How to Make Packages for Umrah from UK Affordable

Every year, many Muslims from different parts of the United Kingdom make their journey to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to perform Umrah, which is also known as the 'lesser pilgrimage' or 'minor pilgrimage'. It is slightly different from the major pilgrimage of Hajj, which is obligatory for all Muslims and among Islam's five pillars. The lesser pilgrimage is not compulsory and can be performed at any time of the year, while the major pilgrimage is performed in the month of Dhu al-Hijjah. Another great difference between the two pilgrimages is that Umrah can be performed within a few hours owing to the lesser number of rituals involved.

There was a time when Muslims residing in the UK had to depend on a few travel agents for making the journey to the holy city for performing their minor pilgrimage. As the long journey involved a significant amount of cost, many of them had to keep postponing their plans for performing the pilgrimage. In recent times, many of the tour operators specialising in the Islamic religious tours offer Umrah packages from UK, which makes the journey much more affordable for the country's Muslims. Upon booking one of them, Muslims of the UK can make their journey easy and cost-effective.

The Umrah packages UK tour operators provide can be made even more budget-friendly by booking them several months in advance. When these packages are booked in advance, the prospective pilgrims can have a tremendous amount of savings, which can be utilised during their time spent in the holy city. They can choose to visit all the important Islamic sites or buy attractive souvenirs from the local markets with the amount saved. However, before booking the packages several months early, they have to be absolutely certain about their date of departure and the number of days they wish to stay in Makkah.

While searching packages for Umrah from UK online, Muslims of the country would come across a variety of options. Before booking a suitable package for performing the lesser pilgrimage, they must verify the authenticity of the tour operator. Only the travel agents and tour operators authorised by the Hajj Ministry of Saudi Arabia can provide the Umrah packages. The prospective pilgrims must also go through the reviews of the tour operator posted online by the pilgrims who have used its service in the past. After carefully considering all these aspects, they can decide which tour operator would be the best for them.

All those Muslims for whom budget is not a concern can go for the high-end packages offered by the tour operators. They are usually placed in the category of 5-star packages on the websites of tour operators, as the accommodation provided for pilgrims in them are usually in the elegant 5-star hotels of Makkah. The modern amenities offered in these hotels would make their stay truly pleasant and memorable. Most of these hotels are located very close to the Masjid al-Haram and this gives pilgrims great convenience in getting to the holy mosque and performing all the rituals of Umrah with complete peace of mind.

Pilgrims from the UK can have an unforgettable stay in the holy city by booking a full month Ramadan package.

I'm Safeena, and I work as a content strategist for Simply Hajj and Umrah, which provides cost-effective Umrah packages for December, January, Easter and Ramadan.