Australian Tourist Confused By M'sian Friend Who Asked Them To Pay For Accommodation
One user pointed out that asking people to pay for lodging at their home is not typical of Malaysian culture.
By Aqasha Nalani — 06 Jan 2023, 12:16 PM — Updated almost 2 years ago
An Australian tourist recently asked on Reddit if it is customary for Malaysians to charge their overseas guests for staying at their home
According to the post, the tourist has visited many friends from other countries in the past, but no one has ever asked them to pay for lodging while visiting a country.
Their Malaysian friend, on the other hand, requested that they pay for their accommodation because they intend to stay at her home for four days.
"So far, every other country and friend I've visited has never charged me for staying over when visiting their country. But I'm being charged in Malaysia. Is this a cultural norm?" the tourist asked.
The tourist wanted to ask their friend why they were being charged for staying over, but they decided it would be best to first ask other locals if this was a cultural norm
They went on to say that it is not customary in Australia to charge overseas friends for overnight stays, so they were hesitant to ask their friend about the overnight payment.
"Usually where I'm from, we wouldn't charge overseas friends for staying over. I'm afraid to say anything in case it's considered rude or disrespectful," they said.
Although the Australian found it strange, they said that they did not mind paying because the Malaysian friend is actually a close friend of theirs.
Malaysians who read the Reddit post also thought it was strange that the friend asked them to pay for staying over
One user pointed out that asking people to pay for lodging at their homes is not typical of Malaysian culture.
"I would be ashamed to charge even a single cent to any of my visiting friends," they said.
Another user commented that the tourist may have chosen the wrong type of friend because Malaysians usually honour visitors who come to their homes.
Meanwhile, another person suggested that if they were paying to stay at a friend's house, they might as well book a cheap hotel room.
The Australian expressed their eagerness to visit Malaysia soon after learning that charging tourists like them for their stay is not a cultural norm.
"Thanks for all your answers. Looking forward to visiting your country soon and tasting some great food that I heard about!" said the tourist.
Read their full post here.
