Travelling for Umrah with Elderly Parents

A great many Umrah bookings are not made by the person travelling. They are made by a son or a daughter, for a parent who has waited a long time for this journey and who has never been on an aeroplane.

There is no age restriction on Umrah, and there is none on our groups either. But there are things worth thinking through before you book.

Distance from the Haram is the whole thing

Everything else is negotiable; this is not. An elderly pilgrim who can walk to the mosque on their own has a completely different journey from one who cannot.

Our standard packages put you 600–650 m from Masjid an-Nabawi in Madinah and 1,150–1,250 m from Masjid al-Haram in Makkah. The Madinah leg is comfortable for most people. In Makkah, if your parent tires easily, ask the office about the Deluxe or Super Deluxe options — they are arranged to order and put you closer.

Say what help is needed, plainly

Tell the office before booking, not on the day. Whether a parent needs a wheelchair for long distances, cannot manage stairs, takes medication on a schedule, or simply gets anxious in crowds — all of that changes how the group is arranged around them.

Nobody is embarrassed by any of this. It is a normal part of running a caravan where a large share of the pilgrims are between fifty and seventy.

Things that are easy to forget

• Medication in original packaging, enough for the whole trip plus a few days, in hand baggage rather than checked.
• A written note of conditions and medicines, in English, kept with the passport.
• Comfortable sandals. Marble floors, long distances, and shoes left at the door constantly.
• Their own phone, charged, with your number saved in large text.

Travelling as a group is the point

The reason we run caravans rather than selling individual bookings is that on this journey a first-time pilgrim should never be standing alone at a counter working out what to do next. Someone from the Bikaner office travels with every group, from the departure airport to the last Ziyarat.

If you are booking from another city for parents in Rajasthan, send the names, ages and departure city to the office and we will tell you honestly what help they will need and what we provide.