group vs individual travel

Everything you need to know about group vs individual travel in Hajj and Umrah

When preparing for a trip to Holy Kabah, you wish everything is as perfect as possible. This requires rigorous homework. For example, getting all the relevant information to make a choice between group vs individual travel. From spiritual to physical preparation, you strive to ensure everything is in order. This includes taking preparatory classes that teach about important locations inside the holy mosque and around Makkah, learning duas and recitations, and ways to earn maximum rewards while you are in the holy land. 

 A trip to the house of Allah is one of the most significant journies in your life. It can change your perspective of life and this world. In the process of spiritual cleansing, many people achieve eternal contentment and bliss after they perform Hajj or Umrah. It directs a person to the Guided Path, the one leading to Jannah. Offering the pilgrimage with sincere intent to achieve Allah’s pleasure earns a person great rewards that benefit him in both this world and the hereafter. 

One of the most important considerations while embarking on a Hajj or Umrah journey is to decide between group vs individual travel. Before booking the tour, you can discuss both the possibilities with your hajj travel agent and make a sound decision. Here are some benefits of both kinds of travel.  

Traveling in a group for Hajj and Umrah: –

Group traveling for Hajj and Umrah has many benefits. Tour operators offer a variety of group travel options to customers. From budget economy packages to premium packages, packages for a couple to packages for families, tour operators lay down all the options for the customers to choose from. When traveling for Hajj or Umrah in a group, you save a lot of costs. By dividing the overhead expenses, per unit cost comes down, transferring the benefit to customers in the form of lower prices. Moreover, tour operators maintain a positive relationship with ancillary firms in the industry, like hotels, restaurants, and other facilities, allowing them to offer even more discounts to group travelers. 

When deciding between group vs individual travel, group travel offers traveling with people with similar needs and requirements. When like-minded people travel together, it gives a lot of assistance and guidance. Hajj and Umrah are not ordinary journeys. There is a set of strict rules and procedures to follow as soon as you make the intent to perform the holy journey. You cannot go wrong in any step. Therefore traveling in a group saves you from the usual hassles and worries of traveling as there are many people to help you all along the way. 

Many times people plan to travel for Hajj and Umrah with their families. Choosing between group vs individual travel becomes a lot easier in this case. Choosing a group having your family members, friends, neighbors or anyone else makes the journey more comfortable and memorable. 

Millions of people perform Hajj and Umrah during peak seasons such as Ramadan. There is a massive crowd making it difficult to perform the religious obligation. When you are in a group, you have people with you to ensure you are not lost or lag.

Hence in group vs individual travel, these are some reasons why group travel fares better than the latter. 

Traveling as an individual for Hajj and Umrah: –

There are two ways of traveling Hajj and Umrah individually. Either you can hire the services of a tour operator to customize a package for you as an individual traveler, or you have the option of traveling privately for Hajj and Umrah.  Considering group vs individual travel, the latter is generally much more expensive. Only those who are financially strong can afford to travel individually for Hajj or Umrah. Not only does financial strength matter, but religious knowledge, expertise, and passion for performing Hajj or Umrah count. Those who have performed Umrah and Hajj before as well have a good grip over the various rituals and yearn to visit the holy Kabah again and again tend to perform the pilgrimage individually. Such people do not wish to travel in a group where they are bound to stay together. They want to plan the tour according to their preference and comfort. They are on a different spiritual level and wish to develop a stronger bond with Allah. Some people wish to spend time in meditation in valleys and mountains in search of Allah. They wish to spend time in solitude when they are on their Hajj or Umrah trip. Whereas some people have a keen interest in history and wish to fully explore the historical places and monuments. For that, they wish to be all alone by themselves. Hence choosing between group vs. individual travel, such people opt for the latter