The majority of people you will meet when travelling in Malaysia are incredibly friendly and genuine people. If you do, you may find yourself in a bit of a tough spot. If you still need to be conviced of how safe Malaysia is, then check out our dedicated safety guide here.
It has nothing be good things to say and advize you on. Check out this post for a ton of useful intel on how to stay safe whilst backpacking. I strongly recommend travelling with a headlamp whilst in Malaysia or anywhere really — every backpacker should have a good headtorch! There are caves, temples and plenty of other dimly illuminated marvels to explore. Pick yourself up a backpacker security belt to keep your cash safe on the road.
Check out this post for plenty of ideas on ingenious ways to hide your money when travelling. Alcohol in Malaysia is pretty pricey because it is forbidden for Muslims to drink; however, those who are not Muslim are free to drink if they wish. House parties are pretty common in Malaysia and are heaps of fun!
Remember to look up when backpacking Malaysia and wandering the side streets. Getting Insured Whenever you hit the road and go travelling, you need insurance. I recommend World Nomads Travel Insurance — they hands down have the best support and if you do need to claim they will help you get it sorted quickly.
What to Pack for Malaysia Malaysia has to be one of my favourite places in Asia for shopping and you will find that most people — especially in the busier areas — take a lot of pride in what they wear. The more modern areas of Malaysia such as Kuala Lumpur will be a lot more westernised in their dress sense and you can pretty much wear what you would at home on a day-to-day basis, with some exceptions. In the more rural areas it is a wise to be respectful and dress a little more conservatively, especially if you are a woman.
Malaysia is a melting pot with a mixture of religions, the most prominent practice being that of Islam. Showing a lot of flesh for men or women will attract a lot of attention or worst-case scenario, cause offence. Jeans and a t-shirt, covering shoulders and cleavage is perfectly fine. Tight and fitted clothing will attract attention such as harmless stares. On every adventure, there are five things I never go traveling without: Security Belt with Hidden Pocket: I never hit the road without my security belt.
This is a regular looking belt with a concealed pocket on the inside — you can hide up to twenty notes inside and wear it through airport scanners without it setting them off. This is hands down the best way to hide your cash.
Travel Water Bottle: AR bottle are tough, lightweight and maintain the temperature of your beverage — so you can enjoy a cold red bull, or a hot coffee, no matter where you are. Microfibre Towel: Hostel towels are scummy and take forever to dry. Microfibre towels dry quickly, are compact, lightweight and can be used as a blanket or yoga mat if need be. I would never travel without a headtorch.
Even if you only end up using it once, a decent head torch could save your life. If you want to explore caves, unlit temples or simply find your way to the bathroom during a blackout, a headtorch is a must. Taking a tent backpacking is not always practical but hammocks are lightweight, cheap, strong, sexy chicks dig hammocks and allow you to pitch up for the night pretty much anywhere.
For plenty more inspiration on what to pack, check out my full backpacking packing list. Look Awesome, Do Awesome! Want to embrace the hippy backpacker style and look? Active Roots hippy trousers are chic, comfortable and perfect for yogis, backpackers and adventurers alike. Help us support the elephant conservation centre in Laos!
Pretty fucking awesome right? Best Time to Travel to Malaysia Malaysian seasons range from wet, comfortable, hot and humid. The West and East Coast can experience completely different weather from one another so it really depends on where you want to go in Malaysia.
Overall, the west coast is best between October — March and the East coast is best from March to October. Gorgeous, untouched beaches Useful Apps to Download Before Backpacking Malaysia Be warned, free wifi in Malaysia is hard to find and will probably be painfully slow.
This app is definitely for you. My favourite offline maps app, download your map and route before you venture out to keep you on track. XE Currency — I used this a lot when backpacking Malaysia. If you have multiple currencies to exchange or pay your initial taxi in US Dollars, this will keep you right.
We hired a local man and his van to drive us to the border in Thailand and then walked through and caught another man in a van on the other side. There are long distance bus services that will take you from Thailand to Malaysia as well but this costs a little more and takes a little longer as well. Follow this link for free Grab credit. Flying to other airports in Malaysia is easily done but will often cost more and you will stopover in Kuala Lumpur anyway, so you may as well hop off and explore!
Entry Requirements for Malaysia As of the majority of nationalities will be able to get a visa on entry into Malaysia for no cost at all, which is fantastic! For the UK, you will be permitted to stay for a maximum of 3 months on arrival, be careful not to overstay this.
Malaysia, unlike many other Asian countries, is having a big crack down on illegal immigration and overstaying your visa may be a tricky and expensive situation to get out of. If you are in country head to your local embassy or otherwise just hop out of the country and come back in again. Once through immigration, Malaysia is a relatively safe and welcoming place to travel. A couple of months is heaps of time to explore this beautiful country. Malaysian immigration are not new to backpackers so as long as you have an idea of how you will leave, you should be fine.
Need help organising your visa, check out iVisa. How to Travel in Malaysia Malaysian roads are top notch in tourist areas, but will quickly turn to gravel and dirt tracks as you venture further away from backpacker hubs and out of the cities. Travelling in Malaysia is, after all, a part of the appeal.
One of the best ways to get around when backpacking in Malaysia is by bus. Most buses have English translations and super helpful drivers. It may take longer than flying but buses tend to be air conditioned and the scenery is pretty beautiful. By Train: It is pricier than the bus service and most train services run on a one-line system that will restrict the stopping options you have on the way through the country.
By Domestic Flight: If you only have a short time in Malaysia this is a great way to travel. By Car: Driving in Malaysia, once out of major cities, is relatively straightforward, and I would dare to say, one of the sanest places to drive in South East Asia.
With good road infrastructure in the cities, traffic lights and well marked signs your biggest pest will be tailgating and the lack of signal use. Venture into the countryside expect gravel and dirt roads but beautiful and plentiful view stops.
Epic Road Trip! By Metro: The metro will connect to all the must see places in town as well as the shopping district, nightlife, and areas such as little India. They even have air con. Running every few minutes, why waste your time and money hailing a taxi when the metro will beat the traffic and even take you as far out as the Batu Caves?! By Taxi: Always haggle the price with a non-metered taxi. The busier roads in Malaysia are often highway, which can make scoring a ride a little tricky. The best tip I was given was put yourself in a spot that if you score a ride and they come in at speed, you can get out the way.
Expect short distance riding, especially in rural areas where not many people are driving by. You never know who has a spare seat in their car. People know what hitchhiking is and they are interested in foreign visitors, so make sure you look like a tourist. On busy roads, sometimes the wait time is less than 5 mins. This can help especially if you choose to walk on the Expressway. Learn some useful phrases: Drivers usually speak English, so a few local phrases like the ones below will help!
Where are you going? I am going to.. Malaysia also borders with Indonesia if you are over in Borneo. Thinking about moving on to Indonesia or the Philippines after backpacking Malaysia? Why not follow in the footsteps of the explorers of old and hop on a boat? With some journeys taking just eight hours to reach the Philippines, and ferry prices being relatively cheap, catching a boat out of Malaysia can be an adventurous alternative to flying… Onwards travel to Indonesia via ferry is not as common as it once was and these days it can be hard to find a boat heading in the right direction.
Melaka is the best place to find a ferry onwards to Malaysia. From here, it is likely your arrival port will be Padang sumatra in Indonesia. Neither of these companies offer comprehensive websites, so check the latest information when in country and haggle for the best price.
Their main endeavor has been to enforce their compulsory e, Muslim speed dating malaysia. Tight and fitted clothing will attract attention such as harmless stares. They even have air con, Muslim speed dating malaysia. Remember what Virginia Wolf [sic] said? Until recently, Indian marriages had all the trappings of a business transaction involving two deal-making families, a hardboiled matchmaker and a vocal board of shareholders — concerned uncles and aunts. Flying to other airports in Malaysia is easily done but will often cost more and you will stopover in Kuala Lumpur anyway, so you may as well hop Muslim speed dating malaysia and explore! If you do, you may find yourself in a bit of a tough spot. For a more adventurous and unique way to sail to Indonesia or the Philippines or really anywhere else check out findacrew. Venture into the countryside expect gravel and dirt roads but beautiful and plentiful view stops. Is it more humane to die by wallops from a Cambodian pickaxe handle than by a bullet from a German Mauser?
No comments:
Post a Comment