بِسۡمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ
Fearing ALLAH that is you are dreaming about for a quiet long time. But you are confused with with whom you want to go. Whom to select.
You may look out for references who already gone with that particular service, but most of the people who refer, for the sake of ALLAH azwajal may not tell you the downside of that travel agency, because the final word the travel person when leaving Madinah would have told them, “I you have any downs, please forgive us for the sake of ALLAH”.
وَأَتِمُّوا الْحَجَّ وَالْعُمْرَةَ لِلَّهِ
And perform properly, the Hajj and ‘Umrah for Allâh [Surah Al-Baqrah Chapter 2 Verse 196]
Depending upon whom the Umrah agent is here are some of the downs you may face
1. Travel Date:
The biggest problem with most of the Umrah agent is that until a few days before you will not know the travel date. Have to fight some times to get into a schedule for which you applied leave for.
2. PRICE VARIATION
At the time of your flight they may demand additional money and they may give excuses like suddenly exchange rate changed, dollar price changed.
3. Direct/ Transit flight
If you have a easemytrip or makemytrip app you will know that the cheapest fair may be selected, no matter how much hardships like unknown airports, food, losing sleep etc, they don’t care.
4. 500 meters from Haram
The Haram boundary is 300 meters. If they say it 500 meters, then you have to add that the total distance in reaching Kaba. so it would be 1Km less or more.
5. 3 Star Hotels
Even the best of hotels like Hilton don’t deserve the Star rating when you compare the same star rating in a different hotel. All you will get is a small room with maximum number of beds that the room can hold. A Umrah agent asked us to use shared toilet in a Deluxe package as that room didn’t have attached toilet. In Madinah the hotel was in a un usable condition and the next time i went i saw those hotels got demolished.
6. Condition of Transport for Local Ziyarah and to Madinah
Local Ziyarah in Makkah and Madinah will cost 10 riyals each in a bus, a similar one which you might have seen during Festival Holidays. Full of dust, AC vents not working etc.
7. Full South Indian food
Most of the days in buffet, they may have noodles, vermicelli and Rava Upma as south Indian food. I think they love minimalistic. But yeah these are south Indian. Tea may reach late so its usually you can have with breakfast. A Umrah service gave a lot of tea bags and a kettle per room, so that you don’t disturb them for tea.
In a Ramadhan Umrah food was finished up to 2:AM when the Sahur time was 4:30 AM.
8. Child/ Infant Policy
You should know how much they would charge for a child. For infant below 2years would still require a ticket but the infant ticket is very very low. Similarly 2-5 years child may not need a bed and flight ticket is also lower. 6-11 years may need a bed but again flight ticket concession should be transferred to you. Most Umrah agents will consider this also their profit.
9. Know the Cancellation Policy
Know that the cheap rated Air tickets as Non Refundable and Can’t even make a date change. Visa once endorsed also don’t get cancelled. So you know this policy well in advance
Exactly addressing these concerns we have www.goihram.com to easy your Umrah travels Insha Allah
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