By: Ramia Abdo Sultan
Source: MuslimVillage
My husband and I had been talking about taking our three girls to Umrah for several years at this stage. This year we finally decided to take the plunge with our girls aged 10, 8 and 5.
All in all, the experience was a positive one alhamdulilah. If I had to rate it from a logistical perspective, I would give it 9/10. In terms of my own spiritual achievements (comparing it to when I had performed Umrah without the children), I would rate it 7/10- which is beyond what I expected.
For the benefit of others, and for my future reference, I have decided to list some key tips/recommendations for those thinking about traveling to the Holy cities with young children.
Of course, there would be many other suggestions that others could also add (based on their own experiences) – and feel free to share. But, these are my personal tips.
Things to think about when planning:
- Travel dates: End Dec – mid Jan (5 days in Madina/9 days in Makkah)
*This was a good time to travel since it was said to be busy in Makkah and Madina throughout December.
- Airlines: We travelled using Qatar airways which was child friendly. I would rate it 8/10.
*Try checking in a day or two before flights and reserve your seats especially if you have a larger family. Avoid sitting close to lavatories as it can interrupt children’s sleep throughout the flight.
Previously we travelled with Etihad, and Emirates which were also child friendly.
- Baggage: each person was allowed 30 kg. Now, although we did not need 5 suitcases (medium and large sized), I decided to pack 5. Now- get this! One suitcase was ENTIRELY dedicated to snacks! And with younger children, you will need plenty of snacks. Yep! I know. It sounds insane. It’s not as if Saudi Arabia did not have any snacks. But the way I thought of it was that I personally did not want to waste time looking for snacks that my children may or may not And besides, I packed in a way that by the time the trip came to an end- all snacks consumed- and the bag could be used to fill up with purchased items/gifts! So, it was perfect alhamdulilah. *Recommended food items that were really handy: tuna, noodle cups, Nutella, cheese spread, jam, Le Snacs, Oreo sticks, Milk Poppers, treats (esp lolly pops), pretzels, shapes, chips, chewing gum, etc. In terms of fruits & veggies, you could purchase what you need whilst there.
- Group: We booked through a group who proved to be extremely helpful and hospitable alhamdulilah. We spent most of our time on our own however as it was more flexible with the children. Nevertheless, be sure to participate in all site seeing and visits as a group, and attend talks delivered by group leader or shaykh which are highly beneficial.
*Depending on size of group etc, we decided to hire a GMC (a massive 4wD style car) for our actual Umrah trip, whereby the driver picked us up from Madina at 7.30am, and reached Makkah at 12pm in time for Dhuhr prayer. We were able to finish our Umrah by Asr. Going on your own is quicker and much more comfortable especially with younger children.
- Accommodation: We chose to book our own accommodation as well since we knew where we wanted to stay, in terms of location and convenience especially with younger children.
*Recommended accommodation suitable for families with children, and close to the Haramain (we booked through Wotif and Agoda):
Madina- Elaf Tayba – book a 2 bedroom suite with Masjid Alnabawi view, and including an open buffet breakfast is highly recommended.
Makkah- The Fairmont – inside clock tower- book 2 bedroom suite with Ka’aba views, and including an open buffet breakfast is highly recommended.
- Expectations: As humans, we at times expect maximum results without assessing the reality of the situation. This could at times lead to major disappointment. This is where hikma (wisdom) is essential. As a parent (especially as a mother), I highly recommend that you slightly lower the bar in terms of your own spiritual achievements and the childrens’ and instead reflect on the overall objectives or purpose of your trip:
- To disconnect from the demands of the dunia and somewhat reconnect/refill your own spiritual jug and erase all your sins (insha Allah);
- To expose your children to the holy cities and trigger a connection with the Ka’aba in Makkah and Masjid Al-Nabawi in Madina;
- To connect as a family in the most blessed place on Earth.
Alhamdulilah, we managed to catch 90% of salah inside the Haram and Masjid al-Nabawi. In Makkah, our daily routine involved us praying Fajr, stay sitting until duha prayer, then doing tawaf around 8/8:30 a.m. which was a good time for that. We would then return to hotel, have breakfast and rest until Dhuhr. Depending on how busy it is, it is always better to be in the mosque at least half an hour before the adhan. Also, depending on the children’s mood and enthusiasm, we would assess what other times are suitable to remain in the mosque (e.g. at times we would stay from Asr until Maghrib, other times, we would stay between Maghrib and Isha).
Now, if you don’t have the chance to do this daily, (e.g. kids too tired especially for Fajr etc.) it’s fine. Try your best to catch as many prayers inside the mosque of course, but for the times you cannot and will be at the hotel, then do something else, whether on your own or with your children. Alternative activities would include things like additional prayers, dhikir, Quran recitation, reading through a seerah book (I took a copy of “When the Moon Split” and would give the girls background info on places and locations surrounding us. I highly recommend this).
Now for a list of some recommended items that I found useful. This is not an exhaustive list, but rather, a list of items that I would consider packing alongside my usual travel items:
- Small backpack: to put snacks etc. inside whenever going to pray.
- Water bottles (the Sistema 330ml perfectly fit under the Zamzam water dispensers to be refilled).
- Pram/umbrella stroller (for very young children). Just note however, you cannot go inside Masjid Al Nabawi in Madina with a pram and need to pray in courtyard and same goes for Makkah.
- Spare phones to use a Saudi sim. It is very important that you and your partner have a Saudi number.
- Travel wallet/passport holder (*you will be flashing your passports often. To make the process easier, I stuck our initials on the back each of our passports to make the process easier as to who’s passport is who’s.
- Laundry powder (for quick hand washing small items).
- Hats/sunscreen.
- Necessary meds especially diarrhea meds, asthma meds, Panadol, Neurofen etc.
- Sunglasses (for both you and the children).
- Small portable peg clothes hanger.
- Hand sanitizer.
- Slip on beach shoes – for both you and the kids. Found them handy when the kids didn’t feel like wearing their sport shoes. Also, I took their thongs (flip-flops), but preferred them wearing socks and closed shoes most times.
- Small blanket (similar to ones on the plane). Found it handy to carry in backpack in case kids wanted to nap whilst at mosque etc.
- Light entertainment: colouring books/pencils (were very handy especially in Madina). Ipads etc. can be useful, but my kids did not use them – there was no time.
- Wrist labels (with your details on there for your children to wear).
- Comfortable cotton clothes. My girls weren’t in abayat the entire time. They were at times in loose comfy pants and long tops. Also, the one-piece hijabs (various colours) are highly recommended. Avoid letting them wear hijabs with pins as it could injure them if pulled etc..
- Child friendly dua books, seerah book, pocket sized quran, tasbeeh counter, tawaf counter (all these available in abundance in Saudi).
General tips:
- Try to ensure each of your children go to the bathroom before you leave the hotel room. Although we did not have major toilet issues alhamdulilah, children can be spontaneous and may need to go. It is always better to go back to the hotel room, but if that is difficult, using the Haram toilets is not a big deal. Be sure to carry pocket tissues, wipes and sanitiser with you, and it should be fine.
- Try to give your children a treat every so often, especially if they have been well behaved. You want them to stay motivated and excited.
- Whilst in Madina, try to visit the various exhibitions and land marks etc.
- Whilst in Makkah, try to visit the hajj sites as you will never get the chance to see them this quiet!! A good chance to show your children these sites as well.
- Let the kids run around and play in the masjid (in between prayer times and under your watchful eyes). Children are very creative and find interesting ways of entertaining themselves – running, returning small chairs back to the holder, fixing the Qur’an shelves, chasing cats, etc.
- Bring back Zamzam. Each person is entitled to bring back a 5L bottle of Zamzam. So, try to bring back as much as you can, especially if you are returning straight back home. This can be purchased at Jeddah Airport as you depart.
Insha Allah these tips will be of use to you, and you have a blessed Umrah trip.
As mentioned previously, the above tips are very general and not exhaustive. They are tips tailored for those hoping to perform Umrah with young children. For more details and tips, feel free to email me on umrahwithchildren@gmail.com and I am happy to assist further.
Please keep the ummah and my family in your Dua. May Allah Most High accept all our efforts.
