Ways to Book Umrah Packages with Great Convenience

by Safeena Rahman Travel Addict

An Islamic pilgrimage undertaken by millions of Muslims every year, Umrah is often referred to as the 'lesser pilgrimage' or the 'minor pilgrimage'. This is mainly due to the fact that the major pilgrimage in Islam is Hajj, which is also among its five pillars. It is mandatory for all the able-bodied and financially capable Muslims to perform this pilgrimage at least once in their lifetime. However, there is no such obligation with regards to Umrah. It can be performed at any time during the year and is usually accomplished within a few hours.

There was a time when Muslims across the world had to rely on the local travel agent to get their journey to the holy city of Makkah arranged. As they rarely had other options to choose from, they had to go with the total cost quoted by their agent. However, today the individuals intending to perform their lesser pilgrimage have several options in terms of Umrah packages and the tour operators providing them. Considering their overall budget, they can choose a particular tour operator or travel company and select the most suitable package from the ones that are available with them.

Internet usage across the world has increased to a great extent and this has empowered millions of Muslims globally to choose a suitable package for their Umrah. They can now browse through the websites of the tour operators or travel companies using their smartphones and select the most appropriate package from all the available ones on such sites. As these websites are mobile-friendly, the prospective pilgrims can also fill up the online forms given on most of these websites, providing all the required details, such as name, email ID, number of pilgrims, and the date of departure. Upon receiving the details, service representatives from the tour operators or travel companies call or message them to confirm their booking.

Registering with these travel companies or tour operators using their websites or signing up online would be a great way of receiving alerts on some excellent deals and special offers on packages. Such offers give all the prospective pilgrims registered with these sites the chance to reduce the cost of their packages to a considerable extent. However, they must get the package booked within a specific period mentioned in the email or text message as such deals or special offers expire after a certain date.

Booking several months in advance is yet another excellent way of reducing the overall cost of their journey to the holy city of Makkah. Most of the tour operators allow Muslims intending to perform their Umrah to book their desired package well in advance. However, the prospective pilgrims must decide their date of departure and a few other aspects of the journey much earlier, such as the number of days they intend to spend in Makkah. Once they have decided the dates, they must go ahead and book their chosen package immediately, as the cost of packages tend to increase as the date of departure gets closer.