8 Travel Nightmares Malaysians May Face and How to Avoid Them

If you’re reading this article, chances are you’re a travel enthusiast who’s constantly looking at the global map and planning for the next big trip. And if you’re a seasoned traveller, you would’ve learnt that travelling without a well-thought-out plan is a recipe for disaster as you’ll have to deal with a lot of nightmares before you even get on the plane.

Source: the gryphon

Before we dive right in, we wanna give a huge shoutout to SONY for sponsoring this content, so read on to find out more about their awesome compact camera at the end of this article!

Now, let’s continue with the eight common nightmares that Malaysians may face along with some useful tips to avoid them.

1. When you’re denied entry into a country

The absolute worst nightmare for travellers! You’ve seen it in movies many times, but what do you do if you’re suddenly barred from entering the country you’re going?

Source: RT

Solution: Always stay calm and ask the officer in charge to re-check all your documents and call the Malaysian embassy there for assistance. If you’re still denied entry, sadly there’s no other way but to fly back home. Don’t worry though, your airline is legally obliged to put you on the next flight back home, even if you don’t have a return ticket! But of course, you have to pay them lah when you get home.

Source: Quora

2. Sitting beside a crying baby on the plane

Don’t get us wrong, babies are cute with their puffy cheeks and incomprehensible mumbles, but the moment they start crying, don’t expect them to stop anytime soon.

Solution: To protect your ears, just get yourself a pair of noise-cancelling headphones or earplugs. They may not be able to block out 100 per cent of the high-pitch crying noise but it can take the stress off your eardrums. Also, making funny faces at them will only make things worse! 

3. When your credit card gets barred overseas

Travelling wouldn’t be complete without a few shopping sessions here and there, which is why it can be extremely frustrating when your credit card gets barred while you’re on vacation.

Source: blog

Solution: The wise thing to do is to call your credit card issuer before leaving the country so that your card wouldn’t be suspended due to suspicious activities overseas. Also, ask for a number that you can call for assistance while you’re overseas should something go wrong with your card.

4. Losing your luggage during layovers

No matter how well you’ve planned your vacation, a missing luggage will always mess up your travelling mood because now you have to spend time filling up the baggage claim forms and stressfully wait for an answer from the staff.

Solution: To prevent that from happening, just check in earlier to give the workers ample time to process and load your luggage into the plane. Also, label your luggage with a distinct luggage tag or even a colourful ribbon so that other travellers won’t mistake it as theirs.

5. When you get mugged/pick-pocketed overseas and all your important documents are gone

This scenario is especially prevalent in cities like Barcelona, Prague, Paris, and Rome where snatch theft happens very often. 

Source: world nomad

Solution: If you’re so unlucky that you happen to lose your passport or have it stolen, just lodge a police report and head to the Malaysian Embassy or any Malaysian Missions with a copy of the police report. There, you can apply for an Emergency Certificate which would allow you to travel home.

But first, you’ll need to submit photocopies of your documents such as IC and passport (or visa if applicable). It’s also advisable that you scan and save all the documents on Google Drive and find out the location of the Malaysian Embassy in the country you’re visiting prior to travelling.

Source: blogspot

6. When you get arrested overseas 

Imagine being arrested in a foreign land with people not understanding a word you’re saying! Scary weh!

Source: Lavozdelmuro

Solution: Always do your research about a country as sometimes, things that are considered normal in Malaysia may be illegal there! For example, in places like Australia, visitors aren’t allowed to bring in certain types of pencils, paintbrushes, fishes, plants and so forth. So, make sure you do your research beforehand! If you do get in trouble, call the Malaysian embassy who will dispatch a representative to assist you. Never sign any documents until they arrive and just follow through with their legal advice and you’ll be fine!

7. Having to buy extra luggage allowance because your checked-in baggage is too heavy

If you have little to no self-control (like us), you’d end up buying almost everything you see while travelling. On top of the gifts that your friends and family have ordered, your checked-in luggage can easily exceed the limit set by the airlines.

Source: pinterest

Solution: Get yourself a lightweight luggage so you can pack as much as possible without surpassing the weight limit. Bring an extra hand luggage to spread the weight as certain airlines actually allow you to bring two carry-on luggage bags.

8. When your carry-on bag contains wayyyy too many items

Me: “I’ll only pack a few essential items.”

Also me:

Source: instagram

It’s not entirely our fault to be honest because our gadgets are getting bigger than ever!

Solution: If you don’t want to be doing a bicep workout while carrying your hand luggage, you have to pack smart!

For instance, try not to pack too many bottled/liquid items or clothing in your carry-on luggage! Instead, if possible, just bring along electronics in your carry-on and certain toiletries if you’re expecting a layover.

Also, if you’re someone who loves taking pictures, you can go for this instead: A compact point-and-shoot camera such as Sony’s latest RX100 VI instead of a bulky DSLR camera. Don’t be fooled by the pocket-sized camera guys because it is an absolute beast when it comes to the specs!

Source: tech the lead

Rocking an impressive ZEISS Vario-Sonnar 24-200mm zoom lens, you will get sharp and crisp pictures across the entire zoom range. This means that you can now zoom in to a subject far away and still get maximum clarification every single time! Check out the pictures below! 

Source: sony

Source: sony

How fast a camera can focus will directly impact the image quality. The new Sony RX100 VI has the world’s fastest autofocus speed of 0.03 seconds in its class, which contributes to lightning-fast autofocus performance and shooting speeds. You can be rest assured that with this camera, all your macho moves will be captured with clarity you’ve never seen before.

Source: sony

Source: sony

Plus, if you’re looking to take your travel photography and vlogging game to a whole new level, Sony’s new shooting grip VCT-SGR1 is perfect for you!

Source: capa

The lightweight grip features several buttons at the top including shutter release, REC stop/start, and zoom functionality. It can also be adjusted to take photos of various angles.

Meanwhile, the bottom of the grip can be spread out and used as a tripod, which comes in handy for group photos or in low-light shooting environments.

Source: capa

In short, this premium compact camera can outperform most DSLR cameras and even do one thing that the big boys can’t do – which is to fit inside your pocket. Whether you’re an avid traveller, a YouTuber, a social media influencer, or a vlogger, the Sony RX100VI will do the job just right. Don’t believe us? Test it out and see for yourselves!