Belfast is the capital of Norther Ireland and it is a great place to visit for a weekend or a short break. In this post I tell you all the details that help you travel better in Belfast and all the things you can do in Belfast within the city and beyond to the stunning nature around of Norther Ireland.
Read Morethe more I travelled around the world, I realised that the Muslim traveller is different and this post will tell you why:
Destination can be an issue
Halal Food while travelling
Alcohol Free Activities
Prayer times and locations
I think I am going to start all my posts with "Can you believe how fast this year is going?" It is funny to think that when I was younger I felt like days are lasting too long and now I feel like I can't get enough hours of the day. Let me tell you what I was up to in August and why I felt like it was gone it a flash. Although we did have 31 days of it!
I was in London in August and I did not make any travel plans on purpose because all I wanted was to get a huge chunk of work done so I can pre schedule everything for September so I can focus on other things this month. Even with the insane amount of work I still did not manage to do this, but at least August was a very productive month. I actually have to go back to my calendar to remember all the things I did. That is what working form home does to you! It makes you forget (or maybe it's just me!)
I think this month have been my most productive video production months in my life. I have a very long backlog of footage that goes back to 2016 and I am still trying to manage my time better to get the videos edited and published and I managed to get eight out! If you haven't seen them, please do! You know how hard your girl works on them lol (Videos!)
I started the month with taking another art course to advance my art skills because I do art part time as an extra side hustle. I have like 5 side hustles it is crazy! I learnt a little more about tiles specifically Persian tiles that used to be made in the 12th century because they are the prettiest ever.
I finally found my writing motivation in August, I credit that to the sunshine that we all got in London. I decided to write four books on Reedsy! I do not know what is wrong with me, but I love making unrealistic plans hehe. I wanted to finish at least one of them in August, but I will still be working on it for another week. It is a small 16k word e-book about being a content creator and how to start doing that. I am not sure how it will be received, but you will all get to see it end of Sep *I hope* or start of Oct. The other two books are about my travels and the last one is about art because I can never choose between art and travel and I love them equally.
The second Eid that celebrates the Muslim pilgrims and their achievement happened in August. In our family this is just another excuse to see each other and since most of the family is back home in Saudi, I went to see my sister and her kids, which was lovely!
August had a bank holiday, which meant a summer bank holiday. My favourite person & I went camping and it was my first time ever going into the woods and pitching a tent up and sitting in front of the fire for hours. I loved it!
I ended the month with a live theatre show! I went with my bestie to watched Wicked the Musical and that was lots of fun! and it was seriously on the 31st of August. Apart from this outing, I don't think I tried anything new or impressive in London last month, but might try to go to few new places next month to share new places with you!
As you can see, it has been busy and I always feel weird about telling people all of these details and I still get responses that all the things I do should not keep me this busy, but I kid you not. I work and work day after day, but I love it. Absolutely love it and it is the reason I wake up with so much will and motivation. The challenge is to keep this momentum going! Hope your month was great as well!
By the way, if you enjoyed this post, then you will enjoy my monthly newsletter. I release my travel plans on there first before anywhere else!
I am a city girl through and through. I was born in the city and kept travelling from one city to another. My outdoor adventures are a recent interest that I am doing more of lately to stay fit while travelling. I am not against the outdoors, I just never had a chance to go. My Saudi family didn't do much in terms of the outdoors and my other friends were all city kids until the past couple years, when I started making more connections with outdoorsy people. So when the idea to go camping was brought up, I agreed right away. I wasn't sure what to expect, but I knew it was something I should finally try.
Since it was my first camping experience, I didn't want to venture too far from London just in case I could not survive it and wanted to go back home. So we looked for a camping site on Pitch Up until we found Evergreen Farms, which seemed like a nice option. It was an hour train from Victoria Station. We gave them a call and discussed what they had on the site and other relevant information. They seemed nice and it was such a lovely place to go camping in near London.
The campsite had lots of pitches in various fields and woods to space campers out. Our pitch was around the Oak Trees, which we loved. The site also had two eco/compost toilets that were 5-8 minutes walk from the tent. They were looked after well. The site allows lighting a fire and wood can be bought from them. They also provide 25L of water, which was great. I felt like everything was organised well upon arrival.
First task was to put the tent up, which took about 10-15 minutes. It really helps when you have an expert camper with you. It is not too hard to figure out, but it will take you slightly longer if you had no clue how to set it up.
Second task was getting the air mattresses, pillows and sleeping bags all in order.
After all of that was set, we put the rest of our stuff in the tent and closed the zips. It was a very safe campsite, but if you are worried about safety, you can always lock the tent zips together.
Camping is not only about staying in the campsite, it is also about the nature walks around the area. Being in East Grinstead gave us a chance to do a few woodlands walks that were quiet and pretty. There was a few historic sights around that were cool to visit as well.
In the evening, we started the fire. By "we" I mean I was watching the process happen rather than doing much related to lightning the fire. It was satisfying to watch. When the fire slowed down, we cooked dinner on the grill! We tried to be very aware of what we wanted to eat and we packed exactly what we needed and nothing more.
Buying the camping gear and equipments was the most confusing part to me! There are so many details I kept googling and asking about! Even something as a simple sleeping bag! It might be a good idea to go in person to Go Outdoors, Decathlon or Sports Direct to buy everything, but if you are like me and think shopping online is the way to go, you can use the links below.
Tent (sleeps 2-3 people)
Camping chairs (stools are fine)
Sleeping bag: the recommended shape is a mummy so you are snug and not cold. If you want to use it in the summer, it’s better to buy a 1-3 seasons. The more seasons the sleeping bag is prepared for, the hotter it gets and the bigger it becomes. The one I got was three seasons one.
If you are buying all the camping accessories it might be a little much, but if you plan to go campaigning few times a year they will be really worth it. n this video, I share all the things I packed with the prices:
For some reason, when I was looking up checklists online, a lot of them failed to mention the cooking aspect of the camping experience. Campsites differ in terms with what's allowed in cooking. Luckily, the place we went to had a prepared pit on the ground to make a fire and that's where most of the cooking took place. It was really handy to have the little camping stove though for a tea and eggs in the morning before getting the fire ready.
On the first night, we set up fire and the grill to make the steak we brought with us in the cool bag, which kept cold and fresh for a good few hours before we cooked it.
Since it was my first time camping and I was not sure if I would do it again, I did not want to invest in an expensive bag, so I settled for a basic Quechua camping bag and it worked really well I thought. It wasn't this exact one, but it was very similar to these two! I put all my clothes and other extras inside it then put the bigger items like the mat, sleeping bag and chair on the outside of it.
I saw a few good suggestions when I was looking at the Camping for Women lists such as packing earplugs for noisy nature and snack bars. I had to pack two types of tea on top of that too! They were small things and are not hugely important, but they are great to have. I packed some makeup essentials too (oops!
Camp site: £75 for three nights for two people = £37.50 each
Train from London Bridge to East Grinstead (if you have a student rail card, the train fair will be cheaper) = £26 return with the railcard.
All the equipment and tools I got because I haven't camping before were £140, but they will last for a few future trips.
Food: This really depends on what you would like to eat. I went fancy for my camping food so it was £40 you can do it much cheaper than that if you plan to eat noodles.
Over to you: Where are you planning on going for your first camping trip?
Belfast is the capital of Norther Ireland and it is a great place to visit for a weekend or a short break. In this post I tell you all the details that help you travel better in Belfast and all the things you can do in Belfast within the city and beyond to the stunning nature around of Norther Ireland.
Ten Days Itinerary to the Algarve, South Portugal
The South coast of Portugal is a beautiful part of the country that offers so many beaches and a lot of them are big enough to fit everyone that's visiting. The harder it is to find the beach however, the emptier it is going to be.
Beaches are only one part of it, it's always great for nature hikes, historic sights and lots of relaxation. I came to the South mostly for a surfing and yoga retreat, but I found so much more beyond that as you I'll see in this post. If you get the chance, then do make an effort to visit, especially, in the off season or the start of the season to get a more authentic experience.
With the spread of Islam after the 7th century to North Africa, some of the regions around those areas such as the Southern Spain and Portugal were influenced by the religion of Islam. Some of the cities like Silves were fortified and that protected them longer. In the 12th century, Portugal were ruled by the Christian ruling again. A lot of the Islamic sights have been lost because of the The 1755 Lisbon earthquake.
Further Reading: Arab Memories in Portugal By: Habeeb Salloum
The affects of Arabs can be seen in the tile work and some of the Portuguese language. Tiles are called "azulejos", which sounds almost exactly as the Arabic word " Al Zellige" that is used to describe Moroccan tiles. Even the word "Algarve" goes back to the Arabic word "Al Gharb" meaning West. Referring to South of Portugal as the area West of Spain, where the Islamic Kingdom extended.
On my trip to Algarve, I found it very muslim friendly. All my visits to Portugal have been really good and I am very thankful that is the case. Sometimes people are curious or just interested. A smile and a conversation usually break the barriers and the isolation.
When I visited in April, the weather was a mix of rain and sunshine. That possibility of rain makes the South a less crowded place. The summer gets so busy that the ocean waves are not enough for everyone and the roads are filled with parked cars and vans. The start of Fall is a good time to visit especially that families are back to their home countries for their kids school.
For weather predication through out the year check this graph from Holiday Weather. The predictions aren't very accurate, so it's better to use this as a general guidelines. It might be worth asking some locals too.
I started the trip from the furthest point of the South coast in Budens, which is an hour and a half from Faro airport then I made my way back slowly to spend four days in the Chicks on Waves yoga and surfing retreat. I then took a bus to Lagos and stayed there for three days. During the Lagos stay I did a day trip to Silves to trace some Islamic heritage in Portugal. I took a train from Lagos to Faro. I spent the last three days in Faro and took another day trip to Albufeira. Taking my luggage with me and using public transportation resulted in some back and forth, but it was still comfortable enough. If you are driving in the Algarve then your trip will be much smoother than mine.
Budens and surrounding area is a great place for yoga and surfing. There are so many retreats there such as the women only one I went to, Chicks on Waves, or I heard Good Feeling is supposed to be good. In short, it is a good place to relax and enjoy the beach life.
Lagos had a great little city vibe going on and they had the best vegetarian restaurants in Algarve. The cliffs and walking on them and next to them was the highlight of my entire trip!
Silves is a cute little town with the famous Moroccan castle and I liked some of the tiled buildings there too!
Faro is underrated because most people leave it for the other interesting beach towns, but it also had a nice vibe. The main attraction is the park
Ten days were enough to see all the highlights, but there are more quaint villages and gorgeous nature to see. I could have spent three weeks there easily. My favourite city was Lagos and I would go back again for another visit for sure.
If you are planning to go to Algarve in April or November then make sure you pack an umbrella and a rain jacket, but if you are going on the sunny months, then pack a sunhat instead. The water is VERY cold, so whatever season you are going, I would pack a little sweater or a cardigan to wear right after you come out of the water. If you are modestly clothed traveller like me, I would avoid the super hot months from June-August because being there under the hot sun, wearing layers can be slightly overwhelming unless you are planning to spend the majority of your time in the water then you are good!
The food in the Algarve was okay. I mainly liked the food I had in Lagos, but Faro was not too bad either. Both of those two bigger cities had a few nice options. The great thing is that there is a lot of fresh vegetables and sea food. I think staying in a rented flat with a kitchen might be a good idea so you can use their delicious fresh produce to cook for yourself!
Since Algarve is very touristy, the prices there can get expensive when added up. My budget aim there was mid-range; comfortable, but affordable.
Get a travel guide for Algarve:
Over to you: What are you planning to do in the Algarve?
Lagos was my second stop after the Chicks On Waves retreat since it's the closest main city. I had big plans for the city until it started raining heavily and continuously. Online guides and other posts all mention the sunny days of the Algarve. A lot of them failed to mention that the Spring here has a strong chance of rain. On the one hand, April is very quiet in the city and there are only a handful of people around, but on the other, people aren't there for a good reason! The rain in Lagos doesn't play, it's serious and heavy. If you are going to Algarve in April at least pack a rain jacket or an umbrella. Thankfully, I got some dry hours of sunshine and it was glorious. Lagos was actually one of my favourite parts in the Algarve. All the cliff photos that you see in adverts about Algarve come from Lagos. My only regret was not staying there longer!
The first thing I noticed coming into Lagos was the stone city wall. During my walk, I went to the two main churches there: Igreja de Santa Maria and Igreja de Santo António. They follow the traditional Portugese style of architecture and have some lovely geometric tiles inside of them. Another place I visited was the Forte da Ponta da Bandeira, which is the stone building facing the harbour dating back to the late 17th century.
Ps. There are some nice walking maps online. I downloaded an offline walking map of Lagos from GPS my city.
One thing that I enjoyed about Lagos was all the cool graffiti they had on offer. I spotted a few really cool pieces when I was there walking around the old centre.
Thankfully, right next to my guesthouse was the InLight yoga studio and they offer various classes daily, so the walk in the rain wasn't too bad for three minutes. It was nice to pop down to a session and use my time wisely rather than staying in the guesthouse the whole day.
I saved the best for last. This was my absolute favourite activity in Lagos and it is really worth the hype. The second, the sun came out, I headed there and because beginning of April is still the off-season, I had the cliffs for myself. I led myself from the old town to the further one and I started from the beach all the way up. It took me about four hours and I could have stayed longer, but I didn't want to be alone in the middle of cliffs at night. There are so many fun options to do kayak and stand up peddling. Sadly, the weather was not on my side and could not do either, so please do it for me and tell me how it is!
I happened to stay in the cutest little guesthouse in the old centre of Lagos. Having various spaces gave me a good way to spend my rainy morning indoors. I think I would have suffocated if I was staying in a hotel room. I cooked breakfast in the kitchen and stayed there reading from the balcony. The other thing I loved that this guesthouse is located in the middle of old town, which meant that everything was close by. The only down side was that the old town is full of bars and party spots and it meant some loud noises at night.
I LOVED the food in Lagos. Although, I didn't find any halal options, I really enjoyed the vegetarian options they had! Below are the restaurants that I ate in because they were a walking distance from me and they had good reviews.
Silves: Tracing the Islamic Heritage in Algarve, Portuga
When I finally got some sunshine in Lagos, I decide to go on a day trip to Silves to trace the Moorish heritage in the area. The main thing that is left from that heritage is the castle walls that you can see standing with all their might in the middle of the city. Not much else is left of it though, but it is still good to go and see their influence that is clear through the little chimneys on top of the houses and the tiles inside and outside buildings.
I tried to find the mosque that appeared in Google maps, but after a log walk all over, I came to a regular locked house. It could be the mosque sight, but who knows. I asked some of the locals, but no one knew either.
How long do you need to see Silves?
The total time of the trip including public transports, sights and a sit down lunch was five hours.
How to get to Silves from Lagos or Faro by Public transports?
There are two ways from Lagos to Silves: by bus, which is cheaper and stops you closer to the sights, but it takes longer. The other way is by train, which is the way I used.
The Lagos train station is on the other side of the old town and there is a pedestrian bridge over the marina you can use to cross. I bought my return ticket from the counter at the train station for €5.90. The journey was about 40minutes. It is the same train line coming from Faro, so you can come from Faro to Silvas by train as well, but it will take a little longer.
Ps. Note the time of your returning return because they are every two hours.
The train station in Silves is 20-30mins walk from the beginning of the old town depending how fast you walk. I did not see any taxis outside the station. There was a bus stop, but I didn't the timing, so I walked. The walk from the station is near a highway/Motorway, but it wasn't too bad. There weren't many cars and I walked by the side on the little pavement. There were other people following the same path so we all walked in one line.
If you want to visit Silves alongside other locations, it might be worth joining a tour that takes you to them like the Silves, Caldas and Monchique: Full Day Tour (setting off from Lagos)
It's also worth noting the other stops the train stops at in case you want to combine this trip with another city. My suggestion will be Portimão since a lot of activities and boat tours depart from there. You can even get a boat from Silves to Portimão . I was taking it easy on my trip, so I only stopped at Silves.
The benefit of walking from the train station is the lovely view you get of the castle and the cathedral.
The lovely view you get of the castle and the cathedral when you walk from the train station
One of the first things to see when you walk from the train station is the little traditional market they have there. It was a cute little thing with fresh fish, fruit, flowers and some local produce. It took me five minutes to look and photograph the whole thing.
If you continue on walking, you will get to the town centre and start seeing the castle walls. It was only five minutes walk from the start of the old town. The only thing that remained is the walls and you can walk around them. They had three exhibition spaces; one with a few old objects, one about animals and one with black and white photos of the castle. I didn't like any of them and it would have been better to use the spaces with historic exhibitions that really transport you through time and gives the place an added value. It took me about an hour and a half to walk around the castle walls slowly and photograph the things I liked.
I did not even think much of the town hall and did not intend on visiting it but by chance I stood in front of it and was blown away by the tiles so I went in and loved the architecture of the main hall between the staircases. I must have stayed there for 20 minutes taking photos of the tiles any of myself next to them. The ground floor has the tourism information and a toilet.
From the train station I saw the church in the skyline of Silves and I headed there to see how the inside is. It was a nice church and it took me 10 minutes to see every corner of it. It was good for a sit down and to see the religious symbols of the city.
Silves is a cute little town and the old town has so many little streets and alleyways that were mostly empty at 1pm in April. I was actually walking around to find the mosque, but it must have moved somewhere else without Google Maps being updated, but I just continued walking and photographing the tiled buildings.
Eating in Silves
The old town is mainly touristy, so all the food spots I found were over priced restaurants and I had to eat in one because I was starving. The price of the fish was based on the weight, so check how much it is before it comes to your plate. Half of the Dorada fish I ordered was €17. If I knew, I would have had lunch back in Lagos and then came to Silves to see the sights. I would sugguest only having a beverage there and getting the train back if you are on a budget. If not, enjoy yourself!
Train ticket return 5.90 euros
Activities:
Cathedral Entrance: 1 euro
Castle Entrance (student ticket) 1.40
Museum Entrance (student) 1.05
Lunch 20 euros (half fresh Dorada fish)
Over to you: What are you planning to do in this destination?
What to expect when you are going to Hajj for the first time?
Last month, I got a request from another travel blogger to contribute in a list he compiled about sacred walks and pilgrimages around the world. The request was to write a little paragraph about my personal experience to the Islamic pilgrimage: Hajj. When I was writing it, it occurred to me that I have never actually shared this on the blog. My pilgrimage happened before my travel blogging days and I just never thought of sharing it before. After writing the 200 words I felt like I still had so much left I wanted to write about to give more details about my experience. I know other Muslim blogger have detailed Hajj and Ummrah guide like the Muslim Travel Girl, but I think Hajj first timers or people curious about this Islamic spiritual journey might find this post useful.
Content:
I went to Hajj back in 2009. I was coming out of a rough patch in my life. My mom wanted to cheer me up and reward me, so she and my uncles decided to gift me with Hajj. Of course I would not have gone at 21 years of age otherwise. One of the main conditions for Hajj is for the cost to be from savings and not a debt. It's God's way of making sure that we do it when we are truly able financially and physically. Funnily, earlier that year, I did think to myself "it would be nice to go to Hajj since it was going to fall in the winter months" and by Gods grace everything aligned for it to happen. I was truly blessed. Most people have to save up and plan for years before they get this privilege. The weather was not as nice as I hoped for because Mecca is located in a valley and the weather is consistent year round. Sometimes it rains, but that is not the norm. It is usually hot year round, but when I went that winter there was some nice breeze.
Even with the heat, the mosquito bites and the crowd, my soul was content and filled with comfort.
Me wearing my Ehram.
Before I go into more details about my Hajj, I wanted to tell you a few basic terms that you might have heard of or read when reading about the subject. I will be using some of them through out this post too just because the English equivalent is usually an explanatory sentence rather than a word.
- Miqat ميقات is the geographical location where you make your intention to do the Hajj and where you start the journey.
-Ehram إحرام is used as a verb and as a noun in Arabic. The person who intend to do hajj is entering a state of Ehram. The clothing worn during Umrrah and Hajj is also refered to as Ehram.
- Tawaf طواف is one of the actions of Umrrah and Hajj, where a person circulate the Kabba seven times.
- Sa'e سعي is another action of Umrrah and Hajj and it is the walk between the two mountains, Mount Safa and Mount Marwa, seven times. (Only a tiny bit of the mountains remain now though)
- Taqseer تقصير is the last action of Umrrah and Hajj that indicate cutting the nails and the hair after everything is completed.
- Hajji حجي A man who has been to Hajj.
- Hajjiah or Hajjah حجية/حجة A lady who has been to Hajj! So, yours truly here is a Hajjiah.
Photo of Kabba taken in 2008
I headed to Hajj from East of Saudi with an organised group specialising in Hajj by Bus. The journey was almost two days of driving and stopping for food and bathrooms. The bathrooms on the roads were absolutely appalling. I tried to sleep most of the time even though the lady who sat beside was not pleased that I was not chatty. It was the first time I met the group of ladies, but in between the stops, I started getting to know them until we become friends by the time we arrived to Mecca.
Most people make their journey faster and more comfortable by flying directly to Jeddah Airport and taking a car to Mecca. Going by bus meant that we were going to stop at the Miqat in the city of Taif to make our intention for pilgrimage and to change from our black abayas into our white Ehram. In East of Saudi, the ladies usually get their Ehrams sewn especially for the journey. I got two made and switched between them. Although, I wished I had a third one with me!
We finally arrived to Mecca and I parted ways from the friends I made on the bus because we all had shared room previously assigned for us. There were three other ladies that I shared the room with. I felt a little awkward the first night, but then we all hit it off the next day and I am still in touch with those ladies. I call them my Hajj sisters.
The first task was to do the Ummrah, which is a ritual part of Hajj and can be done on its on year round. I was with a very big group, but we were split to smaller groups of less than 8 ladies and were accompanied by a male and a female helpers that guided us through it all and made sure we preform the tasks correctly and comfortably. Preforming Tawaf, Sa'e and the short prayer took us about three hours. Thankfully, we did it after midnight when the weather was cool. It really makes a difference when the sun is not blasting its heat fully. A lot of the Ummrah and Hajj tasks come from the story of Prophet Ibrahim, his wife Hajar and their son Ismail, which I find very fascinating. The Sa'e comes from the walk that Hajar did looking for water between the two mountains.
Main Sights during Hajj. Usually Buses transport you in between most of them rather than walking.
On the 9th day of the 12th Arabic month "Thu Al Hujah", the challenge started when we headed to Mount Arafat to spend the day in supplications and prayer. All I remember now is my feeling towards it all. The group organisers took care of all the logistics, which gave me and the ladies with me all the time to focus on getting closer to God.
After sunset, we all headed to Muzdalefah, which is another sight that pilgrims must stay in and spend the night there. The floor mattresses were set there and the time was spent between worship and socialising. There were a few fans in the tents, but it was really warm, so I started getting quickly agitated. One of the conditions of Ehram however is to stay as calm as possible because arguments can break the Ehram. It was a real test!
Zam Zam Water when it used to be good back in 2008 and 2009
The next morning on the 10th, we walked to the Mina area to do more Hajj tasks such as throwing rocks at three columns. This is another action that we are reacting from the Prophet Ibrahim's story. The devil showed up three times to him at three different locations and the prophet threw rocks at him. This part was the hardest part for me hands down. I think I even cried a little. The area of each column is sort of small even with the new rebuilt area and the crowd was TOO MUCH, but by the grace of God and help from others I managed it. The following ritual was to do the sacrifice. Females give this responsibility to the group organisers and it's usually done for us. The sacrificed animal's meat is given to the poor. This also follows a story from prophet Ibrahim. He dreamt that God told him to sacrifice his son and although he was terrified he was willing to do it for the sake of God, but God sent a sheep to him to be sacrificed instead. There are so many donation programs to insure that the sacrificed animals go to people in need. There are also rules to ensure the well fair of the animal before this is done.
The last ritual is Taqseer, where we cut our nails and tiny bit of hair. Everything has to be done in that specific order. When all of this is done then that's it. The Ehram ends and Eid celebrations start.
It felt AMAZING! It went by really fast and although a little tiring, but I got a surge of spiritual energy that kept me going for months.
Sadly, the cost of Hajj has doubled since I have gone and I am not sure I will be able to afford another one any time soon, but I would love to go again especially that I am older and I have a stronger appreciations for many things. It's a once in a life obligation, but we are allowed to go again. The Saudi government is trying to make it fair for other nationalities as well and limiting Saudi nationals to go to Hajj every five years.
When I was packing for Hajj, I had so much advice from relatives, who have been to hajj, but I still wish I packed a few more essentials, so here is a list that can help you plan your luggage better. Keep in mind that you would need two main, light, white outfits, good footwear, a water bottle and scent free toiletries and creams. Most importantly, you have to take some mosquito repellent, but please the Islamic ruling about this. It might not be allowed. All I remember is that the mosquitos really feasted on me when I was in Mena! You also need some seriously comfortable socks or stick on soles or something since you won't be able to wear your shoes inside the mosque and holy areas espically during Tawaf and Sae.
If you are going to Hajj, chances are that you are going with a group or a caravan that would have arranged this for you and it's actually better to let them take care of accommodations and transportations. Even Saudis themselves go with a group that arranges it all.
If you are going to Ummrah however, this can be done on your own. My mother and I have done it multiple times and we just booked a hotel that is a walking distance from the "Haram" Kabaa court. It is easily done on Booking.com, but sadly like any other place, there are busy seasons such as Ramadan and the Hajj month. The off season is much cheaper, but you can only do that for the Ummrah.
Please note, different branches of Islam, might have different rules and slight variations, so double check the sources you need. The Islamic Mobility online library gives you free books and articles to download Duas website have lists of other relevant information and supplications.
Coming all the way to Mecca usually means a quick visit to Madinah, the city where the prophet is buried. It is super crowded after Hajj because everyone has the same idea, but if you visit it outside of the Hajj and Ramadan times, it's a little quieter. It's never empty especially in the ladies section since they are usually given a smaller section than the men, but it always warms my soul going there. My mother and I usually stay in close proximity to the prophet's mosque and walk from the hotel to the mosque. You can watch the video below of the last time I went two years ago.
Saudi is now open for tourists and this post will tell you all you need to know to understand the Saudi culture and prepare yourself mentally before visiting!
In this post, I will tell you about the Saudi visa situation in the past and the present. Along with the mention of the main visa regulations, the ethical implications of visiting Saudi and what you need to know when visiting Saudi.
This is a great guide to help you plan your trip to Manchester. It includes things to do, restaurant recommendations and places to stay in!