Pack Lightly
Travel prepared. Not overpacked.
Country guides for 61 destinations across Asia, the Americas, the Caribbean, and the Pacific. Real 2026 budgets, tested routes, and opinionated advice — every page free.
Complete per country
Visa, packing, transport, diving, itineraries, budget, city guides, and activities. One hub covers everything.
Always free
Every guide, tool, and checklist. No premium tier, no login wall. Spend that money on the trip.
Current for 2026
Visa rules, prices, and transport options checked and updated. Specific amounts with year, not vague ranges.
Tools that save time
Trip planner spreadsheets, packing list generators, and prep checklists. Built for actual trips, not just reading.
Where Pack Lightly takes you
Each card opens the full country guide — visa, budget, routes, packing, and 100+ pages of detail
Thailand
150+ guides
Japan
140+ guides
Indonesia
170+ guides
Mexico
Full guide live
Costa Rica
Full guide live
Vietnam
150+ guides
Philippines
130+ guides
Australia
Full guide live
New Zealand
Full guide live
Dominican Republic
Full guide live
All destinations
Click any pin for the full country guide.
Browse by region
East Asia
Central America & Mexico
Caribbean
Oceania
Every country.
Every angle.
Pick a country and get a complete hub: visa requirements, what to pack, how to get around, the best diving spots, tested itineraries, transport breakdowns, and budget numbers in USD.
Then go deeper. Every major city, every worthwhile activity, every comparison — with prices, opinions, and zero filler. Thailand alone has 150+ pages.
Start with Thailand
A trip planner that does the math for you
Route planning, daily expense tracking, budget dashboard with live charts, seasonal packing list, prep checklist, and a destination guide — all in one Google Sheets template. Enter your dates and budget. The formulas handle the rest.
Thailand version live. More countries follow. Free — no signup, no catch.
Get the free templatePacking list generator — knows what your trip needs
Select a destination, travel dates, trip type, and activities. The tool checks the local climate for your exact travel month and builds a categorized checklist with quantities adjusted to how long you’re going.
Rainy season in Thailand adds waterproof gear and quick-dry extras. Spring in Japan adds layers for temperature swings. A diving trip adds reef gear. Every list is different because every trip is.
Which of the 10 tools do you need?
Match your planning stage to the right tool.
Why this site exists
Three trips across Asia. Eleven months total. The same frustration every time: visa rules that turned out to be wrong, budget estimates without a year attached, packing lists clearly written by someone who never left their desk.
Pack Lightly started because that information gap shouldn’t exist. One site where every country guide has what you actually need before you fly: costs in USD with the year, routes that work in practice, and honest opinions about what’s worth your time and what isn’t.
Everything stays free. The trip is where your money should go.
— Wouter
See what these countries look like
Highlights from a month in Malaysia — temples, food, islands, and jungle
Subscribe on YouTube for destination breakdowns
Latest guides
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Leave a reviewFrequently asked
How many countries does Pack Lightly cover?
61 countries — across Asia, the Middle East, the Americas, the Caribbean, and the Pacific — with 4,500+ published pages. Each country has a complete hub with 25+ topics, from visa and packing to city guides and diving spots.
Which travel tools are available?
10 free tools: Trip Budget Calculator, Country Comparison Tool, Packing List Generator, Country Worldmap, Best Time to Travel, Travel Health Map, Local Food & Drinks, Animals Around the World, Mobile Data & eSIM Calculator, and Currency Converter. All free, no signup. The trip planner Google Sheets template is a separate download.
Is all the content really free?
Yes — every guide, every tool, every checklist. No paywalls, no premium tier, no login required. Pack Lightly earns through affiliate links to booking platforms like Booking.com, GetYourGuide, and 12Go. That keeps the advice independent.
How does the trip planner work?
The Pack Lightly Trip Planner is a free 9-tab Google Sheets template. Enter your travel dates and budget — formulas calculate your daily budget, track expenses against it, and show live charts on a dashboard. It includes route planning with auto-filling dates, a seasonal packing list, a prep checklist covering visa, vaccines, banking, and apps, plus a destination guide with opinionated picks per city. Thailand is the first version. Make a copy, fill in your details, done.
How does the packing list generator work?
Select your destination, travel dates, trip type (city, beach, backpacking, etc.), and planned activities (hiking, diving, temples). The tool checks the local climate for your travel month, identifies the season, and generates a categorized checklist with quantities adjusted to trip length. Season-specific gear gets added automatically. The list is exportable as PDF and shareable via URL — free, no account needed.
How current is the information?
All guides are reviewed and updated for 2026. Visa rules, entry fees, transport prices, and seasonal data include the year they were verified. When something changes mid-year — and visa rules do — the page gets updated and the “last updated” date reflects that. Outdated travel advice costs real money. That’s why every price includes a year.
Pack Lightly in your language
Travel guides available in five languages across dedicated domains. Same depth, same quality — in the language you’re most comfortable with.
