Never Pack Raingear.

I’m going to let you in on a little secret: everyone, everywhere you might travel, has better rain gear than you do. No matter where you come from.

I know this because I went to Thailand from Portland, OR. It’s rainy in Portland. Really rainy. So rainy that after 6 years, I left and crafted a travel itinerary specifically designed to avoid overcast rain.

So I thought I was covered when I brought my Portland-chic rain shell to Thailand. Not true. See, in Thailand, it rains differently.

I used my shell once, then never again. In the Thai downpours, my fancy rain shell kept my top mostly dry, but the rest of me was soaked. Know who was dry? All the Thais, wearing 50-cent plastic-bag-raincoat-things you could get at any corner store.

This is when it hit me. In Portland, we knew anyone with an umbrella was a tourist. Live there for five minutes, and you’ll learn that umbrellas are useless in that city. The rain is light, and goes weird ways. The best thing you can own is a solid shell. Same goes for Thailand. Best thing here is a near full-body plastic bag with arms.

The foundation of why is something obvious, humble, and clear.

Nobody likes being soaked. The locals are smart, and they’ve already figured out the best way to stay dry.

(This, of course, also applies to lots of things, like food, drink, transportation, clothing, personal style, and a myriad of societal stories. Funny, that.)

So, just don’t pack rain gear. If it rains wherever you’re going, get it there. And leave it there, if you can.

Rain, it turns out, is not universal.