Before you fly
- Check your passport has at least six months left from your arrival date, not your booking date
- Get the MenACWY vaccination at least ten days before departure — GP or travel clinic
- Confirm your visa route and that your Nusuk permit has been issued
- Pack unscented toiletries, an ihram (men), comfortable sandals, and any medication in its original packaging
- Take a printed copy of your hotel address in Arabic — useful when a taxi driver does not read English
At the UK airport
Most groups meet before check-in rather than at the gate. Many pilgrims change into ihram at home or at the airport prayer room, since changing on the aircraft is possible but cramped.
Crossing the miqat
The aircraft crosses the miqat before landing at Jeddah, and the captain usually announces it. Make your intention and begin the talbiyah before that point. If you are unsure of the timing, ask your group leader — they will have done this many times.
Arrival and Makkah
Immigration at Jeddah can be slow, particularly in peak season. Your transfer meets you after customs; the road journey to Makkah is roughly an hour and a half.
Most groups perform Umrah after checking in and resting briefly. Going straight from a night flight into tawaf and sa‘i is possible, but three kilometres of walking on no sleep defeats a fair number of people.
Madinah
The transfer to Madinah takes around five hours by road, or under three by high-speed rail where included. Ziyarat covers Quba Mosque, Masjid al-Qiblatayn and Uhud, and is generally arranged over a morning.
The Rawdah requires its own permit through the Nusuk app, with allocated time slots. Book it as soon as your dates are fixed — slots go quickly.
Where people come unstuck
- Underestimating the walking. Sa‘i alone is around three kilometres, on top of everything else
- Perfumed toiletries bought at duty free, in ihram
- Not booking the Rawdah slot early
- Excess baggage on the way home, from Zamzam and gifts
- Assuming the hotel is as close as the listing implied — check the distance in metres before you book