Clothes and Packing is a tricky topic for travellers. Too much, what ifs, when I get here or there, space, weight and usefulness…

I have quite a few clothes for a backpacker, even for a year although I do now realise I can and will pick up clothes as I go. Something I wish I’d realised before leaving and buying over the year before!

I have three shorts, two sundresses, 10 tops inc a nice one with palazzo pants I wont wear til Aus (3 months or more), three pants and three knee length shorts from casual pants Ive now cut down and sewn up!! Oh and one long skirt which dresses ups, feels nice for evening meal (and meeting friends to hide my then many mossie bites where I looked diseased!)

I bought two pants here (elephant pants but plain colours) and one I sent back to UK, and these loose slim pallazzos I brought too.  Now one pair sadly tore so gone

My trusty little sewing kit for loose buttons, cut down trouses and broken elastic

My white tops are surviving with cheap laundries here, but one chiffon cream top ruined by sweat and sun cream chemically with iron that must be in Thai water – reacting to produce rust (say two chemistry teachers we met on the way) as lots of my tops turned red. Another T-shirt is now my pj top as stained but ok. And ive been able to replace my lost black t-shirt at Vientiane market, with two new XXL vest tops too!!

The tops include the t shirt, 4 vests, two loose nice tops, two string strap tops and a cotton sleeveless shirt. And two pj bottoms – pants and shorts, with a top. Esp for dorm wear in mixed dorm rooms.

Take less, buy more cheaply and don’t forget the underwear! Large sizes almost impossible to find here but no underwear for me at all so far to buy!!!   I have just managed to find underwear to fit mr and more suited to hot weather, plus a cheap but neat pair of pump-style shoes to take me into nice places too and one light shirt to match two pair of trousers.

Laundry is cheap and usually one nearby for next day, for 1000 kip per kg, about £0.80.

Shoes and top both £6 or 299 bhat

Re shoes my £4 Primark pumps that I also wore in the uk, so second pair are my staple footwear. flat, soft easy to wear and even wash down. My heavy shoes are thick soled Converse that also will ‘look good with shorts’ too i.e. trendy for my age too I think the sales girl meant!! A pair of Primark sandals and a flip flops (handy for waterfall swims and wet floors, or rainy days) plus a white (?!?!?) pair of straw/canvass pumps that are now too dirty to wear. I need to get creative with the colour I think!!!