Wa iyyaki! Glad it was beneficial

Walaikum asalam wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh, thank you for sharing

Walaykumsalam wrt. Thank you very much for your info

Thank you so much, wa iyyakum

Alhamdulillah, I'm glad it was of benefit ❤️

First and foremost... KN95, KF94, or N95 masks! Second, not touching the face until you wash hands for 20 seconds. That includes making wudhu at the hotel if possible (being wary of surfaces there too because the housekeepers are all men and men simply don't clean as good as women lol). If you must make wudhu at the haram, then wash hands before rinsing the mouth and face. I'd consider taking a bottle of hand soap in a Ziploc in your backpack next time around because the bathrooms are always out 😭 always keep in mind that every door handle, light switch, table, chair, can have viruses on it. Carry hand sanitizer religiously. My mom has diabetes and I was so, so worried she would get sick. But all the paranoid actions I took paid off lol, mashaAllah, Alhamdulillah. I even left my prayer spot in the masjid once and moved outside because people on both sides were coughing and the mask can only do so much. But I still prayed with everyone outside the door, so inshaaAllah I still got the reward of praying in the masjid. These are just some tips, none of which I followed during my first Umrah in early 2020 (when I got soooo sick 🤢). Do let me know if you'd like a full video with all my tips 💕

The umrah permit was not checked for us in Mecca. Bonus tip: They only allow people dressed for Umrah on the first floor for tawaf, so anyone seeking to perform a second tawaf needs to go upstairs (women have more leeway since there's no ihram dress). In Medina, yes they were checking the permit for the noble rawdah DIRECTLY on the app (no screenshots allowed)! We didn't know and had to wait on the side for 15 minutes until we borrowed someones internet to login to the app and show the code and details from the app directly. They had said that if we don't have a reservation, we could enter through a different gate but I believe the access isn't full access that way. And I didn't see anyone going that way either. Try to get in line quickly after Salah because the line can get really long.

@Sweet Smart thank you for the suggestions. Jazakkallah Khair.

@@sweetsmart do they check that the time slot is correct when entering or only date for rawdah booking?

@@kausara8507 so my time wasn't the same, I was hoping it'd work, and it did because I think they were too busy with a long line to check every detail, but can't guarantee the person there will not check yours

If you have android, here's the app :) play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.indra.haramain.pro

I'm not sure as I didn't take that route

Walaikum asalam Farhan, yes let me ask my husband. They will initially quote you a high amount to take advantage of foreigners not knowing what price is normal for Saudi, do not settle for that and try to talk them to bring the price down. Let me ask him what he was able to get it for, I will reply in a bit. Regarding time, it depends on what time (and traffic). The taxi drivers generally drive pretty fast so you should arrive in 20 minutes or so give or take, inshaaAllah.

In the meantime if you are looking for additional ways to save, a brother below mentioned there is a bus to Haram area. I believe it was free during the launch period but there may be a very low priced ticket required now. It seems like it comes very often but I haven't taken it so not sure. Check here: www.makkahtransit.sa/

So they quoted 80 and he talked them down to 55 SAR. About USD $14.66

@@sweetsmart Jazzak ALLAH

I got a ticket round trip booked last night from makkah to madinah but did not receive any confirmation or notification saying that my tickets have been booked although my bank is showing pending payments. I am worried do u think i will get it after the payment is completed?

Salaam Sam, we took one big luggage, 1 carry on, and a small bag each they didn't happen to check the quantity or weight the day we traveled, but here are the official guidelines: sar.hhr.sa/web/portal/travel/guidelines/baggage#

Salaam Aafiya! They start boarding 60 minutes before departure, and they say they close boarding 10 minutes before departure. Best to plan to get there 30-45 minutes before departure in case of traffic. You can always have a snack or coffee there if you are early. The seats are also comfortable so if you board early, there's no problem

@@sweetsmart jazakallah

@@aafiyaahmed351 wa iyyaki, do let me know if you have any other questions and I will try my best to help. May Allah make your journey smooth and accept your umrah, ameen