What to bring from the US...

[jetmikey]

Greetings all.
I am being relocated to Phuket and wanted some input from the forum on things that I should bring from the States.
Company providing car and lodging and significant salary.
I'm single, 40, and will be in the yacht business .
What can't you get over there? What do you wish you'd brought ? Clothing, appliances, dental floss... Whatever you wish there was more of.
Thanks for your input...

[stednick]

There wasn't a thing I needed that I could not get in Thailand. The only real difference was in pricing. (import tax). Items not made in Thailand are much more expensive. Read through this forum and use the "search" function for more detailed information concerning specific items and/or questions. Clothing in Thailand is a bargain, however, Asians are smaller in stature. If you are a large then finding clothes that fit may be difficult. Be aware of the electric power differences if you consider bringing appliances. Most consumables, toiletries, etc. have reasonable substitutes available.

Honestly the only thing I missed (or desired) in Thailand was a good American haircut. Caucasian and Asian heads are shaped differently and the haicuts do not translate well.

Enjoy your time in Thailand.

[joseph44]

What you should bring are personal items, personal documents, your popular cd's, dvd's, pictures and other things that you are attached to.
Don't bother bringing furniture, appliances, etc.; everything can be bought over here.

[rucus7]

Bring plenty of Pico Pica hot sauce and we will be friends for life. Its funny what you really miss.

[Song_Si]

I had to return to NZ July 09 to sort some things, I'd had time to think about what I needed/wanted here and brought some items back - my triathlon/road bike as (1) I already owned it and (2) while a new one was much cheaper here than NZ I couldn't find a place on Phuket stocking large/tall frame size and didn't want to order sight unseen. Also brought back bike shoes/clothes as pointless replacing what i already had. And quality running shoes - still have one pair un-worn - maybe I'll gift them to myself for Xmas!
Spent a few evenings copying my favourite cds/music onto memory sticks, copied them to laptop when I got back here - better imo than carting a pile of weighty cds around.
I scanned all documents/certificates etc i thought I might need and emailed to myself rather than carry originals.
One item I gained after a friend's suggestion - a police clearance report - useful if you intend to do any voluntary activity as, quite justifiably, organisations have thorough checking procedures and this is one item they may require, and easier to get in your home country than from abroad. Have met Australians with a 'Blue Card' a police-issued card relating to working with children, valid 2 yrs I think, good scheme, unsure if other countries have similar.
Have had a few NZ visitors since moving here offering to bring things over, haven't taken them up on the offer as can't think of anything I need these days. Though I saw NZ chocolate on sale in Malaysia last week, $8 though and it was 'no'.
If you're staying any length of time, suggest you get Thai drivers licence. Good photo ID to carry as it has your passport number on it too.
Enjoy Phuket!

there's a thread here about US electrical appliances for Thailand

Pic from Dec 2009 at Nai Yang beach (near airport, west coast)

[JWilliamson]

Money, clothes that fit, in my case it was hard to find Western XL clothes and Corn Nuts! JW

[bangkok2012]

As the other post says every thing can be bought here, so just bring plenty of USD

One thing to remember is that western cloth ie Nike, Levi etc. is expensive here. So stock up on that before coming.

[JWilliamson]

Agreed all name brands will be more expensive in Singapore and Hong Kong so best go crazy in USA. So many outlet stores throught USA where you can get top name brands for almost nothing at times Im laughing at the low prices for good quality.

[bangkok2012]

But for all of us "stuck" here in Asia, do any of you have some great advise for shopping cheap western goods ( no fakes)?
It breaks my heart to pay all the thai import taxes for items i just as well could have bought in Europe or the states... Are the prices for eg Nike running shoes more or less the same in all countries in SE Asia or is some countries more US import friendly than Thailand?

[JWilliamson]

Look in the shopping malls. Most likely you will run into the real things.