Kit List

Culturally Sensitive Projects

It is such a unique privilege to be welcomed as a member of a traditional community of Bali and work with such highly respectable, inspiring, local organisations. With this privilege we take on the great responsibility to uphold customs and culture, which Balinese people are so proud of. During your time in the village, both men and women must dress conservatively as we show the highest level of cultural sensitivity. For this reason we have a strict dress code for all projects that we ask participants to adhere to.

Why Upholding Balinese Dress Code Is So Important?

Dressing modestly is such an important aspect of traditional village life and integral to local culture and beliefs. Our dress code is integral to our project aims and a crucially important part of your experience.

Wearing western clothing, could result in local people feeling uncomfortable or embarrassed. In order to show our respect, we ask you to at all times within the village adhere to local dress and show the utmost cultural sensitivity to local people.

Furthermore, the Indonesian Government and Governor of Bali is trying to cut down on ‘unruly’ tourists by introducing new regulations in 2025. These guidelines includes “Dress appropriately – When visiting temples, tourist attractions, or public spaces, tourists are expected to wear modest and respectful clothing.” You can learn more about the regulations here.

To ensure we are following all government regulations and local customs – our dresscodes are in place across all participants and Think Pacific staff members. If you are ever in doubt please let one of the team know.

Being The Highest Standard Of Visitor To Bali.

• Respect local cultural beliefs and customs
• Be proud that, with Think Pacific, we uphold the highest standards of cultural sensitivity
• Ensure that local people never feel uncomfortable or embarrassed
• Gain huge respect from within the community
• Be remembered as a humble and culturally sensitive visitor to Bali

Dress Code Basics For All

To respect the local community and norms, we ask all participants to dress conservatively whilst in the homestay areas and village. Your top will need to cover your shoulders, midriff, and cleavage, and trousers to cover your knees. Long trousers and a loose fitting T-shirt is perfect for the village. 

❌ No revealing clothing, such as low cut, transparent or see through clothing

❌ No vest tops, shoulders must be covered

❌ No skirts and shorts above the knee

Professional Partner Visits

Our programs in Bali engage with professional partners, and due to this we expect you to dress smartly as you would in any professional work context. For days when you will work with our project partners, you are required to wear long trousers/skirt, a collared shirt/blouse, and smart closed toe shoes. For village based activities you can wear village clothing (T-shirts & trousers/skirt).

We also ask that you remove any facial piercings and replace with a clear retainer, and ensure any visible tattoos are covered with clothing, tattoo cover up make up, or a plaster/bandage.

Why do I have to dress smartly?

Our work in Indonesia is aimed at engaging professional partners from a range of sectors, professions, and background. We want to ensure we uphold the highest standard of professionalism to ensure our reputation as a impactful and respectful organisation is maintain. This reputation has built and will build strong partnerships ranging from small start ups to government ministries.

Part of your role as a participant is to uphold these standards including the project dress code. We are here to support you in upholding these standards and are always available for questions & support.

Why will some partners not be in project dresscode?

We will be visiting our partners spaces, sites, and places of work and as such it is not appropriate for us to ask them to dress in a certain way. Whilst we do expect professionalism and respect, partners are free to wear what they would prefer and we ask you to respect this too.

What if I don’t bring suitable professional clothes?

During your briefing period you will have opportunity to buy shirts, trousers/skirts, and smart shoes. Our leaders will be able to support with suggests and even bartering with local merchants.

If you miss this opportunity and do not have the appropriate clothes for partner visits – you will not be allowed to attend these site visits.

Sports & Tourism Activities

During your time outside of the village and away from project sites – there will be plenty of opportunities for you to switch off and get active. During these activities dress code is relaxed, however, we ask that you still follow the following guidelines.

✅ T-shirt or vest top – something comfy!

✅ Shorts are fine and do not have to cover the knee. However, we ask that these are still modest and not too revealing

✅ Shoes, flip flops, sandals or any footwear you like!

✅ Tattoos and Piercings are completely fine.

❌ No bikini tops or bottoms

❌ No clothing with offensive messaging

When can I wear activity dress code?

Our team will always tell you the dress code and when you can where activity dress code. Activities include;

• At the Briefing Hotel & Team Building Camp
• Some Sustainability/External Activities
• Sports in the Village (e.g. swimming, gym, football field)

This dress code should be comfortable and flexible to allow you to get fully involved in whatever activities it is that you are doing.

What about sporting activities in the village?

If you choose to join TP sports activities (e.g. swimming, football, yoga) or in your own time (e.g. the gym or running) in the village you must remember you are still in the village and must follow the village dress code and change into activity dress code once you are at the site.

If you are swimming in one of the pools in the village, you must swim in a t-shirt and shorts. This will be in line with local cultural norms. We recommend bringing a specific t-shirt to swim in.

Why is there still a dress code whilst we are outside of the village?

During your time with Think Pacific you will have opportunities to see more of what Bali has to offer. During this time we want to ensure you stay safe, happy, and respectful.

The Indonesian Government and Governor of Bali is trying to cut down on ‘unruly’ tourists by introducing new regulations in 2025. These guidelines includes “Dress appropriately – When visiting temples, tourist attractions, or public spaces, tourists are expected to wear modest and respectful clothing.” You can learn more about the regulations here.

To ensure we are following all government regulations and local customs – our dress codes are in place across all participants and Think Pacific staff members. If you are ever in doubt, please let one of the team know.

Important Items To Be Brought From Home…

Essential Items 

• Passport
• Phone, charger & adapter – Bali uses Type C and Type F two-pronged outlets. This is the same as most EU countries. Spare chargers/adapters can be bought in Bali but are often more expensive than the UK.
• Small backpack/daypack – for day-to-day use and activitiesSuitcase/Backpack – A suitcase is fine, but a large backpack or holdall is often easier to carry
• Reusable Water Bottle (insulated is best to keep water cool)
• Padlock
• Notebook and Pen (for planning and/or journalling)
• Documents – Printed paper copy of your passport photo page, flight itinerary and insurance

Wash bag + Personal Care 

• Toothbrush + Toothpaste 
• Deodorant 
• Shower Gel 
• Shampoo / Conditioner 
• Tampons / Sanitary towels (Please note applicator tampons can be hard to find in Bali. Tampons and sanitary towels may often be scented. Please bring your own if preferred.)
• Razors / Shaving Gel 
• Sun Cream (high factor – we recommend bringing enough for your time in Bali, as many of the brands in Bali using skin whitening chemicals in the product) 
• Aftersun – aftersun in Bali can be expensive to buy, we recommend bringing it from home.
• Towels x 2
• If you have any facial piercings, we ask that you bring a clear piercing retainer
• If you have any visible tattoos, we recommend you bring tattoo cover up make up, or plasters/bandages for partner visits.

Additionally, you may find these items useful to bring:

• Packing Cubes (helps organise your clothes)
• Ear plugs
• Contact lenses/spare glasses
• First aid kit (please see information on this in the following tab) 
• Handheld fan
• Umbrella
• Sarong – for covering up in and around temples
• Bag for laundry
• Waist bag / money wallet
• Travel Sickness Tablets (a lot of time can be spent in the cars travelling to and from placement/partners due to traffic)
• Mosquito Repellent (this is commonly found in Bali and cheap to buy approx £1-2 per bottle)
• Participants will be provided with a sheet when they sleep. Please note, this is not a duvet and not typical to be provided due to the warm weather. If you easily become cold (especially with air conditioning), you may wish to bring a small blanket. Please note, you will be sharing rooms and therefore, people’s preference of air conditioning settings will differ. Please keep this in mind when considering bringing a blanket.

Example Packing List 

We suggest packing for a week to 10 days as there are laundry services available in the village for a low cost, if you need to wash your clothing during your stay in Bali.

*If you are on the Mental Health Program, please ensure that your shirts/blouses are plain with no patterns/prints and in neutral colours. 

Recommended Clothing List For Men…

• T-shirts x 7 -10
• Formal collared shirts for Partner Visits x 2-3
• Shorts x 2-3
• Smart full length trousers for Partner Visits x 2
• Casual loose fitting trousers  x 3-4
• Underwear x 10 pairs
• Smart closed toe shoes for Partner Visits x 1
• Flip flops x 1
• Good grip trainers x 1
• Fleece/Hoodie x 1
• Jogging bottoms/ sweat pants  x 1
• Rain Jacket / Waterproofs
• Hat (to shield/protect yourself from the sun, as well as a mini fan to help keep you cool)
• Swim wear

Recommended Clothing List For Women…

• T-shirts x 7-10
• Formal collared shirts/blouses for Partner Visits x 3
• Shorts x 2-3
• Smart full length trousers for Partner Visits x 2
• Casual loose fitting trousers/full length skirts x 3-4
• Underwear x 10 pairs
• Smart closed toe shoes for Partner Visits x 1
• Flip flops x 1
• Good grip trainers x 1
• Fleece/Hoodie x 1
• Jogging bottoms/ sweat pants  x 1
• Rain Jacket / Waterproofs
• Hat (to shield/protect yourself from the sun, as well as a mini fan to help keep you cool)
• Swim wear (Please avoid bringing more revealing swim wear as most accommodations do not allow this).

Arrive Prepared, Just In Case..

Our mindset for the project is always ‘Prevention is better than cure’.

Bringing a good supply of basic first aid supplies is essential when joining an immersive international program.  Hopefully you won’t require these items, but our experience is that small illnesses and ailments are very common in such a different and tropical environment.

Indonesia is well stocked with many medications, we suggest bringing enough for a week and you can buy more if needed.

All Items To Be Brought From Home…

• First Aid Kit Bag
• Plasters (band aids)
• Antiseptic cream x1
• Antibacterial Hand gel
• Cold/Flu medicine x1
• Box Painkillers x1
• Antihistamine Tablets (enough for project length, these are great if you have any mosquito bites) 
• Sting/bite relief cream or spray x1
• Oral rehydration salts (ORS) x 1tube
• Multi-vitamin tablets (enough for the project length)

*Please ensure you keep all medicines in the original packaging when entering Indonesia.

Luggage Allowances..

For most international flights you are usually limited to one x 22kg bag plus a small bag for the plane. Please be sure to consult all airline guidelines on the exact weight allowances. Roll your clothes before packing them to save on space.

Be ruthless

If you can’t fit everything into one large bag or backpack, you’ve got too much! Pack just for 10 days. You can wash weekly and you’ll end up wearing the same clothes again and again. We’ve provided a list of essential items, important first aid and an example clothing list to help.

Remember, project days aren’t a fashion show!

Be prepared to bring 1 or 2 clothing items that you don’t mind getting wet or muddy during your team adventure camp!

Don’t forget to bring important documents!

It is essential that you bring with you:

• Passport
• Photo ID card (European ID card, driving licence etc.)
• A paper copy of your flight itinerary (including proof of ongoing flight)
• A paper copy of your passport photo page (every accommodation you enter will ask to take a copy of your passport, having copies is very useful!)
• A paper copy of your insurance details