What to Bring on a Boat Trip in Thailand: Koh Samui Checklist

The car is waiting outside the hotel at 8:30, and someone in your group is still looking for the sunscreen. Half an hour later you realise nobody packed cash for the island fees. Knowing what to bring on a boat trip in Thailand is not complicated, but the small things you forget are exactly the ones you miss at sea.

This checklist comes from years of watching guests step on and off boats around Koh Samui. It covers what to pack, what the boat already has on board, and what you can safely leave at the hotel.

What to bring on a boat trip in Thailand: the short list

For a private day charter from Koh Samui you need sun protection, swimwear, a dry bag, a little cash, any medication you use and shoes that handle wet rocks. Almost everything else, from drinks to snorkelling masks, is usually provided by the boat.

Here is the list I give friends the night before:

1. Reef-safe sunscreen, a hat with a strap or a tight fit, and sunglasses.
2. A long-sleeve rash guard or a light cotton shirt for the hottest hours.
3. Swimwear worn under your clothes, plus a dry change of clothes for the ride home.
4. A towel, unless the boat you booked lists towels in what is included.
5. A small dry bag or a waterproof phone pouch.
6. Cash in small notes for island entrance fees.
7. Seasickness tablets if you are even slightly prone to it.
8. Water shoes or sturdy sandals for rocky beaches and boarding.
9. A camera or phone with a charged battery, and a power bank.
10. Personal medication, and anything specific for children.

Pack light: the deck of a speedboat or a long-tail has little dry storage, and a big beach bag ends up wet and in the way. One small backpack or dry bag per two people is plenty.

How do you protect yourself from the sun on a boat?

Use reef-safe sunscreen before you board, reapply after every swim, and cover up during the middle of the day. The sun on the water is much stronger than it feels, because the breeze cools you down while the light reflects off the sea from below.

Reef-safe sunscreen matters here. Koh Tan has coral off its beaches, and the snorkelling stops around Koh Phangan, Koh Tao and Ang Thong are the reason many people take a boat in the first place. Look for mineral formulas based on zinc oxide or titanium dioxide, and apply them at least 15 to 20 minutes before you get in the water so they do not wash straight off.

A hat is only useful if it stays on. On a speedboat at speed, a loose straw hat goes overboard in seconds, so pick a cap or a hat with a chin strap. Polarised sunglasses help you see the reef from the surface and cut the glare.

The simplest protection is clothing. A long-sleeve rash guard is the one thing I wish every guest brought: you can snorkel in it for an hour and come back without a burned back, which is the most common injury on a boat day in Thailand.

What should you wear, and do you need a change of clothes?

Wear your swimwear under light clothes and bring something dry to change into. You will be in and out of the water all day, and a dry shirt for the ride back makes the last hour much more pleasant.

A cover-up or a sarong is useful for lunch stops and for walking on the islands. Some beaches have small restaurants and shops, and walking around in a wet swimsuit is not very comfortable or polite. Leave anything white or delicate at the hotel: sunscreen, salt water and fruit juice are not kind to good clothes.

Towels are where people get caught out. Towels are listed only on some boats, for example Vickey, Victoria, Nina, Scarlet, Blue Coco, Lisa and Red Baron, and Coco Paradise provides premium towels. The speedboats and the long-tails do not list them, so bring a quick-dry towel if you are on one of those.

Shoes deserve a moment of thought. Some beaches are soft sand, but others have rocks, broken coral or slippery stones at the waterline, and boarding from a dinghy or a beach often means stepping into the water. Light water shoes or sports sandals that stay on your feet are ideal. Flip-flops are fine on the boat itself, and most crews ask you to go barefoot on deck anyway.

What is already on board, so you do not overpack?

On most private boats from Koh Samui you get soft drinks and water, fruit, snorkelling equipment and life jackets as part of the price. Lunch, towels and transfers vary from boat to boat, so the boat page is the place to check before you pack.

So you do not need to bring snorkelling masks, life jackets or soft drinks on most boats. If you are fussy about masks, or you need a prescription one, bringing your own is still a good idea.

Food is the item that changes the most. On Vickey, Victoria, Nina, Scarlet and Blue Coco you can bring your own snacks, food and drinks on board free of charge, and champagne glasses and dishes are already there. That makes a celebration easy: bring a cake, a bottle and your favourite snacks, and the crew handles the rest.

On the speedboats lunch is usually not part of the price, and on Sapphire, Ti Ti, Ofcourse, Anda and Neverland it is available at an extra charge. Ask when you book whether lunch is at a beach restaurant or on board, and bring a little extra cash if it is ashore.

How much cash should you bring for island fees?

Bring enough cash for the entrance fees of every island on your route, because they are not included in the boat price and are paid on the day. Small notes make life easier for everyone.

• Koh Madsum (Pig Island) and Koh Rap: ฿50 per person for each island.
• Koh Nang Yuan, next to Koh Tao: ฿250 per adult and ฿125 per child.
• Ang Thong National Marine Park: ฿300 per adult and ฿150 per child.

For Koh Nang Yuan and Ang Thong, children aged 12 and older pay the adult fee, which surprises a lot of families with teenagers. Ang Thong is also usually closed every year from 1 November to 15 December, so if your trip falls in that window there is no Ang Thong fee to plan for, and no Ang Thong trip. More on the park is on the Ang Thong charter page.

Card payment is not something to count on at a small island ticket point, so treat these fees as cash only. If your group is large, one person holding the cash for everyone saves a lot of fumbling with wet wallets on the beach.

Add a little extra for drinks at a beach bar, a coconut on Koh Tan or a lunch ashore. If you take the standard or Luxury Long-tail from Thong Krut Pier, remember that the transfer to the pier is not included; a round trip can be added for ฿1,500 when you book.

The long-tail trips to Koh Tan and Pig Island are described on the Koh Tan and Koh Madsum page, and the long-tails themselves on the long-tail boat page.

How do you keep your phone and camera dry?

Put everything that hates water in a small dry bag, and carry your phone in a waterproof pouch when you are near the water. Spray on a speedboat, a wet landing from a long-tail or a sudden tropical shower can soak an open bag in seconds.

A 5 to 10 litre roll-top dry bag is the right size for phones, wallets, keys, a power bank and a dry shirt. Sit it in the shade, not on the floor of the boat, where water collects. Leave passports and jewellery in the hotel safe: there is no reason to bring them to sea.

For photos, a waterproof phone pouch is good enough for most people. If you have an action camera, bring a floating wrist strap. Things dropped over the side in deep water do not come back, and I have seen more than one phone disappear at a snorkelling stop.

Charge everything the night before and bring a power bank, because a long day of photos and maps drains a battery fast in the heat.

One more small thing: heat is as hard on electronics as water. A phone left in direct sun on the deck can overheat and shut down just when the boat reaches the best view. Keep it in the bag in the shade between photos, and it will last the whole day.

What should you bring if you get seasick?

Bring seasickness tablets and take them before you board, not once you feel unwell. On longer trips the sea can be choppy, especially on crossings to Koh Tao or Ang Thong, and prevention works far better than any cure.

Ask a pharmacist on the island for an anti-nausea tablet and read the label: some cause drowsiness. Ginger sweets or ginger tea help some people. Eat a light breakfast, skip the alcohol the night before, and sit towards the back of a speedboat where the motion is gentlest.

On board, look at the horizon rather than at your phone, stay in the fresh air instead of a closed cabin, and drink water in small sips. Getting into the water at the first stop often helps too: many people who feel queasy on the way out feel fine once they have had a swim.

If someone in your group gets seasick easily, the boat matters more than the pills. A catamaran is steadier at anchor, and a morning half day close to Koh Samui keeps the time at sea short. From about November to January the north-east monsoon can make the sea rough, and routes may change or trips may be postponed. You can compare the steadier boats on the catamaran charter page.

The night-before checklist

Lay everything out the evening before so the morning pickup is relaxed. Then pick the boat that fits your plans and confirm the details with the manager.

• Swimwear on, dry clothes and a towel in the dry bag (skip the towel if the boat includes them).
• Sunscreen, hat, sunglasses and rash guard by the door.
• Cash in small notes for island fees and a lunch ashore.
• Seasickness tablets, personal medication and children's essentials.
• Phone charged, pouch packed, power bank ready.
• Pickup time and place confirmed, or the transfer to the pier arranged.

If you want the easiest day with the least to carry, choose a boat with hotel transfer, drinks and snacks included. Pearl and Ruby 38 both include hotel transfer, soft drinks, fruits and snacks, and Pearl is the most booked boat for a reason. If you would rather bring your own food and drinks, Vickey and Victoria let you do it free of charge, with towels on board too.

Speed boat Max 15 persons Pearl From฿38,000 Speed boat Max 8 persons Ruby 38 From฿40,000 Catamaran Max 10 persons Vickey From฿21,000 Catamaran Max 13 persons Victoria From฿21,000

Ready to choose your boat?

Every boat page shows the routes, prices and what is included. The booking request is free: a manager checks the boat is free on your date and confirms the price.

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Updated 5 November 2026. Prices can change: the boat page always shows the current price.