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WELL!! After 3 pain staking years of planning I am finally embarking on the new chapter of my life, Cambodia awaits.

I’m booking my flight for late December / early Jan, I have a few grand in the bank, health insurance and a “reasonable” understanding of the Visa process……

My question is, what are items you would consider HARD to get in Cambodia and worth packing??? I have a laptop to work from, clothes (so not to get charged with indecent exposure) and my passport. Any other requirements I have I’m expecting I can just get in country…

Did anything flag itself as hard to source once you landed in the “kingdom of wonder”?

You will need
1 case Branson picked, 54 Cornish pasties, 5 jars Coleman mustard, pickled grrkins, instant mash, corned bif, and a great sense of humour.

Bring a decent range of shoes. Some smart business shoes for work or special events, more casual smart shoes, running shoes, trekking sandals, Havaianas or similar (but those are cheap as hell here). It's not that hard to get decent/branded footwear here but it's not going to cost any less than in the west and you might find it difficult to get what you want in your size. You can get hand-made shoes for $40 and if you look around there is some good product from dubious sources that costs a bit less than you might pay at home but you can't expect them to have anything over a 9. Bring only light clothing, it is extremely rare to need more than 2 layers here. You can buy clothes very cheaply locally or get clothes made by tailors. Get a money belt and keep your important stuff out of sight and grabbing distance while you are in transit. Don't ever put your passport, cards, wallet in a handbag/ backpack or any easily removable receptacle. Take good care of yourself, all will be well.

How long do you plan to stay?

As mentioned already, bring in clothes and shoes, particularly if you are large/tall.

I use a bicycle which I bought in Cambodia, but I have brought in bicycle lights, as they are rare and expensive in Cambodia. A bicycle is a good form of transport in Cambodia.

I sometimes bring in peanuts or pistachio nuts, for when I want a snack and there is none nearby. You can bring food in. I spend a lot of time in the smaller towns.

A lot of what you want, we wont know, but you will be able to figure it out for yourself.

Passport with loads of years left
Driving license
Some money
Bank / ATM card just in case
Shoes if over size 8.5 / 40
Some meds if you take meds, not everything available here so bring some stock
If you're planning to do serious moto driving: a full face helmet and gloves

and most important, common sense.

Selfie stick


Carnaval outfit


Horn for pranks

You could bring some punctuality as a gift for locals.

Other than some cash, a credit card and another spare one, you dont need to bring anything . 90 % of the things you need can be bought here and the other 10 % are thing you can do without anyway. Travel light and you have very little to lose or bring everything including the kitchen sink and you will spend all your time looking after it.

John Bingham wrote: ↑Wed Nov 27, 2019 11:55 pm Havaianas or similar

I am a committed devotee of the originals, only. They are one of the few things i still import.
Nb, You can quite safely leave them at any doorstep when you go inside -
EXCEPT outside any backpacker joint. They are the only ones who recognise the real deal, and a few of them have hungry eyes as well as smelly feet.
lol - but very true in my experience

Apart from that, my only other footwear is a good pair of elastic sided boots. Good for the bush, work, or anywhere, and then with a quick polish you can head off to dine at Raffles.
Being able to slip them on and off so easily, whenever go inside, is a huuuge advantage here.

Oh yeah... Surprisingly, there are no good wide-brimmed straw hats available here. imo. You will probably feel and look much cooler if you bring your own.

If you have a favourite British cheese, bring a few blocks.