Many tour operators are providing a variety of Umrah packages to their clients all across the globe. People normally hire travel agents to make the Umrah application procedure smooth and time-saving. In this way, pilgrims experience minimum fatigue with an all-inclusive Umrah bundle. Travel agencies undertake the responsibility of all facilities that are imperative for your peace of mind during your stay for Umrah. However, you don’t need to acquire the services of a travel agent. Though, it is pain-taking, yet possible for you to manage all your Umrah related affairs without involving any travel agent. Here are a few things you need to handle when you do not hire any travel agent.

Securing Accommodation for Umrah

The Internet has now changed the dynamics of many things in the world. Thus, there is a paradigm shift in the travel and tourism industry as well. You can easily reserve your housing in Saudi Arabia for your Umrah days. Nowadays, there are numerous hotels available with the system of online reservations. Therefore, you can easily contact, pay, and pre-book for your accommodation.

Securing Inter-city and Intra-city transport

There are several ways to sort out the problem of transportation. You can contact and hire different transporters to help you in handling your transport issues. Besides private transporters, you can also utilize public transport for this purpose which is fatigue-causing, yet cheap.

Arranging Air Tickets

You can easily access and book your air tickets from online websites or by visiting offices of any of the trusted air carriers. Plus, you can also check the flight schedule and ticket price on the website to make the best choice in your interest.

Applying for Umrah Visa

This is the most crucial part of the entire procedure. A Visa application can be approved if you conform to the visa policy issued by the Saudi government. However, Visa cannot be directly applied without involving travel agent in most of the countries. You are advised to read the visa policy rigorously to avoid rejection, specific eligibility criteria, and rules and regulations for pilgrims. The Visa policy can be read on the official website of the Saudi Ministry of Hajj. Once you are sure that you are eligible by all means, you can contact any approved travel agent to apply for a visa without acquiring a complete Umrah package. In that case, you only need to pay for the Umrah visa fee while the rest of the arrangements are to be made on your own.

Important Instructions for people not involving travel agents

To be precise, it is not mandatory for anyone to hire a travel agent for the Umrah trip. However, this is sometimes risky too, because you are more vulnerable to online scams and frauds. There are precautionary measures to be on the safe side.

  • Make sure all your dealings are with trusted and authorized service providers.
  • Be aware of online scams when booking for hotels and air tickets.
  • Request your hotel manager to send you an arrival voucher.
  • Do not give your personal details to an unauthorized person.
  • Pay for visas to only approved travel agents.