We traveled to Saudi Arabia to perform Umrah on budget. This was our first ever experience without any travel package to a place that was completely new to us. The cost of two adults was approx. USD$ 2,500 including plane tickets, visas, accommodation, meals, and shopping. Although we saved a considerable amount of money. We also faced difficult situations that we were not prepared for. Even after watching too many videos, reading articles, and talking to people. There were many obvious things that no one talked about before. I have created a list of do’s and don’ts which, I believe, most people will face whether they take a travel package or not. 

Things to take with you:

1. Pack light – Apart from your Ahram or abaya take a few pairs of trousers, shirts, slippers, comfortable shoes for walking. We had our sneakers from Crocs and I think no shoe can be more comfortable than these. 
2. Don’t forget to pack towels and toilet rolls. Your hotel may or may not give you a towel but toilet rolls are a must-take. You will not find toilet rolls in hotels or shops. 
3. Toiletries – Or, you can purchase quite affordable toiletries from local shops.
4. Take some skin rash cream for thigh chafing that could happen due to walking 10-15km while performing umrah. 
5. If you smoke, take your supply with you because cigarettes not available at Saudi airports and you may not like their local brands. 

Jeddah to Makkah:

1. Phone sims inside the airport may cost you 60-100 Riyals. But there are sellers outside who will give you free sim cards and you can purchase airtime from anywhere. 
2. The shared taxi should not cost you more than 50 Riyals PP to get to Makkah. 
3. If you don’t have a hotel booking already, ask your driver to drop you at the point closest to the Mosque (there is a taxi rank). 
4. Don’t let anyone keep your passport or other documents regardless of what they say unless it is from your traveling agency. 

Accommodation (Makkah & Madina)

1. You can find cheap accommodation that is not listed on booking.com. There are many hotels behind the main streets and closer to the mosque. (100-120 Riyal per night)
2. Do check the WiFi availability and condition of toilets before paying at the desk. 

In the Mosque:

1. Take your water bottle and backpack to keep your shoes inside. 
2. No need to take all your money or any documents with you, just take 50-100 Riyals which you might need to shop around. 
3. We took our phones only once at midnight to take some pictures. Pickpocketing is quite common there. 
4. Do be fooled by people telling you they lost their money and documents, sadly that’s another scam.
5. You cannot go missing if you pray close to each other. We choose our find-me-spot before every prayer, something that we both could see from our prayer spot. 
6. For Tawaf: During the month of January-February the mosque is less crowded, especially after midnight. 
7. Similarly, for Masjid-e-Nabvi, it is best to visit Prophet Muhammad’s final resting place after midnight when it is far less crowded and you can pray peacefully. 

Makkah to Madinah:

1. You can find a shared taxi from the taxi rank near Makkah’s main mosque. 
2. It should not cost you more than 120 Riyals PP. 
3. From Madhian to Makkah or Jeddah will also cost you 100-120 Riyals PP. 

Shopping:

1. There is no difference in prices in Makkah or Madina. 
2. There are more varieties of products in Makkah. 
3. People prefer buying dates from Madina. 
4. Starbucks is unreasonably pricy there and not-so-great.
5. Try their Al-Baik, you will forget KFC.