Sharon Gourlay

Sharon Gourlay

Founder of Dive Into Malaysia

Expertise Malaysia travel, travel planning, travel booking

Education Bachelor of Arts in Asian Studies from Griffith University, Certificate III in International Travel Sales from AFTA Education and Training, Graduate Diploma of Education from Monash University

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Highlights:

  • Featured in many publications including USA Today, Qantas, Families Magazine Australia, Daily Mail and more
  • Speaker at numerous travel blogging conferences including Travel Blog Exchange (Tbex), Travel Blogging Summit and Travel Massive and is well known in the travel blogging community
  • Holds a BA in Asian studies including the Malay language, teaching and travel agent qualifications

Experience:

Sharon first fell in love with Malaysia in 2004 when she travelled up the west coast, eating everything available. This was further affirmed in 2015 when Sharon and her family, including two young kids, moved to Penang for a year. She doesn’t think anywhere could be better to live.

Sharon has travelled to 98 countries and spent many years of her life exploring the globe. This has lead to many skills from quickly working out the best way to travel from A to B to finding the best hotel. These days she primarily travels with her 3 children currently aged from 7 – 13 years old so she also has many family travel kid wrangling skills!

Sharon completed an arts degree majoring in Asian Studies at Griffith University. This included studying the Malay language and she loves learning more about the history and culture in this part of the world.

Her favourite part of Malaysia is Penang, closely followed by East Malaysia or Borneo as it’s often called.

When not writing for this site, Sharon is out exploring the world and everything Malaysia.

Education:

Sharon’s educational background enables her to share and teach you how to plan your own trip to Malaysia as easily as possible. Her travel qualification enables her to work as a qualified travel agent and has meant she has learned many tips and tricks for booking travel. Her teaching qualification helps her explain it all to you here.

Her humanities degree has helped her love of everything history, language and culture and grown her appreciation for this part of the world.

You can read more about Sharon and her family here.

Sharon’s Guides To Malaysia

Walking through Taman Negara

EXACTLY How To Get From Cameron Highlands To Taman Negara [2024]

Need to know how to go from Cameron Highlands to Taman Negara? Taking a bus, taxi, or a car to…

Koh Lipe

Top 10 Awe-Inspiring Things To Do In Koh Lipe [Don’t Miss Them!]

Heading to beautiful southern Thailand and want to know all the best things to do in Koh Lipe? We have…

Koh Lipe

Where To Stay In Koh Lipe Revealed: Every Area, Every Budget🏝️

Heading to Koh Lipe? Lucky you! Whether you are dropping by as a side trip from Langkawi or as part…

Ferry from Telaga to Koh Lipe

EXACTLY How To Go From Langkawi To Koh Lipe [2024]: Hot Tips To Save You Time

Want to island hop from Malaysia to Thailand or vice versa? This is entirely possible and quite straightforward. We’ll show…

Penang accommodation batu ferringhi beach

Exactly Where To Stay In Penang Island [2024] Best Places🏝️

Wondering where to stay in Penang? Read our guide to the best areas and the best place to stay in…

Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque, Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei

Ferry Brunei To Labuan⛴️: Exact Details! [2024]

Need to know how to take the ferry Brunei to Labuan? Read our complete step-by-step guide all about taking the…

Sunway Lagoon

The Most Fun In KL? Sunway Lagoon Review [2024]

Thinking about going to Sunway Lagoon? This massive theme park just outside Kuala Lumpur is worth adding to your list!…

Central Johor Bahru

Best Budget Hotel In Johor Bahru [2024]

List of the best budget hotel in Johor Bahru options. Click here for a comparison of each cheap hotel in…

Mari Mari Cultural Village Kota Kinabalu

Perfect Kota Kinabalu Itinerary For 2 – 5 Days [2024]

Looking for the best Kota Kinabalu itinerary? Find our perfect step-by-step plan for 2-5 days including all the best things…

Our seats

Jetstar Business Class Review✈️: Is It Worth It? [2024]

Is Jetstar business class really business class? A full Jestar business class review on this cost saving option after flying…

The window seat is fully reclined with the foot rest all the way up. The aisle seat is fully upright. Not much of a difference

Scoot Business Class Review✈️: ScootPlus [2024]

Thinking about flying ScootPlus, Scoot’s business class? Read our full Scoot Business Class Review here before you book!

AirAsia, Penang International Airport

Best Hotel Near Penang Airport [2024]

Looking for a CLOSE hotel near Penang Airport? Here are all the closest and best options for a Penang Airport…

Tun Sakaran Marine Park tropical island Bohey Dulang Island Semporna

Top 13 Fun Things To Do In Semporna [2024]

Have the ultimate Semporna trip with this guide of all the fun things to do in Semporna so you can…

where to stay in Langkawi beach Andaman

Best Luxury Langkawi Hotels – 5 Star Choices For Everyone! [2024]

Looking for the best Langkawi 5 star hotel? Click here for our list of the best luxury Langkawi hotels choices…

Legoland Malaysia The Great Lego Race VR Coaster

CLOSEST Hotels Near Legoland Johor Bahru, Malaysia [2024]

List of the cheapest and best hotels near Legoland Johor Bahru. Click here for all the cheapest and best options…

Kuala Lumpur hotel infinity pool

12 Best Kuala Lumpur Infinity Pool Hotel Options! [2024]

Nothing is better than staying in a top Kuala Lumpur infinity pool hotel! Here’s our top 12 choices of the…

Tioman Salang - Malaysia collab

Best Resort In Tioman Island [2024]: Where To Stay In Tioman Island For The Best Trip Ever!

Looking for the best resort in Tioman Island Malaysia? Click here for all the best options for where to stay…

things to do in port dickson

Top 19 Absolute Best Things To Do In Port Dickson [2024]

Visiting Port Dickson? Read our full guide to things to do in Port Dickson including beaches, Ostrich Farm, Army Museum…

Pantai Cermin Port Dickson beach

The Best Port Dickson Beach: Everything You Need To Know! [2024]

The main reason people come to Port Dickson is the beach. Find the best beach options here!

Bukit Bintang KL

Best Hotels In Bukit Bintang [2024]

Looking for the best hotels in Bukit Bintang? Click here for our list of the best options for a hotel…

Sultan Ibrahim Jamek Mosque Muar

EXACTLY How To Go From KL To Muar [2024]

Need to know how to go from KL to Muar? Taking a train, bus, taxi or car is described here…

Legoland Malaysia Miniland

EXACTLY How To Go From Legoland To Desaru [2024]

Need to know how to go from Legoland to Desaru? Taking a bus, taxi or car is described here in…

TBS (Terminal Bersepadu Selatan) in KL

EXACTLY How To Get From Kuala Lumpur To Cameron Highlands✅[2024]

Need to know how to get from Kuala Lumpur to Cameron Highlands? Taking a bus, taxi, train or car is…

Mountain Road on Cameron Highlands, Pahang

EXACTLY How To Go From Ipoh To Cameron Highlands [2024]

Need to know how to go from Ipoh to Cameron Highlands? Taking a bus, taxi, or a personal car to…