My Suitcase: Bali
Packing for South-East Asia
Bali: North Kuta, Ubud, Sidemen, Gili Air, and more.
Hey N!
It feels like ages ago since we were in Bali, but looking through these photos takes me right back. It was such a refreshing, exciting, and soul-filling time. Being so far away from my family is hard - especially because my cousins are like siblings and my siblings and cousins and I are best friends. Being with them fills my soul, and honestly this trip gave us an AMAZING starting place of memories now as adults.
I seem to always make mistakes while packing, and although I think in the moment I’ve made great ideas, usually I overpack or bring items I won’t need and then forget all about what I did (and do it all over again). Since J and I want to be able to backpack when we are allowed to travel again, I figured it made sense to start to reflect on my packing and what are essentials - and not - when packing! We are hoping to go back to SEA soon, so hopefully I can refer back to this.
Lists
I looove lists. Love, love, love. Every time I go away, I have a long list with each specific item I am going to bring. I list each item of clothing and tend to start formulating these lists weeks before we go away as a way to gain excitement around the trip!
Last year I started a very funny list to most people - but to me it has been incredible. I’ve documented every piece of clothing I own on a detailed list so that I can easily have access to it on my phone.
That being said, my list from Bali got lost, so I am going to do most of it by memory and hopefully can still smash it.
Before Overview
If you were looking over my shoulder as I was packing for Bali, you would have seen this (basically) :
Shirts: 10 shirts
Bottoms: 2 pants, 3 shorts
Dresses: 4
Jackets: 1
Bathing Suits: 3
Shoes: 2 sandals, 1 running shoes
After Updated Overview:
If I were to repack, and go again then I would change it to this:
Shirts: 6-7
Bottoms: 2 pants, 2 shorts
Dresses: 2
Jackets: 1
Bathing Suits: 3
Shoes: 1 sandals, 1 running shoes
Tops for South-East Asia
So for this trip, I packed at least 9 - 10 shirts because using shirts for variety with basic pant/short staples is an easy way to diversify outfits without packing too much!
Even though I packed quite a few shirts, I noticed that I wore only two to four of my shirts over and over again because they were so easy to use and suited our activities. I tended to wear easy tees and my blue button-up.
Here’s what I brought!
1 lightweight sweater : I brought this for traveling on the plane and potential cold evenings. This was so good and important to have! Even though we were in the hot and dry season, I didn’t wear it much but I’ve learned it is always a good idea to have a warm backup, because you really never know.
Activewear Tops : these tops were perfect to travel in because they were light and breezy for running through airports but also perfect for layering when the planes get COLD. Because they inevitably do! I didn’t wear one of them - my very old one very much because I don’t really like the fit.
Striped T-shirt : This baby is very old and thrifted. Here’s a fun fact - I bought it just out of middle school for a family trip to Europe. It’s really been around the block with me, but it is so versatile from tucking in, to knotting at my waist, or keeping loose to travel in.
Basic White Tee : oh my word. A basic white tee is the holy grail of traveling, There is so much you can do with a basic tee and that makes it a perfect blank canvas. I thrifted this shirt and have worn it a LOT because it’s very versatile.
Crop Shirt from Kit : This crop is such a beautiful basic, and I was able to pair it with so much during this trip. I didn’t wear it as much as I thought because it’s thicker and a tighter fit so I often opted for my basic tee from above instead of this one. I’m going to wear this all the time in other places but when it comes to Bali - or another humid and hot location.
Knit Cropped Tank : I thrifted this amazing top, and even though it’s a knit - it is super lightweight and is very versatile. This was one that I could easily dress up or down in Bali while still staying cool. Pro tip - having a high collar was so good to cover up sunburns on my chest. The sunburns were reeeeeal.
Button-up Shirt : I thrifted this top a few months before going to Bali - and it was PERFECT. The top is so lightweight, a perfect breezy colour, 3/4 sleeves, and again… was so good to cover up sunburns. I would definitely recommend bringing a top that covers you up, especially your shoulders, for giving your skin a break from the sun.
I brought my olive green racer back tank, which I do love - but I barely wore it! I’m not really sure why but it does have a hole in front so it’s hard to wear but I loved the colour.
I did bring some other tops but I can’t even remember which ones they are!
I also bought a simple white crop tank from a local vendor which I wore quite a bit on the last few days.
Bottoms for South-East Asia
So I packed 2 pair of pants - which I’m not sure if that’s a lot or not for Bali. Even so, it was so worth it. We visited Bali in the dry hot season so intuitively I wouldn’t have though to bring pants, but for travelling on the plane it was a must. I also wanted another pant option that would be decent for humidity.
Linen Pants : I thrifted these pants in Cape Town by some miracle and I’m in love with them. They are comfortable for long plane travel (and by long I mean 20+ hours). I really only wore it for traveling and then didn’t touch it again until we boarded again to go home.
Wide Leg Pants by Kit: The other pair of lightweight pants I brought were my Kit pants that seem like they were made for tropical adventures. They are 3/4 length, wide leg, and so very light and breezy. The pants were perfect because they were not warm at all and having a fun print lifted my outfit. PS - again, great for giving your legs a break from the sun. I used these when my legs were completely sunburned.
I packed 3 pairs of shorts for this trip - because I brought so many shirts, I was able to create so many looks with basically only two of my shorts - both seriously versatile.
Jean Shorts : I’ve owned these jean shorts for forever and thrifted them ages ago. I alternated between these and the shorts below on most days, but I must say that I opted for the cotton/rayon shorts over the jean on some of the very hot days.
Cotton/Rayon Kokomo Shorts : I’ve worn these shorts everywhere, and they were perfect for this climate. They are super lightweight and the length was perfect to be appropriate. I’d definitely recommend a similar pair of shorts with a neutral colour that you can pair with most anything for an easy outfit - especially when packing less than more!
Active Shorts : I only wore my active shorts once, when we went for a short hike early in our trip. Depending on your level of activity, you can bring an activewear pair but I feel like I shouldn’t have brought them in hindsight. Basically, if you are planning on running, hiking, or doing major excersise then definitely bring them. If you were me on the trip - then don’t!
I did pack a red and white striped skirt that I made, but honestly I didn’t really wear it. If you have a piece you are experimenting with, then maybe save it for trying out at home. For me, only using a carry-on to pack, I used up precious space on this skirt that I could have used for another dress or other shirt. I had a gut feeling that I shouldn’t bring this skirt, but I did, and I regretted it.
Dresses for South-East Asia
You know I love a good dress! It is such an easy way for me to feel beautiful, and I find I save space by packing a couple dresses that will serve as a whole outfit instead of two separates. I packed 4 dresses, and most of them were above the knee. For visiting traditional or religious sites, I did bring a longer 3/4 dress for those occasions to be considerate.
White Short Dress : I’ve had this dress for a while. It has lace on the top, and is quite short. I didn’t wear this dress much. I wouldn’t have brought it in hindsight because it is a little bit more formal and isn’t as casual for adventures (or scooter riding for that matter).
Linen Dress from Kokomo : This khaki dress I bought in the year before we went to Bali, and I really loved wearing this one on our trip. First, linen is GOLD for warm and humid climates. It keeps me so cool and was perfect for the south-east asian climate. This dress in particular has a v shape on one side and a scoop on the other side. I wore this dress both ways around for a day and night look. I would definitely recommend something like this!
Open Back White Dress : My husband bought me for this when we were dating, but as I lost wait over the years, the dress lost its shape on me. The waist dropped from my natural waistline to my natural hip instead. I brought this dress because it is breezy and I love the open back - but I knew that I didn’t really like the way the dress looked on me anymore. I only wore this dress once on the trip and after that … I gave it away after the trip.
Floral Midi Dress : This is the longest dress I brought and it is a 3/4 length and has a waist tie. It was super easy and lovely to wear. I’ve worn it for almost every overseas trip since I got it, and it’s amazing. I would definitely recommend a comfortable and longer dress to wear. I didn’t regret bringing this.
Jackets for South-East Asia
I brought a rain jacket… and never used! I didn’t even take it out of my suitcase, but that being said, I would definitely still bring it again because you honestly never know.
Shoes for South-East Asia
Sandals : I brought two pairs of sandals BUT I wore only one of them most of the time. I brought my old Burk style sandals and because I feel that they are too chunky for me, I didn’t like how I looked with them on. I would recommend bringing one pair of really comfortable, high quality, and supportive shoes over multiple pairs of shoes for a trip.
Running Shoes : I brought my one pair of running shoes that I didn’t wear as much on the day-to-day BUT I always recommend wearing running shoes on the plane. If you’re feet don’t get cold on the plane, are you even human?! Walking around the airport with comfortable shoes and great support - is a WIN. It will really change the pre-game to the travel experience. I did wear my running shoes on a hike once on our trip.
Other items to pack
Wide-Brimmed Hat : I barely used this hat and it was a huge nuisance to carry around with me. I would really, really recommend bringing a hat! Bali is so hot and if we’re traveling anywhere with sun then a hat is a must. I really struggle to wear a hat but I know that I need to in protecting myself. I’m still working on finding a good travel hat that suits my style (so if you have any ideas - please holler at me).
Bathing Suits - I only own three bathing suits … and I packed all three! In Bali you basically live in your bathing suit so bringing multiple pairs was perfect for me. I would definitely still bring all three again! I also used my beautiful one-piece as a top on some of our adventures.
Day Bag : So I brought a little leather side bag, but honestly a backpack is where it’s at! Most of the time, my husband carried our day bag BUT I’d definitely bring a backpack over a handbag. Depending on the type of travel we’re doing, I’d maybe reconsider that but for the most part backpacks give you more freedom to go out for longer. With a backpack, we could take some snacks, what we need for the day, and then get on a little hired scooter and go (a side bag would get caught in the scooter too!).
Sarong : I honestly didn’t use mine once but that’s because I really don’t like the look on me. Although I never used mine, my husband did borrow mine to go into a temple.
Sunglasses : I would definitely, definitely, definitely invest in a high-quality pair that suit you and your aesthetic. I wore my sunglasses the entire trip but that being said, it’s taken me years and years to actually find sunglasses I like to wear and that looks good on me! If you want to learn more on this, go watch (Things I Regret Buying & What They’ve Taught Me) by Audrey Coyne.
And of course…. socks and underwear.
