I'm moving next week, very short notice so it all feels quite rushed.

Think I've got everything sorted I possibly can but worrying if there is anything I've forgotten that's could be important! Can anyone either tell me if this list covers it all or add to it if there's something I need.

Flight - booked and paid for
Accommodation - sorted by employer
Vaccinations - had hep A and typhoid. Can get rabies vacc on arrival
Driving license - got IDP
Passport - up to date
Health insurance - to be arranged upon arrival
Bank account - notified them I'll be travelling, look into opening local account when I get there.
Luggage - flying Malaysia Airline, 30k limit - planning to split that between two cases does anyone know if that's ok? can't find anywhere online that says it isn't but am a little worried that I'll get to heathrow and they'll say I should only have one bag!

This list sound ok?

Hi Doribea and

Sounds fine. When you say your passport is up-to-date presumably you mean you have more than 6 months validity on the date of entry?

Although you had an IDP, I should bring your national driving licence with you as well. It is best to carry it on you at all times. If you are planning on being here more than 12 months, you are supposed to 'exchange' it (there are other threads where this is talked about in great detail!) for a Malaysian driving licence. Procedure is relatively straightforward.

If you are planning on being here more than 6 months, you may want to consider a course of Hep B as well when you get here. Hep B is usually administered as 3 injections over a 6 month period.

Opening a bank account is also fairly straightforward. You will need your passport and ideally some sort of proof of address will be useful.

MAS operate a weight allowance when travelling to KL, so provided your total checked in luggage does not exceed 30 Kg there will be no excess to pay. Certainly when I flew back from Heathrow with MAS last July there was a Malay student who had at least 2 pieces, and possibly 3.

If you have any other questions, ask away and (depending on the nature of the question of course) I am sure you'll get a fairly quick response. There are many other threads that might help with some of your questions.

Have a good flight over and enjoy your time here. It's a fantastic country!

Thanks for your reply, yes I got a new passport in September so good for 10 years now :-)

Is the hep b risk that high?

Just looking forward to some sunshine now after a long miserable winter in the UK!

HI DoriBea86,

Exciting times ahead!
Where in KL are you going to be based?

Weather is amazing here and it the heat hits you like a brick wall as soon as you walk off the plane.

Good Luck!

Hi Ruby Tuesday,

I'll be in the Sri Hartamas/Mont Kiara area. I'm sure the heat will take a bit of getting used to, I've spent autumn/winter in Glasgow so can hardly remember what it feels like to be warm!

Do you know much about that area? Hoping its easy to meet people when I arrive as I don't know anyone in Malaysia at all right now!

Hi,

I live in Mont Kiara with my Husband and 5yr old daughter. We've got quite a lot of shops, food stalls, shopping malls etc, and it's easily accessible to surrounding areas by local taxi too.
Great area but can get pretty grid-locked traffic wise early morning when the school is open and the same around 2.30pm when letting out, also you'll find the normal peak hour rush hour.

Will you be living in a condo or house etc?
Maybe we can meet up for coffee and a walk about when you arrive?

I guess the answer to that is "it depends what you are intending to do"! I would say, generally speaking no it isn't. The only reason I mentioned it is that someone raised the question of immunisation on another thread and it was mentioned there.

It is not just the heat that takes some getting used to. The humidity will as well! However, spare a thought for my wife who did it the other way round back in 2007. She came to the UK from Malaysia for the first time in January! She had actually previously been to China and so she had some idea of what to expect as she was there during winter time as well! She was absolutely delighted to see snow and insisted on us going outside even though my inclination was to stay warm and dry inside!

Any tips to cope with the heat/humidity?

I've made sure I've got plenty of breathable cotton clothes and know to drink plenty of water, not sure if there's anything else I can do except take it easy and hope I get used to it :-)

drink plenty beer!

don't think u ever really get used to the humidity. One tip that worked for me was to try and keep the AC to a minimum and use fans to a maximum that way the difference when u go outside isn't so pronounced.