36F. A month across Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia taught me I’m not a one-bag traveler.

I know the one-bag people are going to hate this, but after 31 days across Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia, I realized I genuinely prefer checking a suitcase for longer trips like this.

Route:

- Bangkok (4 days)

- Chiang Mai (5)

- Luang Prabang (4)

- Vang Vieng (3)

- Phnom Penh (3)

- Siem Reap (5)

- Bangkok again (2)

Approximate budget:

- Flights LAX ↔ BKK: $820

- Accommodation: about $640 for 31 nights

- Food: around $390

- Regional flights: $180

- Transport: about $120 between Grabs, tuk tuks, and the Mekong slow boat

- Activities: around $220 including Angkor Wat, a cooking class, and the elephant sanctuary

- eSIM: $18 for 20GB

For luggage, I used a 30" level 8 suitcase that was around 40 lbs fully packed, which ended up being enough space for everything without feeling ridiculous to move around with. I was able to carry stuff that was enough and yet..laundry.

The thing people always say is “just do laundry.” And yes, laundry is everywhere. I used it four times and spent less than $30 total.

But what got underestimated was how many different situations this trip covered. Monsoon rain, temple visits with freezing AC, nicer dinners in Bangkok, overnight transit days, and the elephant sanctuary where I wanted clothes I genuinely did not care about ruining. After a while, trying to make the same tiny set of clothes work for all of that started sounding exhausting.

I also forgot how rough multi-country travel can be on luggage. Flights, buses, boats, uneven sidewalks, and random hotel transfers mean everything gets dragged around constantly. By the end of the month, I was pretty happy I hadn’t forced myself into an ultra-minimal setup just because travel internet culture celebrates it.

The Mekong slow boat was the one time I questioned my decisions a little.

You still carry your own luggage on and off the boat, and I definitely would not want to do that with an enormous overpacked suitcase. Keeping it reasonably sized mattered. Still worth it though. Those two days through northern Laos were probably the highlight of the trip.

A few Siem Reap tips:

- Get to Angkor Wat around 4:30am if you want the sunrise without standing behind hundreds of phones.

- Ta Prohm is better later in the day once the big tour groups move through.

- Hiring the same tuk tuk driver for the full day ended up being one of the smartest decisions of the trip. They know the temple timing way better than Google Maps does.

What I’d change:

- I packed three “elephant sanctuary outfits.” One would have been enough.

- I should have brought a small dry bag for the Mekong boat days. Keeping your passport in a damp backpack pocket is stressful.

- I brought too many “just in case” clothes and not enough convenience items.

The people doing this exact route with a single 40L backpack honestly have my respect. What are you all leaving behind that I clearly couldn’t?