Hitchhiking in Malaysia: Is It Safe?

A few years back, I hitchhiked around Malaysia. I had no problems at all even though we were two girls. In fact, we had an amazing time and it was a great way to connect with locals along the way. In this article, I’m sharing my tips for hitchhiking in Malaysia as well as stories to show you that we had a safe experience.

I was on the bus on my way to Melaka when I met her, a very funny Dutch girl.  We discussed our travel plans and it was a great fit; we had similar plans.

– Would you be willing to hitch-hike in Malaysia?

– Why not?

It has been a while since the last time I had a chance to hitch-hike.  I was craving it!  Plus, it’s always a great way to meet locals and enjoy the ride.  I had already done a few searches about hitch-hiking in Malaysia.  I knew it was supposedly easy.  In fact; they were saying that it should take around 5 minutes to get a ride.

Here we were, getting out of the train to reach our first hitch-hiking spot outside of Kuala Lumpur on our way to Cameron Highlands.  She was excited; it was her first time.  I was a bit nervous as I was hoping for a great experience so she could enjoy it.

 

Kuala Lumpur at night time

 

Hitch-Hiking from Kuala Lumpur to Cameron Highlands

 

Starting point: We took the train to Rawang so we can get to the highway.  We knew there was a gas station and a Starbucks next to the highway and this could be a great starting point.  But, we got confused on our way and we ended up heading in the wrong direction.  It was too hot.  We decided to hitch-hike knowing that our current location wasn’t good enough to get a ride.  We met our first driver; a great Samaritan who came back for us.

– Girls, hitch-hiking is not normal in Malaysia! Where are you going? You will never find a ride! You should take the bus!

I was prepared.  He drove us to the gas station, had a coffee with us and gave us his number in case we waited until the next day so he could drive us.  He wished us luck and left.  This was a great start.

Then, we met a very nice guy who works in the Air Force and a cute couple that were about to spend a few days in Cameron Highlands for their holidays.  They drove us all the way to our hotel even though it was quite far.  They even decided to book the same hotel.  We stopped along the way to enjoy the tea plantations.  We were still alive, happily safe and grateful!

 

Playing in Cameron Highlands

 

Hitch-Hiking from Langkawi Island

 

Our hostel was quite far from the harbour.  We thought we could give it a try.  Worst case scenario, we will end up paying for a taxi, but a girl has to try, right?

We were slowly walking in direction of our hostel showing off our dear thumb.  Yes, we had found a ride!  I was sceptic though.  There are many taxi drivers around and even though, their car doesn’t look like a proper taxi, it still can be one of them… they have to try, right?

We reached our destination.  The driver looked very happy and as we headed to the reception, he asked:

– Taxi ride?

– Oh! We are actually hitch-hiking, we were not looking for a taxi; just simple kindness.

He smiled and left without arguing.  Thanks!

 

Island hopping in Langkawi

 

Hitch-Hiking from Kuala Perlis to Penang

 

Is it still easy to hitch-hike with three people?  Yes.

We had a new member on our hitch-hiking team; it was his first time too.

As we were leaving the harbour, we were heading to the highway.  It would be a tricky one as there were many roads.  Perhaps, it would be easy to find a ride, but it would be harder to find a longer ride.

It didn’t take too long though; we reached our destination in roughly 3 hours and a half, which isn’t bad.  At all.

And we made it to the ferry so we could finally go to Penang.

 

 

Tips & Facts about hitch-hiking in Malaysia

 

If you want to read more about my hitch-hiking experiences, I’d recommend you read this post about my best tips and stories about hitch-hiking.

In Malaysia, we had a SIM card which was good as we could connect to the Internet to head in the right direction and also follow the road to make sure we’re still heading to our destination.

We didn’t use any signs during these three days.  People were able to speak English or at least, looked at our map to know where we were going.

All our experiences were good and they were right; we didn’t have to wait more than 5 minutes to get a ride.

 

Find a room in Kuala Lumpur

Find a room in Melaka

Find a room in Penang

Find a room in Langkawi

 

 

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The Best Hostels In Malaysia

Backpacking Cambodia – The Best On A Budget

What To See In Kuala Lumpur

 

BEFORE YOU GO TO MALAYSIA

 

☑ Book your flight: If your flight isn’t booked yet – check out the flights on Skyscanner or via Google Flights. My top saving tip is flexibility. If you’re flexible, you should be able to find a cheaper flight.

☑ Book your accommodation: I always use Airbnb and Booking.com. If you’d rather stay in a hostel, you should take a look at the options on Hostelworld. If you click on the Airbnb link and you don’t have an account yet – you’ll get a $30 discount on your first booking.

☑ Protect your cute face: Oh, you may want to protect your cute face with a travel medical insurance. I would suggest SafetyWing as they offer the best rates, especially for long-term travelers. Otherwise, you can also take a look at World Nomads.

☑ Pack the essentials: You can consult this list when it’s time to pack your bag! Do not leave without a universal charger, a power bank and your passport!

☑  Do you need a visa? If you aren’t sure if you need a visa, it would be a smart idea to take a quick look before you go. You can use iVisa – it’s super useful and easy to use.

Disclaimer: This post may include affiliate links. If you click one of them, we may receive a cute commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you. I won’t be responsible if you decide to hitch-hike in Malaysia (or anywhere else in the world).  Hitch-hiking should be a personal decision as long as you feel good and confident about it.  If you do decide to hitch-hike, put your best smile on and enjoy the trip.  I can’t guarantee you have a great experience. Hopefully, you will. This post may include affiliate links at no cost to you. Cheers and happy travels!