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Some trips are just destined to happen. Once in a lifetime kind of trips. So, when that kind of travel presents itself a second time…wowzers! We were gonna visit our friends in Malaysia, and we were so excited! I was able to visit them in Malaysia in 2005, before I was married. My family last saw them in 2014 in California. So, here we go! Here’s how to plan a Singapore Malaysia trip on a semi-budget!
UPDATES IN PROGRESS
How to Plan a Singapore Malaysia Trip on a Semi-Budget
I maintain that you do not have to be a zillionaire to be able to travel the world, including a 2-week trip to southeast Asia.
Research, research, research…that’s how I find a lot of our semi-budget travel deals. The two main expenses to consider first are:
- transportation
- lodging
Transportation
Airfare is a biggie! As in…a biggie expense. Our two favorite ways to semi-budget this one are:
- use points/miles to “pay” for our airfare (option 1 / option 2)
- get major deals handed right to you
Lodging
This one’s a toss up between hotels and vacation rentals. It depends on where in the world you’re going and how many people you’re traveling with, among other considerations.
I found that, in southeast Asia, there aren’t a lot of semi-budget (read: affordable) family-sized hotel rooms. So, I was ecstatic when I found a hotel in Singapore, a hotel in Kuching, and a hotel in Kuala Lumpur that all had rooms to house our family of four and didn’t break the bank!
Other Things to Consider
There’s so much to consider when traveling internationally, especially with kids. I’ve got you covered though! Check out Semi-Budget Travel Planning for all. the. details.
Travel Companions
We often travel as a family of four. For this trip to southeast Asia, however, I not only had to find semi-budget travel deals for my own family but for 6 other people as well.
We started out in Singapore for a couple days with another family of four, to get acclimated and wait for another couple to arrive.
Climate
22 May / LAX Max Temp = 69°F
We would be leaving the comfortable climate of SoCal behind for a couple weeks. What kind of climate will you be leaving? Singapore & Malaysia are almost right at the equator, which means 90°F and 90% humidity and thunderstorms most of the time. Sunrise & sunset is almost exactly 12 hours apart all the time. It’s definitely an adjustment (especially for our girls).
It’s a different kind of adjustment for me, clothing-wise, of all things. When I was pregnant with our older daughter, I developed an extreme sensitivity to the sun. As such, when the northern hemisphere is in the spring & summer months, because of the angle of the sun, I have to wear long sleeves & long pants, or else I will have a very uncomfortable skin reaction. And no, unfortunately, wearing sunscreen doesn’t solve the problem. I literally have to cover up. So, in 90°F & 90% humidity, I need to completely cover up…yikes! I am used to it by now, but it will be a special challenge in this kind of weather.
No Gum Allowed!
One interesting fact about Singapore: no gum allowed! On the Singapore customs website, “chewing gum” is the first item listed under Prohibited Goods! I’m gonna miss my spearmint gum…haha!
In all seriousness, these are the types of things that we need to research before traveling the globe. Avoiding legal troubles in a foreign country is a great thing, as is respecting the culture.
Travel Insurance
After all that careful planning and excitement surrounding your trip, make sure to protect your investment with travel insurance.
Get Ready to Travel!
After over a year of planning, our trip finally arrived! Traveling to southeast Asia is no joke. Check out how long it took us to get from our front door in California to our hotel in Singapore.
Sitting at LAX on a Monday night, our first flight actually took off after midnight, Tuesday morning. Then, we crossed the international dateline and actually arrived at our first destination Wednesday morning!
The photo above shows exactly what we took with us for 2 weeks in southeast Asia. As you’re planning and getting ready to travel, I wanna get you started right away with some semi-budget travel savings. Access my FREE Semi-Budget Travel Resource Collection.
And, here’s a list of many of the useful items we took with us: Items to Pack for SE Asia. Yes, seriously, all these items (and more!) fit into the set of bags shown above!
Check out the rest of our trip! – Day 1 / Day 2 / Day 3 / Day 4 / Day 5 / Day 6 / Day 7 / Day 8 / Day 9 / Day 10 / Day 11 / Day 12 / Day 13 / Day 14 / Day 15 / Day 16
Have you ever traveled internationally? Please share in the comments below!
STARTS WITH
A GREAT BUDGET!
ALL GREAT SEMI-BUDGET TRAVEL
It's easy! I will show you how with a FREE trip planning tool.
