Travel Stories

Malaysia

- tips and advice
- destination practicalities
9 of the best places to go in Malaysia: Big city culture, sandy beaches, and pristine jungles
8 min read • Feb 23, 2022
Here are the best places to go in Malaysia for soft sandy beaches, incredible food, and amazing treks through wildlife-filled jungle and national parks.
- road trips
- destination practicalities
Malaysia's best road trips take in rainforests, beaches and more
11 min read • Feb 21, 2022
You can explore Malaysia without stepping inside a car but exploring with your own wheels opens up a tropical world. Here are Malaysia's best road trips.
- destination practicalities
- tips and advice
Do I need a visa to visit Malaysia?
5 min read • Feb 19, 2022
A great place for impulsive travelers, many nationals can enter Malaysia visa-free for up to 90 days.
- budget travel
- connections
Malaysia on a budget: all the adventures without the cost
8 min read • Feb 16, 2022
Malaysia should really be better known as a budget travel destination. It's easy to travel around, stay and eat cheaply with these top budget tips.
- hiking
- activities
Malaysia’s best national parks: A mesmerising menagerie of mountains, rainforest, and millennia-old caves
4 min read • Feb 13, 2022
From hiking trails to canopy walks, seek out your next adventure at these national parks in Malaysia.
- budget travel
- connections
Getting around Malaysia is child’s play with these tropical tips
7 min read • Feb 12, 2022
Malaysia is divided between the Malay peninsula and tropical Sabah and Sarawak on Borneo, but getting around is easy with these simple tips.
- beaches
- activities
Malaysia's 9 best beaches: From 900 islands and 3000 miles of coastline, we pick our faves
6 min read • Feb 10, 2022
With so many to choose from, it’s hard to pick the right beach in Malaysia for your next trip. Here are our picks for the best ones.
- activities
- art and culture
The 15 best things to do in Malaysia: Mountains, marine life, and amazing apes
12 min read • Feb 4, 2022
Experience the astonishing variety of landscapes, cultures and cuisines of Malaysia with these top things to do.
- travelogue
- connections
'Ghosts are a big part of life in Malaysia': healing one year after losing my parents to COVID
8 min read • Mar 19, 2021
One year ago while on assignment in Peru, travel writer Marco Ferrarese received news that his parents had contracted COVID-19 at home in Italy. They…
- travelogue
- connections
'Will we ever make it back?' Returning home to grieve following COVID-19 loss
6 min read • Apr 30, 2020
A writer attempts to return to Italy from Peru upon learning that his parents had passed away from COVID-19.
- food
- food and drink
All-inclusive adventures: 10 resorts you should consider for your next trip
6 min read • Jul 22, 2019
A week at an all-inclusive resort promises idle, sunny days but it doesn’t usually spell adventure. After all, where’s the thrill of exploration when…
- art
- art and culture
Exploring Melaka City's regenerated riverside
5 min read • May 5, 2017
The Sungai Melaka has meandered through Malaysia's Melaka City for centuries, but with glitzy new shopping malls opening along its riverbanks and boutique…
- sustainable travel
- connections
What to pack: trekking through Borneo's rainforests
5 min read • Apr 26, 2017
The all-enveloping equatorial rainforests of Borneo's fine national parks are great for day hikes, but nothing beats an overnight trek to really…
- wildlife and nature
- activities
Kuala Lumpur’s best green escapes
5 min read • Oct 14, 2016
With soaring towers, condo complexes and mammoth malls crowding the streets and skyline of Kuala Lumpur (KL), it’s reassuring to know that Mother Nature…
- food
- food and drink
Ipoh old and new: come explore Malaysia’s renaissance city
6 min read • Jun 28, 2016
The spark is finally returning to the time-worn neighbourhoods of Ipoh. For too long, the capital of Malaysia’s Perak state was considered a faded has…
- beaches
- activities
Escape to Tioman: where to get wet and wild on Malaysia's adventure island
4 min read • Jan 14, 2016
Sitting like an emerald dragon guarding the translucent waters of the South China Sea, Pulau Tioman offers every possible shade of paradise. While many…
- food
- food and drink
How to plan a trip to Malaysia's Cameron Highlands
5 min read • Dec 18, 2015
So you want to roam Malaysia's Cameron Highlands, stroll in tea plantations, and pause for cream-slathered scones along the way? You aren't alone…
- food
- food and drink
A perfect weekend in Melaka
5 min read • Dec 15, 2015
Melaka has transformed itself from a faded port city into a strutting tourist hub, and its kaleidoscope of cultures makes it one of Malaysia’s most…
- food
- food and drink
Durian 101: everything you need to know about Southeast Asia's ‘King of Fruits’
5 min read • Dec 7, 2015
In Southeast Asia, you don’t need to go looking for durian. The powerful odour of this boulder-like fruit will find you. Many travellers lose their…
- wildlife and nature
- activities
Birdwatching in Malaysia: an essential guide
4 min read • Sep 22, 2015
More than 750 bird species can be found under Malaysia’s chattering jungle canopies – that’s a whole lot of feathers for a relatively small nation…
- art
- art and culture
George Town: the unexpected street art hub of Southeast Asia
2 min read • Sep 8, 2015
Forget its fabulous shophouse architecture and world-renowned hawker stalls (for a minute, at least) – the George Town of today has become synonymous with…
- food
- food and drink
George Town's street food: what to eat in Malaysia's food capital
3 min read • Jul 13, 2015
We're just going to come out and say it: George Town is the best food city in Southeast Asia. Locals have been in on the secret for years, but so expertly…