Q. Hi Jordan!
My husband and I have just booked a trip to Thailand (Bangkok and Phuket specifically). I would love some suggestions on what we should definitely see/do while there and also some suggestions on what to wear, mainly while in Bangkok. My primary concern is footwear. Would I be OK walking around Bangkok in flat, open toe sandals?
Best Regards,
Ellen
A. So exciting – you’re going to love that part of the world. Our honeymoon (in Thailand and Indonesia) was…jeez, nearly four years ago now, and unfortunately we didn’t spend much time in Bangkok, so I don’t have a ton of recommendations for you. I do remember wishing that we’d spent much more time there, though: we were advised to just use the city as a hub, but it’s such an incredible place, and the couple of nights that we spent there just wandering around and checking things out were my favorites of the entire trip.
One caveat: below are my recommendations for clothing, beauty, and footwear, but whoa am I not an expert on this part of the world, and when I was there actually ended up dressing myself in things that resulted in my having leeches on my butt (in the photo above, I have leeches on my butt but do not yet know it, hence the smile). So. If anyone who’s spent more time there has any recommendations or advice, please do leave them in the comments!
CLOTHING
Thailand is very hot and humid, so think lightweight and loose. It’s a city, so people are used to seeing tourists in lots of different styles (and the Thai people, in my experience, are extremely polite and seem likely to forgive errors in judgment), but nevertheless: you’re a visitor in another culture, so I’d err towards the side of modesty, choosing short- or long-sleeved tops rather than tanks, and going for shorts that aren’t too short. Basically, just use common sense, and cover up when you’re visiting temples, historic sites, and government buildings.
A few examples of the types of things I wore are pictured above: light cotton tops that were easy to wash and dried quickly paired with loose cotton pants during the day, and no-wrinkle dresses with pretty embroidered wraps (pick these up once you get there) to cover my shoulders at night.
BEAUTY
On that same note of No-Joke Heat And Humidity, remember to tailor your approach to beauty accordingly: make sure you bring hair products that will work with your natural texture so you don’t have to spend time wrestling with your blowdryer (that’s a battle you’re going to lose), and try to winnow your makeup down to tinted moisturizer (with SPF!), waterproof mascara, and a little gloss.
FOOTWEAR
Go for more or less what you’d wear in any city in hot weather: light, easy-to-walk in sandals with decent support for trekking around, and maybe something a little prettier for nighttime (there are lots of fancy restaurants, but I didn’t go to any when I was there, so I didn’t find that heels were necessary). And remember to break them in before you go! I never remember to do that, but it is such a good idea.
Product info after the jump.
L to R: Anthropologie tee, Lancome Juicy Tube, Charter Club necklace, Dove Nourishing Curls Whipped Cream Mousse, Victoria’s Secret Crochet Beach Pant, Miu Miu sunglasses, Jigsaw bangles, Miu Miu sandals.
