Plenty of Malaysians LOVE to travel and see the world, to open our minds to new experiences and cultures (or simply R&R), especially when we’re exploring our beloved tanah air. While traveling can be expensive, we’re happy to announce that it doesn’t have to be, not when we play it smart.
Thus, we’ve asked a couple of local self-proclaimed budget travelers, to share a lesson or two on how to go on holiday without breaking the bank!
1. Pack a little extra, JUST in case
It’s tempting to pack exactly how much toiletries and clothes we need for our vacay, but sometimes our travel plans like to change their minds and go “Surprise! ?”.
Thus, we recommend filling your luggage just a tad bit more (emphasis on “bit”), so that you don’t waste money replacing your missing goods. “I remember spilling food onto my shorts and went ‘Oh no! These are the only shorts I have!’. Then I remembered I had one more pair back at the hotel and went ‘Thank God, past me!’. – Edward, 51
2. See travel insurance as an investment
Sometimes it’s risky to totally shrug off travel insurance because our travels won’t always go hunky-dory as expected. This is why we recommend at least considering travel insurance so we can protect ourselves from costly emergencies.
If you’re going to hike at Malaysia’s highest mountain or there’s a high chance you’ll cancel your flight due to work, medical emergencies or trip cancellations, refunds from travel insurances could save you tons of cash without any sakit hati. “Just make sure to read the fine print PROPERLY so you know what coverage your travel insurance offers. You definitely don’t want to pay more than you should.” – Roshan, 35
3. Don’t make bookings or purchase tickets directly from venues
If you have an idea of which attraction(s) you’re going to during your trip, add one extra step by checking online to see if there are better rates! Sometimes travel activities/booking platforms like Klook offer cheaper prices for the same tickets, making this worth the little extra effort to maintain your wallet’s thickness. ?
“Sometimes when I’m ‘shopping’ on these sites, I end up discovering quite a few activities that I didn’t expect to exist in Malaysia! Things like pottery classes, wine tasting while painting, and museums that I tried and actually enjoyed.” – Xi Er, 28
4. Ask for food advice from locals
It’s without a doubt that Malaysians have great tastes when it comes to good value food, which is why they’re the most reliable budget foodies! So, be sure to ask the locals for the best warung, mamak or kopitiam in town, and you’ll most likely not be disappointed. Whether it’s asam laksa in Penang, nasi kerabu in Terengganu, or otak-otak in Muar, they’d undoubtedly be delicious for you and your purse!
“I’m actually quite a shy person so I’m scared to approach the locals, especially when my Malay quite bad. In the end, I asked my hotel’s receptionist for their honest opinion of the best Malaysian food in town, and they happily shared!” – Meghan, 21
5. Go on holiday when no one else is
Gallivanting on public holidays does save your leave days, but doing so might end up costing you more than usual.
“Wherever you go will be SO CROWDED, which I’m scared of right now because of the pandemic. ? What scared me even more were the insane prices for my accommodations and airplane tickets. Instead, opt to go on holiday during non-peak seasons, which are March to May and September to November. Non-peak rates for your hotel/Agoda, attractions/travel activities and airplane tickets will be much more affordable!” – Izzati, 42
6. Get a special travel pass that offers the best deals in Malaysia
Not the travel pass that allows you to fly to other countries ah. ? Instead, this one is packed to the brim with awesome deals that you would definitely enjoy during your next holiday in Malaysia. Whatever you need for your travels, you’ll most likely be able to enjoy them at a discount with this travel pass!
“For only RM4.90, I got to enjoy so many discounts when I cuti-cuti in Malaysia! Got deals for accommodation, flight tickets and more eh! It doesn’t even cost that much, so untung lah, can save even more money when on holiday.” – Bryan, 26.
And yes, this travel pass of discounts is 100% a real thing, and it comes in the form of the Grab Travel Pass!
Grab Travel Pass lets you save over RM250 when traveling in Malaysia! Now you can get it for only RM4.90 (Normal Price: RM9.90)!
This special travel pass by Grab lets you enjoy exclusive discounts on super important traveling necessities, including Grab rides, flight tickets, accommodation and attractions.
Here’s the full line-up of discounts you can relish:
If you purchase your Agoda bookings, and Firefly, Klook and Malaysia Airlines tickets with GrabPay, you’ll even get an additional RM30 discount per brand! How awesome is that?
We’re gettin’ outta here to see Malaysia!
And it’s so handy to have all of these when exploring our beloved country since you’ll definitely be bringing your smartphone – equipped with the Grab app, packed with these travel vouchers – wherever you go.
The other good news is, it’s so simple to jump in on this travel discount bandwagon! Here’s how you can score the Grab Travel Pass:
- Launch the Grab app.
- Scroll to the “Keep discovering” section.
- Tap on the Grab Travel Pass card.
- Slide to pay using Grabpay Wallet.
- You’ll see a confirmation page upon successful purchase.
- Your travel vouchers can be found in ‘My Rewards’!
Easy to get, easy to enjoy! If every Malaysian has these Grab Travel Pass vouchers, more of us will surely travel more frequently and end up supporting our local tourism. After all, they could use the help, especially after how much the pandemic has affected them.
“With the wide range of deals from Grab, we hope Malaysians will be attracted to explore other parts of the country and help to revive domestic travels,” said Dato’ Sri Hajah Nancy Shukri, Minister of Tourism, Arts And Culture (MOTAC). “It is through initiatives and collaborations such as this (Grab Travel Pass) that bring us closer to ensuring Malaysia recovers from the difficulties we have faced.”
So we get to enjoy Grab-tastic discounts AND help our fellow Malaysians? Sounds like a win-win situation for everyone!
For more info on this awesome Grab Travel Pass, head on over to Grab’s website.
