I grew up listening to various Islamic stories related to our beloved Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and his Companions. Therefore, a visit to Mecca and Medina has always been my wish, and I completed umrah 2022 happily.
Umrah is one of the five pillars of Islam. The Umrah is a pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia. The most important aspect of the Umrah is the intention to do the Umrah. The question that occurs to many Umrah pilgrims is, how to complete Umrah ?
Umrah is my childhood dream, as children want to go to Disneyland. The reason for this childhood dream was my grandmother’s stories.
If you’re interested in visiting Makkah, you should know that you can get all the information you need to complete and enjoy your trip to Makkah. Here in “How did I complete Umrah 2022?“. I had good experience and tell you about my whole Travel experience about umrah .This will guide to visit this holy place.
How did I complete Umrah 2022?
It started one December night when I read an article on Umrah. I was shocked to know the cost of Umrah when I go through it because it was cheap. Then the next moment, I called a travel agent to confirm the cheap price of the January Umrah package. My expectation was right, then I immediately booked my package.
You can find best and cheap umrah packages around for you .
One must know the importance of this before embarking on any journey. Of course, Umrah is worship along with travel, and it is also a Sunnah of the Prophet. So we focus here: The Importance of Umrah.
What is Umrah ?
Umrah is one of the most popular Muslim pilgrimage, which is generally made in the month of Hajj. Even though it is the second-largest Islamic pilgrimage after Hajj, it is only included in the Hajj packages. The packages for umrah are the best to go to Makkah.
The Umrah is a journey of a lifetime and the best time to perform it is during the days of Ramadan
Importance of Umrah:
- Removal the Sins
- Equivalent to Jihad and Hajj
- Being a Guest of Allah
Every mosque in the world is the house of Allah. But you can imagine what a great achievement it would have been when one of you had stood in front of the Kaaba. Of course, this is beyond all our imagination.
From my knowledge, I came to know that there are 3 important aspects of Umrah that make our trip to Saudi Arabia special. Before planning for the umrah 2022 and ready to take packages for umrah, you should know about importance of umrah .
Why you go to umrah ?
The Umrah has been around for centuries, and each year many Muslims make the journey to Makkah for this annual religious rite
Jihad is a great act of worship, but it is not one of the five pillars of Islam. All Muslims must maintain the spirit of jihad. Whether it is a girl or an old man or a disabled person or a child, anyone can earn the same reward as jihad by Umrah.
Paradise is for the participant in worship like jihad, whether he is a martyr or alive. We are all sinning every day but every moment of life, but we are not aware of these sins.
According to the hadiths, Umrah removes all the sins of the past and present and removes poverty.
During the holy journey, you should have some necessary documents, luggage and information to make the journey easier. I hope sharing my knowledge will help every Umrah traveller.
Umrah Journey Requirements:
- Visa for umrah
- Airways
- Accommodations
- Transport
- Guide
Now let’s know about umrah journey requirements one by one. This will make you more understandable and easy for planning umrah 2022 travel.
Umrah Visa:
Visa is a permit to enter abroad. Therefore, it is a basic need of Umrah. You have two options when it comes to Saudi visas; an Umrah visa and a visit visa.
Umrah Visa enables permissible Umrah pilgrimage to be got into there without the need to obtain a national visa.
The travel agency can help to get visa to umrah easily. Some provide free and some may take certain amount that they include in umrah packages.
What is visa to umrah?
Umrah visa is valid for 30 days only, while a visit visa is valid for one year. People can perform Umrah on a visit visa without any hindrance. Before the start of Umrah in 2021, Umrah visa holders could not visit the entire country. But for umrah 2022 travel, Saudi Arabia has opened its doors to umrah travellers from every corner of the kingdom since March 2022.
What is my recommendation for a visit visa or Umrah visa?
I suggest that the visit visa is a better option because of the easing of the period. I contacted 10 to 20 travel companies regarding an Umrah visa, but all of them suggested a tourist visa for me.
I booked my Umrah package 2022 from one of them but due to the insistence of various travel companies, my mind changed from an Umrah visa to a tourist visa. But I left the country within 15 days due to the pressure of my job.
Airways:
I booked the January Umrah package because it was cheaper. But my package later became a little more expensive, with an increase of $100. First, I chose my direct Saudi airline flight from Manchester to Jeddah. But because of the $100 increase, I travelled directly to Jeddah via Qatar Airways.
Before leaving your country, you will not need a negative PCR test report within 72 hours. Because this restriction has been removed. Now go to your airport and leave your country without presenting a medical certificate.
Accommodations:
Accommodation is a basic requirement to make your trip memorable. So, I booked the nearest 5-star hotel – Pullman Zamzam Mecca Hotel because it was within my budget.
Remember: a 5-star hotel in Saudi Arabia is never like a 5-star hotel in the UK, but it is better. During my stay in Makkah, I performed 3 Umrahs in 5 days. So I booked the nearest hotel to Mecca, but I booked a 4-star hotel for Medina.
My experience suggests you, if you travel with family, book the nearest hotel as opposed to the star count figures. Umrah package is also one of the best option to take.
A family consists of elders, children and women. Therefore, your child or the eldest member of the family may not be able to move with you towards Al-Haram or Al-Nabawi as it is possible for you, because of the age difference.
Transport:
Muslims visit the two most important cities (Mecca and Medina) and their environs. If you have the right information to get cheap and correct transport, then your Umrah visit will be easy to complete. Umrah packages in group would cost you less, and it would be enjoyable with good group .
Nowadays, there are many online transport services available. What is best for you, and how is this possible? The best answer is to not carry any transport load on your shoulders. Because you can get cheap umrah packages and complete air-conditioned transport for packages to umrah on all the desired routes.
Guide:
When you are planning a trip to Makkah or Madinah, especially if you are a first-time visitor, you are likely confused about the various options available to you. Umrah guide help can be taken .
The purpose of the guide is to help you find the right path. Although, I was going to perform Umrah for the first time in my life. So, I was a little nervous.
But the stories I heard from my childhood guided me at every turn of the Umrah journey. Here, you should seek the help of your travel agent, as I did. My agent was a very nice man who helped a lot.
Now visitors can easily perform any Umrah under the guidance of Saudi scholars who are available there 24/7 hours.
My journey has been very memorable for me because everything went well during my journey. The method of Umrah is the same as that performed by our beloved Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). But the rules and regulations change from time to time for a variety of reasons.
The Saudi government had banned Umrah from February 2020 and the ban on Umrah lasted for 2 years. But now, everyone can perform Umrah in 2022.
My Suggestion:
Cheap Umrah packages and the best travel agency will make your trip wonderful for Umrah 2022 . Therefore, be sure to check the agency’s ATOL number on the official ATOL website. You can find lots of packages to umrah nearby your surroundings. You can also find the best packages to umrah by searching online from different search engines . They are easy to find. You can also Travel with Your Child, Can find the packages for it .
Try to get 10 to 15 quotations for Umrah packages. If an agency offer you a package at a cheaper price, but it is not secured by ATOL, do not take the risk.
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