Umrah is a sacred journey filled with enormous spiritual benefits and massive rewards. That’s why Muslims from all over the world travel to the holiest sites on Earth to perform Umrah and attain closeness to Allah. British Muslims are also among such devotees who look for lucrative Umrah packages from the UK to fulfil their desire to travel to these holy sites.
However, there are several Muslims who can be a little out of budget for Umrah. If you’re one such UK Muslim then this article is intended for you. We’ll share important insights from a UK Umrah travel agent to perform pilgrimage on a budget. As a bonus, we’ll also share the best group Umrah deals that are cheaper for certain pilgrims.
So, let’s begin...!
There is a lot you can do to perform Umrah on a limited budget according to this travel agent we chatted with. So let’s learn directly from him what you can do to save capital on Umrah:
First, you need to know the obvious fact. Travel agencies operate on profits like any other business. They earn those profits by not sharing the details of the package. For instance, suppose you’re looking for an Umrah deal for Ramadan. The agent will share the services included in your chosen deals and the total charges at the end but he will never share the price for each service. This way, he can keep profits for his company and the customer never knows how much profit the agent has kept for his company.
The minimum profit any travel agent tries to keep is £50 and the maximum can vary with changes that the customer demands. However, how much profit a company keeps varies for each travel agency. Thus, you can research Umrah deals provided by different travel agencies and find out which one is providing the cheapest.
Here’s another important tip from the UK Umrah travel agent: Contact travel agents of as many travel agencies as you can. Suppose the maximum economical Umrah deal you find is £1,000 from one of the agencies while the other company provides it for £950. You can contact the former company and share the quotation for this Umrah deal. There is a high chance that the agent will reduce his package price from £1,000£ to £900. This is the best way to find the cheapest deals possible.
There are a few services that you can compromise on if you want to save more money. For instance, if you have visited different ziyarat spots in your previous Umrah trip then perhaps you can skip on them for your next one.
Meals are another service you can exclude from your package as several hotels provide complementary breakfasts. Plus, you can acquire meals easily in hotels and several nearby eateries at more economical prices.
Similarly, while booking tickets for transfer services, you can book bus tickets from Jeddah to Mecca and Medina to Medina to Medina Airport. You can skip Mecca to Medina transfer service as it is pricey. Instead, you can travel by train which way more economical than a bus or cab.
Whether it’s a private or group Umrah tour you’re going for, first, select the time of the year that is most economical. The start of November to the first half of December, the end of January, the post-Ramadan and pre-Hajj seasons, and the eve of Easter prove to be ideal durations to embark on Umrah.
The crowd is relatively less in these months so hotel and travel rates also get lower. You can book a luxury hotel at the price of an economical one which is rare, except in these months. So consider these durations if you’re looking for economical Umrah.
If you’re an individual or two persons going for Umrah then select group Umrah over private. Group Umrah deals are best for a maximum of two pilgrims. In a group Umrah deal, choosing a quad room is economically wise.
The reason is that a quad room is shared by four individuals. This way, the rent is shared between four stayers which proves highly economical for all four pilgrims. Want to know what are the best group Umrah deals you can opt for? Keep reading until the next section and find out.
Flight prices vary a lot for each airline. Air travel companies like Saudi, Turkish, or British Airways are costly. Instead, you can choose Royal Jordanian, Egypt, or Gulf Airlines. These three are far cheaper than the former air travel companies so you can save a lot on your budget.
If you can compromise on arrival time then book an in-direct or connecting flight instead of a direct one. There are 1 to 3 stopovers on the way and the in-direct flight with maximum stopovers is available at a minimum rate.
The third way to make your Umrah package cheaper is by making bookings at least 2 to 3 months before travelling. To elevate your chances of finding cheaper rates, you can reserve 6 months maximum before departure.
The airports from where you depart and arrive vary in travel rates. One airport can be steeper than the other. So, if you’re a UK Muslim for instance, then you can choose Gatwick or Stansted airports as they are more economical than several others.
Although there are various Umrah deals offered by travel agencies each year, we’ll share the best 3 group Umrah deals that consistently remain in demand every year. These include:
· December Group Umrah Deals: The crowd is less and hotel and flight rates are low in the first half of December. The second half of this month is the onset of the Christmas holiday season in Europe which extends to the first week of January. It is also winter season so you can opt for December group Umrah deals and easily perform the pilgrimage, worship, and explore ziyarat spots in pleasant weather.
· February Umrah Deals: Spring half-term school holidays occur in Europe and the UK during February. Therefore, you can perform Umrah with elders or kids by opting for February group Umrah deals.
· Easter Umrah Deals: The Easter break is going to commence in April next year. This is another ideal time to carry out Umrah for UK and European Muslims along with their families. Although fares can be quite high for Easter Umrah as most Western Muslims head to the holy sites. However, you can lower charges by booking deals months in advance.
Like a large number of Muslims from across the world, British Muslims also desire to perform Umrah. However, several intending pilgrims looking for Umrah deals at economical rates can follow the aforementioned tips shared by a British Umrah travel agent to find the cheapest Umrah packages from the UK.
Muslims Holy Travel is one of the top travel agencies operating in the UK, known for seamless services and a wide array of Umrah plans. So, you can contact us and make your dream of performing Umrah true while remaining within budget.
