Overview

While there are plenty of great items to bring with you on your trip, this guide focuses on some essentials you may wish to consider bringing. Whether you’re bringing several suitcases or packing light, this guide will provide you with a solid base for your packing list.

Clothing

Cambodia — like many countries in South East Asia — has a tropical climate with seasonal monsoons. The year is generally divided into the Rainy Season, which lasts from May to October, and the Dry Season, which lasts from November to April. The appropriate clothing can vary depending on which season your visit occurs in. However, there are still some general items that are appropriate year-round:

• Light linen-based clothing
• A scarf (Cambodians find many uses for scarves, and nice silk or linen scarf can often be purchased locally)
• A set of modest clothing with easily removable shoes (if you are planning to visit any temples)

Rainy Season

The Rainy Season is typically a cooler time of year (about 70ºF) but comes with high humidity and enough rain to cause frequent flooding. Much of the country outside of the cities consists of dirt roads and unpaved gathering spaces, so it is essential to have good footwear in addition to clothes. These items in particular are very important during the Rainy Season:

• Umbrella
• Light rain jacket
• Comfortable water/mud resistant footwear
• Small towel

Because heavy rain can start unexpectedly, it is a good idea to bring lightweight gear that you have with you at all times. This means that a collapsible umbrella which can fit in your travel bag or backpack is more likely to be on hand than a large fixed-size umbrella. It is also a good idea to bring a towel to dry off yourself and your belongings or a separate bag to place wet items in. Additionally, you may wish to bring two separate sets of shoes, one for more formal settings and one for outdoors, but you can save space by bringing one set of multi-purpose shoes such as trail running shoes or hiking shoes with an modest color scheme.

Dry Season

The Dry Season can be a very hot time of year (upwards of 100ºF). If you are planning to visit Cambodia during the dry season, be sure that you are in good health to handle high temperatures potentially combined with high humidity. During the opening ceremony for our Prey Kohl school, which occurred during the transition from Dry Season to Rainy season, the weather was 104ºF with 100% relative humidity and short rain showers. This can be a significantly more strenuous heat that dry heats that some travelers may be used to from more arid climates like Nevada or Arizona. These items are very important when visiting during the dry season:

• Lightweight breathable clothing (such as linen)
• Hat or other head covering

It may seem counterintuitive, but it is a good idea to bring a few pieces of clothing with long sleeves or pant legs. Many areas of Cambodia have a large population of mosquitos,

Photography

What better way to document your wonderful experience in Cambodia than with photos and videos to share with your friends and family? The exact photography equipment you wish to bring will vary depending on what you have on-hand. It is often not necessary to purchase photography equipment for a single trip, but you may wish to bring these items if you already own them:

• Professional or hobbyist camera
• Drone
• Cell Phone with a camera

Each device listed above can serve as your primary photo and video-taking device, but each one comes with unique benefits. A professional camera is great for indoors photos and high-quality images that serve as a good foundation if you wish to edit your photos and videos. A drone is unbeatable when it comes to photos and videos of buildings and the surrounding areas. You can easily capture incredible angles of your school building and the surrounding area. Over the last decade, consumer drones have become much more affordable and much more compact. Modern drones are even capable of high-framerate 4k videos. And last but not least, remember that the phone in your pocket can take fairly high quality photos when you do not have your other equipment on hand. You may also find it easier to only carry around your phone rather than bulky photography equipment.

Regardless of which items you bring, be sure to keep track of the battery charge for each one. Spare batteries can help you avoid running out of juice part-way through the day and rotating batteries can help prevent overheating issues on particularly hot days.

GPS Tracking

A GPS tracker/beacon can be an excellent addition to any trip in a foreign country.

While not strictly necessary for your trip, a good tracker can provide peace of mind for you and any loved ones back home. Depending on the features of your particular tracker, you may be able to share your location, retrace your steps, view maps and points of interest without internet, or even signal for emergency services. Review the the details of your tracker ahead of the trip to make sure you understand its features.

Food/Water

Cambodia has a wonderful cuisine, but it is important to note how your food was prepared. The tap water in Cambodia contains bacteria that your stomach may not be accustomed to. This can cause intestinal issues referred to as traveler’s diarrhea (or the more dated term some American’s may be familiar with: Montezuma’s Revenge). Drinking the tap water, using ice made from the tap water, or eating food washed in the tap water are just a few of the possible ways to run into this issue. Most hotels provide clean drinking water that is safe for travelers to drink. It is always a good idea to stock up on additional bottles from the hotel or another trusted source before heading out for the day, especially on hot days where you can quickly become dehydrated. That said, don’t let this warning deter you from enjoying the wonderful food of Cambodia. Simply stick to well-known vendors for food and water, ask about the preparation if you are unsure, and don’t be afraid to look for another option if you are uncomfortable. If you are headed out for a particularly long day, it can be a good idea to bring additional food and water that is safe for consumption to keep yourself hydrated and energized throughout the day.

Here are some key things to keep in mind during your travel:

• Identify a trusted source of clean water (ex. your hotel or shop with manufacturer sealed bottles)
• Pack one or more bottles of water when heading out (it’s always better to bring too much than too little)
• Do not eat roadside fruit that has no skin (it was likely washed in tap water)
• Avoid ice cubes that may be made of tap water
• Consider using bottled water to brush your teeth
• Pack additional food when travelling for a long period of time or far from a city

Documents

Remember to bring along all documents needed for your trip. This may vary depending on where you visit, so be sure to look up what you’ll need in advance and double-check that you have all required documents before beginning your trip and each time you change locations. Some common items include:

• Passport (usually required to be valid for several months beyond the trip)
• Cambodian Visa (multiple copies may be required)
• Vaccination status cards/forms
• Contracts and documents related to the school
• Backup copies of key documents

It is important to keep track of these documents and always ensure they are kept in a secure location. Use your best judgement to assess the situation and determine where to keep them. For example, a safe in a well-known hotel that takes security very seriously is more trustworthy than a safe in an unfamiliar hotel or one that appears dilapidated. If you cannot find a secure static location to leave your documents, keep them somewhere easy to monitor such as a fanny pack or a briefcase that stays with you at all times. If possible, bring backup copies of important documents and store them in a separate location. These copies can even be useful for interactions where hotel staff may need a scan of your passport and you do not want to let the original leave your sight.

Money

During your trip, you will likely have several expenses to pay for. Many businesses in cities, such as you hotel, will accept a credit card for payment. However, in many places, cash is the preferred method of payment. Cambodia has its own currency, the Cambodian Riel, but many merchants will accept or may even prefer the U.S. Dollar. Be sure you know the current exchange rate before your trip. Many stores will list prices in both dollars and riels, but may convert the prices using a different exchange rate. Some merchants may even request payment in dollars but provide change in riels.

When using dollars to pay for services in Cambodia, it is important to note that the physical quality of the bill is important. Many merchants will not accept bills which are torn, smudged, or even excessively wrinkled. Inspect the quality of bills you wish to use ahead of time, and exchange them with your bank if necessary. There are also some ATMs in Cambodia, but many of them require using payment apps rather than banks, so there may not be an ATM in an area that is convenient and secure to use. It is generally advisable to take out the money you wish to use ahead of your trip and inspect its quality ahead of time. It is also advisable to break large bills at trusted locations such as a bank or your hotel. Merchants may not be willing to accept large bills, may not have enough change to break a large bill, and may increase the price of a good if they see you have a large sum of money on you. Finally, remember to inspect the bills you receive as change for your transaction, as a merchant may give you a crumpled or torn bill as change. This bill is still legal tender in the U.S., but you may find that it is unusable with other merchants who will inspect the quality of the bill.

Miscellaneous Items

Here are a few other items that can improve any trip to Cambodia:

• Bug spray
• Sunscreen
• Device chargers (Cambodia has a U.S.-style outlet and power grid)
• Battery bank (brief power outages are frequent)
• Offline copies of any online data you may need
• Toilet paper (some squat-style restrooms in more rural locations may have an washing setup that you are unfamiliar with)
• Over the counter medication (many familiar medications may be unavailable locally; check laws regarding medication)
• Personal prescriptions (check laws regarding medication)
• Anti-diarrheal pills (may require a prescription)

Before travelling to a foreign country, it can be a good idea to visit a travel clinic to discuss potential medical concerns and ensure you have any required or recommended vaccinations for your trip. It is a good idea to visit the clinic at least a month in advance in case any treatments may have a delay before they become effective. If you do not know any travel clinics in your area, the CDC recommends using this tool to find a nearby clinic. (Disclaimer: we are not affiliated with the CDC, the linked site, or any providers contained within. If you have any questions or concerns, please direct them to your medical provider).

Conclusion

Whenever you visit — and wherever you go in the country — this guide should give you a solid starting point for your equipment list. Every visit is different, so it is impossible to have the perfect list ahead of time. The best advice we can give is to review this guide, do your own research of the area you will be visiting, speak to a medical professional about your specific health situation, check the weather forecast for your trip dates. and think through the different activities you want to do during your trip. Preparing a list ahead of time and checking that you have items before embarking on your trip will help ensure that you have a wonderful time once you arrive in Cambodia!