Umrah Packages Has Now Become Affordable for Many Muslims

by Safeena Rahman Travel Addict

Umrah is one of the Islamic pilgrimages that the Muslims perform by visiting the holy city of Makkah located in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia from their place of residence. It is not a mandatory pilgrimage for the Muslims, but since it is the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), it is given great significance in Islam. This is the reason why millions of pilgrims from different corners of the world visit Makkah every year to fulfil their dream of performing this pilgrimage. It can be accomplished at any time of the year and can be usually completed within a few hours.

In the past, Muslims had to depend on one of the local travel agents to get their journey to the holy city arranged. It involved a greater amount of cost and the journey was especially costlier to those residing in countries at a greater distance from Saudi Arabia. Owing to this reason, many of them had to postpone their plans of performing the pilgrimage. Today, the Umrah packages offered by many tour operators or travel companies specialising in the Islamic religious tours have made the journeys to Makkah easy and affordable for numerous pilgrims.

As most of the tour operators offering such packages have taken their business online and list all the available packages on their mobile-friendly websites, it has become convenient for the Muslims to browse through all the available packages. Once they have found a package best suited to their budget, they can go ahead and make their booking. If they book a package several months in advance, they would also get a significant amount of discount. The amount saved can then be utilised during their time spent in the holy city of Makkah for visiting all the important Islamic sites and for buying attractive souvenirs from the local shopping centres.

The popular search engines can also be used by the prospective pilgrims in finding a particular package that suits their budget. Upon searching online for their desired package, they would get many options in the search results. All they have to do next is compare the most suitable ones from the results and select the best one among them. However, before booking the package, they also have to verify whether the tour operator offering it has been authorised by the Hajj Ministry of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Another important factor that they must consider before making their booking is the number of years that the company has been in operation.

For those who are not concerned about budgets, there are certain high-end packages offered by tour operators that give them the chance to make their journey to Makkah extremely comfortable. Such packages are usually placed in the category of five-star by many of the tour operators on their websites. They provide accommodation in five-star hotels of Makkah located extremely close to the Masjid al-Haram. A stay in any of these hotels would not only give pilgrims access to world-class amenities but would also make it convenient for them to get to the holy mosque for their Umrah.