My wife, our two children, and I performed Umrah last year. We saved for three years. We wanted a package that was comfortable but not extravagant. We wanted enough time in both Madinah and Makkah to pray and reflect, not just rush through the rituals. We found a 10 days Umrah package from Lahore that was perfect for our family. Let me share what we learned.
Why We Chose a 10 Days Umrah Package
Some people go for 7 days. Some go for 14 days. We chose 10 days because it gave us time without being too long for our children. The 10 days Umrah package we chose included 3 nights in Madinah and 6 nights in Makkah. That gave us enough time to pray in the Prophet’s Mosque and to perform Umrah at a relaxed pace.
The 10 days Umrah package from Lahore that we looked at varied widely in price. The cheapest was one hundred sixty thousand rupees per person. The most expensive was three hundred fifty thousand rupees per person. The difference was in the hotels, the flights, and the included meals.
How We Chose Our Package
We visited four travel agencies offering 10 days Umrah packages from Lahore. The first agency had a low price but the hotel was far from the Haram. With young children, walking twenty minutes each way was not possible. The second agency had good hotels but very early flights that would exhaust the children. The third agency had direct flights, good hotels, and a reasonable price. We chose the third.
Our 10 days Umrah package cost two hundred ten thousand rupees per adult and one hundred fifty thousand rupees per child. That included direct flights from Lahore to Madinah, hotels that were five minutes from the Haram in Makkah and seven minutes from the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah, all transport between cities, and breakfast every day.
The Journey
The first three nights in Madinah were peaceful. The children loved walking to the Prophet’s Mosque. Then we took a bus to Makkah. The bus was comfortable and air conditioned. In Makkah, we performed Umrah on the second night. The children were tired but happy. The remaining days we spent in prayer, reflection, and a little shopping.
The 10 days Umrah package gave us enough time to rest between prayers. We were not rushed. We could sleep after Fajr. We could take the children for ice cream in the afternoon. We could sit in the Haram and just be.
My Advice
If you are traveling with children, do not choose the cheapest 10 days Umrah packages from Lahore. Cheap packages often have far hotels. Walking long distances in the heat with children is miserable. Spend a little more on a hotel close to the Haram. Also, choose direct flights. Layovers with children are exhausting.
And most importantly, go with the intention of worship, not vacation. A 10 days Umrah package is a spiritual journey. Do not fill your days with shopping and sightseeing. Leave time to sit in the Haram, to make dua, to cry, to ask for forgiveness. That is what we did. We came back changed. Our children still talk about it. May Allah accept our Umrah and yours.
