I can see why people want to live in Thailand after vacationing here.

In the past day or so, my mom and I have had a handful of delicious meals, our first cab experience, hour long foot massages at a local place and a trip to an enormous mall. We have a over a week ahead of us full of plans to hike, take Thai cooking lessons, lay on the beach, and much more.

During our first day of exploring, it hit me that I forgot to pack a bunch of things.

When it comes to packing, I never bring more than I need. Honestly, I under pack. It’s becoming a bit of a problem. My forgetfulness won’t ruin my vacation, but I’m writing this so you can learn from my mistakes.

Here are some of the things I completely forgot to bring with me to Thailand.

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Something to protect me from torrential rain

I meant to throw a raincoat in my suitcase, but somewhere between taking three days to pack my little carry on suitcase and helping my mom get her sh*t together 15 minutes before we left for the airport, it just didn’t make it into my bag.

It rained for the first time in five months in Bangkok yesterday when we arrived. Even though it only lasted an hour and a half, if we got stuck in that I would have been one drenched tourist.

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My New York street smarts

I can sniff out bullsh*t a mile away in New York, but apparently I left that skill at home. Okay so, we’ve only been here a day, but we got ripped off in a taxi from the airport to our hotel for sure.

That one experience was enough for me to take the advice I’ve heard to heart: make sure cab drivers turn on the meter and just pay what the meter says!

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Face shade, also known as a hat and sunglasses

I’m remarkably pale. We won’t be in Bangkok long, but when we travel to Chiang Mai and Ko Samui, a hat and sunglasses will be necessary to protect my face from getting too crispy.

I was able to purchase a hat in Central World yesterday, which is the fanciest mall I’ve seen. The malls of New Jersey and New York don’t hold a candle to this thing.

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Motivation to exercise

At home, I work out about five days a week. There’s a lovely gym on the top floor of our hotel. You can use the treadmill while taking in a vista of Bangkok. I’ve had a few chances to hit the gym, but I can’t bring myself to go. I guess that’s how you know you’re really on vacation.

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Stuff to settle my stomach after an adventurous meal

Eating is my favorite travel activity. I make a point to be adventurous and try a little bit of everything. It’s great for my palate, but not so good for my belly.

The food here is something else. I’ll probably never be able to eat Thai food in New York City again.

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My GoPro charger

No excuses here, but not a big deal at all. I’ll do just fine with my Fuji X30. Phew!

Yeah, it’s kind of embarrassing that I forgot about these essentials.

Even though I did thorough research on what to pack and how to avoid being scammed,  I completely dropped the ball. I’m not out of luck though. I can purchase what I need and grow a pair to avoid being scammed. I’m okay with forgetting to bring stuff- I just hope I come home with everything I brought.