The Moment of a Lifetime

This trip was everyone’s dream and I got the chance to go!!! It was my first international trip and I hadn’t even seen many places in Tamil Nadu itself like Ooty and Kodaikanal!

With the Google Summer of Code 2025 first stipend, I planned to perform Umrah in August itself, and I started to enquire about the Umrah packages from different travel agencies.

I booked with one travel agency. After I booked, many people from my neighborhood told me that there were cheaper agencies out there and asked why I chose that one instead of the cheap ones.

The main reason was that the hotel stay was very close to the Masjid Al-Haram (200-250m) only. It was only 200-250m away from the Masjid Al-Haram, which made it easy to visit the mosque and perform the Umrah easily. If I had chosen the cheaper ones, they would have booked a stay 1-2km away from Masjid Al-Haram!

Thank God I didn’t pay attention to those people! 🗣️

Pre-Preparation for the Trip 🧳

It was a 14-day trip. I had a 10kg suitcase and I packed my clothes, shoes and other essentials. The suitcase didn’t have any space if I got anything from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia! I had only 5 hours until the flight and I checked some quick commerce for a bigger suitcase and I found one on Zepto. They claimed that they deliver any product in just 10 minutes but they don’t! I got my package after 50 minutes. I moved everything from the existing suitcase to the new one, checked the weight and took a small nap 😴

First Flight Experience ✈️

07/08/2025 - 6:20 AM - Gulf Airlines

Chennai ✈️ Bahrain ✈️ Jeddah

My first flight travel with Gulf Airlines was very amazing! They allowed 40kg carry-on luggage and 5kg hand luggage. It was a very smooth experience, the staff was very friendly and helpful. They also provided me with a complimentary meal and drinks during the flight, which was very amazing. My friends and family friends told me that flight takeoff and landing would be scary! But it wasn’t - they took off and landed very smoothly.

We reached Bahrain at ~5:30 AM, and the waiting time for the next flight was 3 hours. We changed into Ihram, which is non-stitched cloth, and men do not have to wear any stitched clothes during Umrah! Even underwear :)

At nearly 9:00 AM, we got the gate number for the next flight to Jeddah and that travel was also very smooth!

Thanks to Gulf Airlines for the safe travels 🙏🏻

Trouble at Jeddah Airport

The travel agencies told us not to share our visa and passport details with anyone, and one lady approached me and asked me to share my visa and passport details with her. But I refused to share my details with her and told her that I would not share my details with anyone. She was very angry and said “Show me your visa” in a loud voice. But I asked her to show me her ID card because I wouldn’t believe her! She showed me her ID card. My travel agency member came and I told them that she was asking for my details and I had refused to share my details with her. She didn’t understand English and kept talking in Arabic, and I didn’t understand her. The travel agency member said she was from the government, “show your visa, it won’t be a problem, she was from the Nusuk team.” In a short time she annoyed me.

Do strangers in other countries also ask for visa/passport details? Let me know in the comments!

Life at Mecca 🕋 & Medina

We reached Jeddah and went to Mecca by bus, it was nearly a 150 km journey. At around 10:00 PM we reached the hotel, left our luggage, freshened up, finished dinner and got ready to perform the Umrah!

I was so excited to see the Kaaba for the first time in real life!

We went and performed our Umrah successfully and we needed to shave our heads! There was a shop near our stay and it was only 5 riyal, and I shaved my head. After I saw my bald head, I felt so proud of myself and my faith!

I looked like a bald man with a beard and a smile on my face.

We stayed 8 days in Mecca itself and we attended two Jummah prayers.

It was time to leave for Medina but Medina was very hot, we could feel it even at midnight, but I heard deserts are hotter during the day and cooler at night! 😭

The days in Medina were also very awesome and went very well!!!

I was sharing my room with 4 other people! They were all 40+ age but we behaved like same-age guys. We became a family ❤️

Return Flight ✈️

20/08/2025 - 12:05 PM - Oman Air

Medina Airport ✈️ Muscat ✈️ Chennai

But Oman Air only allowed 30kg for checked luggage and 7kg for hand luggage. The flight was very long and boring, but we had a lot of fun during the flight because it was nearly empty with about 30 seats vacant. However, their landing was a terrible experience. The waiting time was also very long—nearly 4 hours—for the next flight from Muscat.

I reached Chennai at 2:00 PM, took a very long nap, and then returned to normal life.

I’ll write a new blog post about the places I visited during my Umrah trip.

Now I’m missing Mecca and Medina 😭