Malaysia is a bit of everything you can imagine. Kuala Lumpur gives you all the feels of a big city, but it doesn’t feel nearly as cosmetic as Singapore. If city life isn’t your thing, there’s a lazy vibe of Langkawi. Or if heritage floats your boat, there’s Penang. Like I said, Malaysia has a little bit of everything. But how do you plan your trip there? Here are a few essentials you have to know before you get there. 

1. If you are booking an Indigo flight, please know that it is truly budget. This means that there is no alcohol, no in-flight entertainment, and the food you’ll get is exactly what you get on domestic Indigo flights. It’s the same sandwiches and cup noodles. 

2. If you are booking on Malindo, there will still be no alcohol. There is in-flight entertainment, but unless you are on first class, you are required to carry your own earphones. Malindo does not provide blankets or earphones on Economy. Food is just about okay. Blankets cost around 25 MYR, and they tend to put the aircon at a pretty low temperature, so carry a jacket. Oh, and the 25 MYR is cash only (you can pay by INR).

3. Taxis in Malaysia come in two categories: budget and premium. And it very rare of them to use the meter. If you are booking from the airport, ask for budget, or you will be auto-assigned premium. There is a significant fare difference. On the road, the white and red taxis are budget and all others are premium. 

4. As I mentioned, taxis don’t run on the meter. For even the slightest journey, you will be charged around 15 MYR. So it’s best if you buy a local sim card at the airport and download the GRAB app. GRAB works like Uber, and you can only activate the app if you have a local number. And having that app will significantly reduce your transport costs while in Malaysia. 

5. Local sim cards can be activated by putting in the sim, downloading the provider app and following the steps. You need to upload your passport number and use face recognition to activate the sim. 

6. Carry loose-fitting cotton clothes. You can’t underestimate the heat in Malaysia, and even the littlest walk will leave you drained. The country does have a significant Muslim population, but there are no major dress codes there. So feel free to wear shorts (unless you are going to a mosque/temple) and cotton tanks/t-shirts. For mosques and temples, you will need to have your knees and shoulders covered. You will sweat buckets, so definitely carry cotton or dry-fit clothes. 

7. In season, it can rain. But rain is largely sporadic and doesn’t normally last very long. You can carry an umbrella or buy cheap plastic rain ponchos there. 

8. Plan your local travel. If you are travelling to Penang from KL, buy the ferry or airline tickets in advance. Ditto for Penang to Langkawi and Langkawi to KL. From Langkawi to KL there is a cheaper option of a bus and a ferry but it takes over 5 hours and involves a break in the journey. Flying is more efficient, so buy tickets in advance. 

9. Best place to stay in KL is in and around Bukit Bintang. This is very close to the city centre and has excellent restaurants/bars around. Jalan Alor is a famous food street, but remember, you will only find Thai and Chinese food here. For Penang, choose a hotel/Airbnb in George Town. This is the heritage zone and food options are also great here. Gurney Drive is a wonderful place if you are looking for hawker stalls selling authentic Malaysian food. At Langkawi, the best place to stay is Pantai Chenang. It is practically on the beach and has really good restaurants on the street. 

10. When in Langkawi, ask around before you choose a package for Mangrove tours, snorkeling and island hopping. We paid 120 MYR per person for it, but some places can charge double that amount and some places offer it for cheap. Carry some chips etc. because the packages for snorkeling have terrible terrible food. 

11. Carry cash. Most places, apart from stores like 7-Eleven, do not accept cards. It is easy to load up your Forex card and use that to withdraw from ATMs.

12. Water is not free. You won’t automatically be served a glass of water at restaurants. You’ll need to buy a bottle of water.

13. If you plan to go up to the viewing deck of the Petronas towers, book ahead here: https://eticket.petronastwintowers.com.my/?lang=en The tickets are usually difficult to get but booking ahead will save you heartbreak later.

14. If you are travelling from India, you need to apply for the eNTRI visa here: https://www.windowmalaysia.my/evisa/evisa.jsp?countryaccess=0 To do that, you need attach a digital copy of your photo. It cannot be a scanned copy of an existing photo. So what you need to do is, go to a photo studio, and ask them to send you a digital copy. Most studios can, so this shouldn’t be an issue. You have to upload this to the portal, or it won’t be accepted.