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You can prepare for Hajj or Umrah for months. You can watch videos of Masjid al-Haram, study maps of Makkah and see the Ka’bah countless times on television and social media. But none of that fully prepares you for the moment you enter Masjid al-Haram yourself. I learned that during Hajj in 2026. I thought […]

There are places you spend years seeing in photographs, videos and prayer mats, yet nothing really prepares you for standing there yourself. Masjid al-Haram is one of those places. You may have watched the Ka’bah live on television hundreds of times. You may know what Tawaf looks like. You may have read about Maqam Ibrahim,

“How much spending money should I take for Umrah?” It sounds like a simple question. You might expect an answer such as: £500. Or perhaps: £1,000. But neither figure means very much without knowing what your pilgrimage package already includes. One person may have flights, hotels, breakfast, airport transfers and transport between Makkah and Madinah

Should you take cash to Saudi Arabia for Hajj or Umrah, or simply use your bank card? For a first-time pilgrim, this can become surprisingly confusing. You may hear one person say: “Don’t bother taking much cash. I used my card everywhere.” Then somebody else tells you: “Make sure you have Saudi riyals with you.”

You have paid for your flights. Your hotel is booked. Transport has been arranged. You have worked out roughly how much you will spend on food. Then somebody asks: “How much money are you taking for shopping?” And suddenly another part of the Hajj or Umrah budget appears. Shopping isn’t the purpose of pilgrimage, but

You can explain Hajj step by step. You can write a packing list. You can compare flights, hotels, SIM cards and transport. You can explain Ihram, Tawaf, Sa’i, Mina, Arafat and Muzdalifah. All of that matters. But there is another side of pilgrimage that is much harder to put into a checklist. What does it