Holiday wardrobe - why is it SO stressful!

[NormalSunday]

I’m going on holiday to Thailand in 2 weeks, and I’m struggling with what to wear, what to buy, what to splurge on what to save on and I’m just going round in circles. It my first big holiday with just DH and I want to look and feel amazing - but I feel a bit lost! Any top tips?
I downloaded Whering to try and build a capsule but that just seemed like too much work!

could this be a starting point @NormalSunday

Depends on what you are planning to do, and how body conscious you are, and how much luggage you want to take.
A variety of swimwear and a cover-up or two, footwear you can walk comfortably in, a few loose sundresses, one of them not short, something to cover shoulders if required, shorts if you are someone who wears them, maybe linen trousers and shirts - something to cover up from mozzies at night. Something a bit more dressy if you expect to be going to nice restaurants.
Personally, I work from shoes upwards.

It’s going to be bloomin hot so wear what’s comfortable. It’s hard to look amazing when you are sweating and batting away mosquitos.

Love Thailand though!

I took a long linen white shirt and you will need something to cover your legs like a big pashmina if you are visiting temples.

Denim shorts, thin flowey dresses, thin things to go over the top of swimwear, a hat, flip flops and a handheld fan!

I think it's the rainy season so perhaps a rain mac?

Mostly beach, pool, dinner, drinks - a few active days / sail days.

I sometimes feel a holiday like this can be 3-4 outfits a day!
Something for Breakfast
Pool / Beach Fit
Active wear - gym session
Dinner / Drinks outfit!

That is a lot of combos …

It’s monsoon season so it’ll be very wet at times but also very hot and humid

pack one of those large plastic ponchos

You can buy clothes there but take vest tops and loose trousers and skirts and loose dresses

At an upmarket resort just now and lots of women are wearing long linen shirts during the day and loose flowing cotton dresses.

I go to Thailand a lot, mostly beach holidays. I used to take lots of clothes but realised it was just too hot to bother with that many outfits.
For a 2 week break I take:
2 sets of gym wear, one for each week (I go every other day) I rinse it after each use and then leave to dry. 1 pair of trainers should be sufficient. Added bonus you can wear them on the plane to reduce the amount of footwear you take.
I always shower for breakfast so will get straight in to my swimming costume with a sleeveless dress or long cotton shirt thrown over. I have maybe 3 going to breakfast throw outfits that I alternate over 2 weeks. I take 2 pairs of flip flops for the 2 weeks and alternate.
Beach/pool I already have my costume on so just throw on a cover up. I alternate between 2 cover ups over the 2 weeks. It’s the piece of clothing I wear less. Flip flops for footwear.
For the evening I rotate between 5 to 6 outfits over the 2 weeks. Usually a mix of knee length sleeveless sundresses and 2 pairs of nice linen shorts with maybe 3 nice cami style tops to pair with. I usually wear my Birkenstocks or a pair of Tevas because there’s always a bit of walking to restaurants involved.
I think I take about 5 swimming costumes which I rotate. If you’re visiting a temple I would pack a tshirt and a pair of long linen trousers to cover up. For boat trips a pair of shorts and a vest top thrown over a costume should be fine.
I go to nice resorts but it’s rare that I see people get very dressed up for going out. Also stick to nice cooling fabrics because it gets very hot and sweaty.
Hope you have a lovely holiday!

The pool cover up is the thing that stumps me the most - I’ve bought a few short sets for mornings and more casual evenings / markets.

I don’t find Thailand dressy, I wear a lot of cotton maxi dresses- I love the scamp and dude summer dresses from a few years ago that I get on vinted. I use a cotton scarf on my shoulders for temples.

it’s easy to get things laundered in Thailand.

For a waterfall/boat trip I like the Halara active dresses with built in shorts- stops chafing and dry quickly. Tbh I would throw one on for breakfast too.

Shoe wise I take a pair of trainers for the gym (wear on the plane), tevas for sightseeing, a pair of metallic leather sandals that are comfy for the evening and a pair of plastic flip flops for popping to the pool.

I love a cover up. If I didn't have so many I would have bought these two I saw when in town yesterday . Now I've tempted myself again 😬

Last time I went to Thailand I took a couple of white kaftans & some lightweight cotton gauze shirts for the pool/ cover up. Linen shirts are generally too hot out there.
I limited my colours for simplicity to black & white in dresses/trousers/vest tops. I always find wide cropped trousers ( airy ) really useful in Asia along with a simple t/ shell top. I also just live in flip flops as I find them comfortable to walk around in.At the moment I have Oofos ones & a higher wedge pair of Oofos slides for dresses.

It’s the rainy season IIRC. I went last October and we were just leaving the rainy season. It was baking hot of course but the downpours are pretty insane. Put it this way it’s not drizzle. We got caught in a couple and it wasn’t possible to stand outside at all. I would definitely take some closed shoes, and a long sleeved waterproof/showerproof. Also if you go on any hikes the rainforests are super damp too.
Thai life doesn’t stop for rain though- moped riders just take their shoes off and pop them in the front basket 😆. Have the best time!

I have a few really nice dresses that I want to bring, as I don’t normally get to wear them

Flipflops (or rubber slides) are essential for the rainy season as they’re the most effective way to cope with downpours (rather than closed shoes) but also because you’ll be constantly taking them off when popping into shops etc (for smaller/local shops it’s custom to remove your footwear before entering and leave it outside). Roads/pavements can be dirty / non-existent / pretty rough and uneven so no point wearing expensive shoes unless you don’t mind trashing them.

Thailand isn’t particularly dressy. No way do you need 3-4 outfits per day. But then I don’t class gym kit or swimwear/bikini as an ‘outfit’. You’re way overthinking this. Just go and enjoy it. No-one from Vogue will be there evaluating your outfits. And they do have shops in Thailand if you get the urge to buy something nice to wear as a souvenir from your holiday.

(I used to live in East Asia so frequently popped to Thailand for the weekend).

Edit: slightly off-topic but there are some fantastic Thai brands for skincare/bodycare. Look out for Thann and Harnn. Both are amazing and top notch quality.

Pack a long sleeve shirt and a sarong so you can go in temples.
Hat!
Pack some bug spray.
It will be humid so pack stuff that breathes and will not crush.
Pack closed shoes /trainers for getting on and off boats, flip flops that you can slip in and out of and do not mind leaving outside temples.
I suppose it depends on the resort but it does not tend to be dressy in the evening
cover ups or shorts and a vest would be fine for breakfast
Vila long sleeve crochet mini dress in cream | ASOS
I would stick to basics and possibly conventional beige white etc as you can always get something fun and silly like gap year style trousers in the night markets

Buddha Stones Pure Cotton Lotus Leaf Koi Fish Women's Elastic Waist Ha – uk.buddhastoneshop

Linen ...

I used to live Asia too & I never wore a raincoat. It's too hot. Everyone just goes undercover when it rains. It's also too hot to wear covered shoes. I lived in platform flipflops for years.

I’m having a try on session tonight with a GF so hopefully that helps - then will hit the shops tomorrow to fill in gaps.
I normally have a classic, structured wardrobe and beachwear is always out of my comfort zone!

I do this type of holiday annually.

Gym kit - it is what it is, plan this as a separate category and other bring loads or resolve to wash if you have access to dry.

Then I have a lot of floaty dresses, mainly not white to avoid sunscreen stain. I wear them to dinner and to the pool next day
or day after. Accessorise differently for a very different look. So, you get two wears out of the same dress.

But I also have a few very casual extra dresses or shorts / vest for the pool / activities only and a few super glam dresses for the evening only and may get two wears of my favourites.