Grab
Grab is the ride sharing platform most commonly used in
Southeast Asia.
A couple of years ago, they were competing with Uber. But in
March 2018, Grab bought out its ridesharing competitor in Southeast Asia to
maintain its dominance in the area.
Using Grab, you can book a car ride with a local driver
instead of paying an exorbitant amount of money for a taxi. Unlike with a taxi,
you pay a low, fixed rate based on distance. This almost always comes out to a
cheaper price than if you took a cab.
Ridesharing is a great way to get around quickly and
cheaply.
Simply sign up with Grab, input your payment information and
start booking rides!
Foodpanda is a popular food delivery app in Malaysia.
If you ever get hungry, all you have to do is open up the
app, plug in your address and see a laundry list of available food places
nearby. Then select what you want and wait for the Foodpanda delivery driver to
come knocking on your door!
Foodpanda is a great way to get an abundance of food
wherever you are.
Maybe you’re just getting back from an epic walk along the
Skybridge at the PETRONAS Towers or you’re hanging out in Georgetown in Penang.
Whatever it is, now you can taste some Malaysian delicacies without needing to
disrupt your relaxing time.
This app is by and large the most convenient way to have
food delivered in Malaysia.
WhatsApp
WhatsApp is a messaging app. It’s by far the most popular
way to communicate with people in Malaysia.
The app is a hyper secure way to send text, audio, video and
picture messages with your smartphone. You can also send stickers and GIFs, as
well as make audio and video calls directly in the app.
My favorite thing about WhatsApp is that it’s based off of
data instead of cell service. That means you only need a Wi-Fi connection to
make it work. And much of Malaysia has widely available Wi-Fi.
This helps you avoid costly data charges on your SIM card.
This is also a great way to connect with friends and family
back home while you’re abroad. I have a WhatsApp group with my family that we
use to send pictures and keep in touch from different countries.
So whether you’re texting your Grab driver or sending a
picture of Menara Kuala Lumpur to your friends back home, WhatsApp is a
necessity for communication.
Traveloka is a travel portal that’s based in Malaysia and
Indonesia.
You can book flights, hotels and travel tours via the
intuitive interface in the app.
Because the app is based in the area, you’ll often find
better deals on Traveloka than with similar travel apps.
They often run promotions with local airlines, hotels and
travel agents that give you the ability to scoop up some seriously good deals.
One trick for scoring even better deals is to create an
account before you search. This “member” pricing is usually even lower than the
normal prices most users see.
Waze is a popular mapping app that’s widely used in
Malaysia.
It’s much more accurate than Google Maps and goes beyond the
basic driving, walking, biking and public transit directions that Google
offers.
Waze uses crowd sourced information to let you know about
traffic jams, police checkpoints, accidents, construction and other potential
hazards along your route.
Want to make navigation more fun? If you’re using the
turn-by-turn navigation feature of Waze, you can change the standard voice to
famous people like Morgan Freeman and Liam Neeson.
Another pretty cool thing about Waze is that you can listen
to music directly from the app while you travel!
A good mapping app is crucial for finding your way around a new
place. And Waze is probably the best for Malaysia.
Using Grab, you can book a car ride with a local driver
instead of paying an exorbitant amount of money for a taxi. Unlike with a taxi,
you pay a low, fixed rate based on distance. This almost always comes out to a
cheaper price than if you took a cab.
Foodpanda is a great way to get an abundance of food
wherever you are. 
Because the app is based in the area, you’ll often find
better deals on Traveloka than with similar travel apps.
Waze uses crowd sourced information to let you know about
traffic jams, police checkpoints, accidents, construction and other potential
hazards along your route.
