you will not be as easily replaceable compared to when you’re at home.
4. New Sandals
When I left for my first Southeast Asia trip, new sandals were something that I never considered. By this, I mean that I simply wore what I had already been wearing for over a year and went straight to the airport.
However, I soon learned this to be a big mistake because the pair that I had gotten used to at home was obviously not available when my old ones broke in Southeast Asia. Therefore, I had to go shopping for cheap, foam sandals that were way too small for someone as tall as myself.
All said, I recommend going with quality pair from either Reef or OluKai, especially because of how muddy it can be in Southeast Asia.
5. Apple AirTags
There are always a few travel items that just can’t be replaced, such as your luggage, your wallet, your keys, and especially, your passport!
Therefore, having a few AirTags can give you the peace of mind for the unlikely event that you need to track something down.
All said, it’s important not to get complacent with your valuables, which is why you might consider keeping some things on your person at all times.
6. Passport Protector
Depending on the traveler, passports can either be in great shape or have the pages falling out.
However, your passport is likely something that you will carry on your person at all times, and if you don’t have something protecting it, it can quickly get in pretty bad shape, especially if it’s not protected from the rain!
Therefore, while a passport protector may be one of the most simple things on this list, it’s also the one thing protecting your ability to return home, as you need a passport that immigration will accept!
7. Travel Visa
It’s likely that wherever country you are traveling to in Southeast Asia requires a visa before you arrive, and I have learned from experience that this can be a complicated nightmare when trying to secure a visa through an untrustworthy/ no-name company.
However, iVisa has thankfully made this process super easy, understandable, and, most importantly, convenient!
For this reason, I recommend iVisa.com for any travel-related documents because they are an honest, straightforward, and reputable company that has been a big part of the travel industry for a long time!
Book Here: iVisa.com
8. Backpacker Travel Insurance
This is just one of those things where you can’t predict what medical incidents might happen to you when you’re away from home.
It could be stitches, a broken arm, or perhaps something worse. It’s also likely that your current medical insurance won’t insure you outside of your home country.
However, there is an insurance company called SafetyWing that works worldwide to cover these exact things and so much more!
Therefore, I recommend checking out their Nomad Insurance to see exactly what I am talking about because the long list of activities that they cover is pretty incredible!
Sign Up Here: SafetyWing
Summary
All in all, I did not make many recommendations for clothing because I feel that those things are very personalized, and my recommendations wouldn’t be as universal as the ones I talked about above.
However, if you would like to see me talk about something that I didn’t mention, please comment below!
