Planning for an Umrah trip this year? Let us help you with your research.

Umrah is the second most important ritual in Islam, after Hajj where one gets to visit the House of Allah and be close to Him. So naturally it is the most sought after and done ritual after Hajj, where those who weren’t able to book for Hajj can still experience the same feeling and spiritual experience somewhat. Performed almost the whole year without the timing restriction in Hajj,  Umrah is sought after for the whole year and the rush for visas is on its continual never-ending process. The month of Ramadan is especially jam-packed with pilgrims wanting to go to Makkah and Madinah perform Umrah.

When Should You Book Umrah?

For people wanting to go and having decided to go on this sacred journey, one of the main questions that arises is the most familiar one: “when should you book umrah offers with flights?”

The best time to apply for an umrah package is just after the end of Hajj, during the important months of Muharram and Safar and fill your Umrah visa application before the months preceding them. This ensures a hassle free experience for people wanting to go on Umrah. The months of Muharram and Safar are the beginning of the next season of Hajj and Umrah, therefore your visa application will be processed more efficiently and faster to go on your sacred journey quickly.

What is the Best Time to Perform Umrah?

Booking your Umrah package with flights in advance will help you go on a devotion-filled journey to Mecca and Medina fully comfortable and relaxed. There you can concentrate more on performing the rituals rather than getting swarmed in a sea of pilgrims and worrying about getting back to the hotel. Therefore, the new season after Hajj, April, May and the December holidays are the best times of the year to perform Umrah. You’ll get reasonable prices for hotels and accommodations while the rush of pilgrims cuts down to almost half the crowds one can see normally .

The Saudi Hajj ministry closes the umrah visas application process approximately 15 days before the end of Ramadan to prepare for the Hajj season and the crowds that come. If you wish to perform Umrah during Ramadan, then it’s better to book your umrah package with flights in advance by at least 4 months before Ramadan to ensure a relaxing and spiritually cleansing journey to the two holy cities.

Useful Tips before Leaving for Umrah

Performing Umrah is a physically drawing task, where one constantly has to travel here and there to perform all the rituals in this journey. So that’s why knowing some useful tips can  do wonders and keep your health up to speed and your morale up. Here are some tips such as:

Eating healthy and keeping your body hydrated before going on Umrah. It can go some miles in preventing you from becoming tired during this journey. Walk half an hour on a daily basis as you have to walk miles in Masjid al-Haram, so keeping your feet moving will help you a lot.

Saudi Arabia is generally a hot country but when it rains there the weather gets extremely cold. So by packing some warm clothes it can be a good idea to help one adjust to the weather as the nights are pretty cold in Mecca and Medina.

Buy a travel waist bag to keep your important belongings safe and a bottle of water from the airport and keep it with you. By the time you’ll enter Masjid al-Haram, it will be empty ready to be filled with Zam Zam water. Never leave for Umrah on an empty stomach. You need the energy to go there, perform rituals and prayers. So eat healthy and energy-boosting food before you leave. Avoid feeling lethargic and tired don’t go into the rush hours of ibadah, instead, calculate the time. Plan your day and ibadah to get the most from your sacred journey.