Bring luggage to Thailand
If you go on a (holiday) trip by plane to Thailand take your luggage with you, but the question is always: what do I take or not? Of course, it depends primarily on where you are going and for how long.
Asking that question is part of a good preparation for a trip and just as important as that you have booked the trip, checked your passport and information collected about your destination.
Anticipation women: what do I bring?
A recent German study among tourists showed that women generally already have anticipation when they have to decide what they will take with them in terms of clothing, shoes, cosmetics, etc., for example. Men often consider it a necessary evil and spend little time on it. In the same study it was found that more than 80 percent of those tourists had forgotten to take something with them once they had arrived at their destination. More than half of those questioned also admit that unnecessary items were included. Still not prepared, so! It is useful to make a list (checklist) in good time of all the things that you want to take with you and to put everything successively in a separate place in the house until the suitcase actually needs to be packed.
The luggage you take with you is subject to restrictions by the airlines. This is usually a maximum of 23 kilos for Economy Class, but nowadays there are also mainly low-cost trips that allow less or even charge extra costs for luggage.
Weight
The time when you went on a trip with some extra kilos at no cost is apparently over for good. When I used to go to a foreign fair, I would take 10 kilos of brochures and documentation with me and with a friendly chat at check-in it often went without a hitch. Mechanics from my company took a large bag of tools with them, did not show them at check-in, and that often went well too. With all the security measures that is no longer possible today.
I agree with the newspaper article that paying extra for luggage is just to raise more money. The plane will certainly not slow down or use more fuel due to extra baggage. There is also no aircraft whose passengers are able to exceed the maximum load factor with more luggage. In fact, I dare to say that with regard to that load factor, all passengers would be able to take their own weight in luggage without any problem. Speaking of that dead weight, that could be the next step in squeezing out the passengers. One plane ticket per kilo! If you see some passengers, you would almost ask for it. Incidentally, this already happens to very fat people, who have to pay for two seats.
Luggage problem
Does this all also apply to a trip to Thailand? I can hardly imagine it actually. My advice is always: take as little as possible with you, you just don't need it here in this climate. Light summer clothing, maybe a pair of shoes and for the evening it is sometimes useful to have a sweater or cardigan with you. Don't buy extra summer clothes in the Netherlands or Belgium either, because everything is for sale here for incredibly low prices. Also bring as few toiletries as possible, or it's in it hotels available or you can buy it here for a low price.
For Thailand travelers, the luggage problem may come on the return journey. Enthused by the large selection, people may buy so many souvenirs, clothing, watches and whatnot, that the 20 kilo limit may be exceeded.
– Reposted message –
I have just returned from a month in Thailand. Back then I hardly had any personal items with me. Just presents and some nice wine. The latter is limited, you are not allowed to take too much with you. Of course I had a good shopping spree. Bought MBK almost empty. All new clothes for next to nothing. But don't worry if you fly with airberlin, you upgrade your classic card to a service card at least 2 days before your departure, then you can take 30 kg with you or you just run the risk. 20 euros per kilo above 20 kg. Not every teacher at the check-in desk is difficult, especially if the plane is not full. But you will be standing at the wrong counter where someone is standing on his / her stripes. Topping up your classic card at that time makes no sense (also stated in the rules). You can still decide to put the clothes on top of each other (lol) or put them in your hand luggage. I always carry a bunch of plastic carrier bags with me in case disaster strikes.
Entirely aside but an annoyance I experience when flying.
I am always amazed that when boarding the plane, someone (this time a Thai) had a suitcase as hand luggage plus a Buddha statue, both of which simply do not fit in the spaces above your seat. The suitcase was the same size as what I had delivered to the check-in desk. How do those people get away with that? Extremely annoying person and during the flight she also had to go into her suitcase 3 times to grab something and the stewardess could hand that thing over again. I'm always amazed at why people have to dive into that luggage during the flight and put things in and out. On my last flight someone from airberlin got a free gift as an excuse because another passenger dropped a suitcase on his neck during the flight because he wanted to check something. Complete nonsense.
@ThailandGanger
Regarding that suitcase as hand luggage, I once had a comment on board from a very tall KLM stewardess when I placed my hand luggage in the bin: "It's big, isn't it?" ” (indeed large) my answer was: “You can always measure it, I arrive at 110 in total LxWxH, and your rules allow 115”.
And indeed I have also had this sent as a second suitcase for € 80 in checked.
Commerce, of course, does things that are just allowed, but there are rules for it
New baggage rules at KLM Economy 23 kg.
A second suitcase etc up to 23 kg for Thailand 100 euros
@Gollum
If you order online as a frequent flyer, that € 100 becomes € 80 at KLM per single route ( BKK-AMS or AMS-BKK ) at the airport. Still 12 kilos hand luggage
Eva air 30 kilos + 7 kilos hand luggage
Flew back home with Eva last month.
And also worried about what the family had given me.
My suitcase was 31,9 kilos. I didn't worry about my hand luggage.
Just a small briefcase. I did have my backpack in there, because I was of the opinion that I could only take one piece of hand luggage with me.
Well, not a word about that hold luggage. But that suitcase had to be weighed. 12kg. so too much. Can I take something out and put it in a bag?
The general rule is to take as little as possible with you.
Sometimes hand luggage is sufficient.
You can buy everything locally, much cheaper than with us.
And for the return: buy a cheap travel bag and return cheaply filled….
See first comment!
What is also possible : bring clothes that have become too small to give away. Save room for souvenirs
Who would you like to give your second-hand clothes to? Thailand is a 2nd world country, they like new (even houses and cars) and on the markets and Tesco the clothes cost next to nothing – also for the Thai.
The occasional beggar along the way is a lot happier with a 20 baht note, I can assure you.
I know otherwise enough in the Isaan villages where people jump for joy. Received from a farang. And Tesco…… . What is that.
Dear Jasper,
You should take a look at Wat Geaow, where dozens of poor Bangkokians buy clothes for 10 or 20 Baht each day. Not so strange because there is also designer clothing from rich (probably deceased) Thais. My wife goes there with some regularity, washes the clothes and gives it to Thais who cannot afford new clothes (also for their children).
To be honest, I now have 10 Arrow shirts that cost 10 Baht each, so 100 Baht instead of 900 Baht each in the store.
The fashion sector is the largest polluter in the world, so buying second- and third-hand clothing is also good for the environment.
30 years ago, in my opinion, the standard was 20 kg hold luggage and 1 bag hand luggage, with a small camera bag or handbag allowed. Many variants over the years, 23 kilos-30 kilos etc and with premium economy even 2 x 23 or 35. In addition, the hand luggage.
At one point we were allowed (with my wife together) 4 x 23 kilos of hold luggage and 4 x 10 kilos of hand luggage. My experience over the years the more you are allowed to bring the more you also bring and it is always on the edge when we check in.
If we fly to NL then it is the suitcase full of Thai food and vice versa with NL food.
Usually for acquaintances and family, you lug your break.
Then we leave the clothes at home, because we have enough clothes in both TH and NL.
Now there is already an end to lugging food, because the EU has put a considerable restriction on it.
https://bit.ly/2LZBUUQ
Although it is a Belgian link, it concerns EU legislation.
This concerns legislation that came into effect on 14/12/2019 on the import of certain plants/fruits and plant products into the EU. Doesn't touch the taking to Thailand that it's about in the above.
That's right, not for the NL people, but for those who have a TH partner and come back from TH, this is indeed important. Those suitcases are usually overflowing with Thai vegetables and other foods.
Years ago everything was cheaper because a euro yielded a lot of baht, but that is no longer the case.
A spray can of shaving foam at Best supermarket in Pattaya costs 385 baht, which is almost 12 (!!) euros. You can buy the same bus in the Netherlands for 3,50 euros……..count your profit and there are now even more things.
I'm on my way now. 7kg hand luggage while I have an exemption for 2 suitcases. Why would I carry that around? 7kg more than enough. And room for some Sangsom return
If you are a size 36 to maybe 40, you will have no problem as a woman in Thailand, but if you are a size larger, nothing will fit... so always have a well-stocked suitcase with you. When it comes to beauty products or sun cream, I don't find any ordinary ones, very often there is whitening, so I also take this with me!
You always take too much. You can buy everything in Thailand.
Carrying luggage is expensive and inconvenient. You have to carry everything with you and that is difficult if you want to travel around.
Have fun in Thailand and don't forget to take lots of pictures.
Take with you from the Netherlands shaving gel and chocolate letters now at the Hema 3 get 1 pay you have to see what the kids in the street in the isaan where I live have a LOL when they see that.
Had brought chocolate eggs (after Easter) last year, they were amazed, you are really doing a favor with that and for myself Cheese.
For me it was the other way around. I left Thailand for 10 days and flew to Düsseldorf and a week in the Netherlands. I brought our small suitcase… a bottle of Hong Tong for my father and something nice for my daughter. Clothes were enough for a week, with one wash. On departure my suitcase weighed 13 kilos.
When I flew back to Thailand I had bought a lot of stuff that week, which is not available in Thailand or simply very expensive. And for an Indonesian friend in Hua Hin a homemade sambal from her sister (also a kilo). My suitcase was packed on the way back, but weighed only 20 kilos. So no weight problems here and fairly easy luggage. I did have a backpack with me, in which heavier parts had been placed….
With regard to the load, the weight is indeed taken into account. An aircraft has a maximum take-off weight and every guest counts on average. One is heavier and the other lighter and an average is calculated. I myself had already experienced when I had to travel with my company from Rio de Janeiro to Frankfurt, I could hardly go because that weight had been reached. And that while there were still plenty of free seats on the plane.
I was lucky that the co-pilot came up with a good idea. He drained 120 liters of water from a tank, which made the plane lighter again and we (my then wife and children) could fly along.
What I take with me to “poor countries” and I travel a lot is only hand luggage with some underwear and 1 set of change and the necessary toiletries. The rest certainly clothes I buy all new locally and share ah cleaning staff or poorhouse. Or authorities. They always have it less than we do.
I assume that everything is also available in Thailand, and this is almost always the case. So you need very little. Some summer clothes, a pullover, a raincoat (depending on the season) and toiletries.
But it always annoys me when it says 1 piece of hand luggage, and you see people coming with a hand luggage, and a laptop, and some bags that they just bought at the airport shop, and... sometimes endlessly. And they then want to place everything together in the same rack, which means they only have to move or crush pieces. Is it so difficult to follow that rule? It seems to me that one would have to pay extra per piece to avoid such abuses.
I only have one saying for luggage on vacation and it works perfectly! So: left at home is a nice bonus!
If you really need something, there are shops everywhere.
On the inside of my wife's suitcase, and also on my suitcase, I have attached a list, where all the important things I need for Thailand every time are listed.
Only special things such as presents, or other extravagant things that we cannot buy directly in Thailand, are of course excluded.
For example, every time we go to Thailand, we don't have hours of discussions about what to pack, and usually have our suitcase packed within 10 minutes.