Once a year, out of JFK
Come with us in January.
12 to 22 January. One departure a year.
The group flies out of JFK. Most travellers are in their twenties, and people drive in from Boston, Philly, Jersey and DC every year. If you're further out than that, you're still welcome — tell us where you're flying from on the form and we'll sort your flight out with you.
You'll be with shuyookh who studied in Madinah, and there's an Umrah seminar before we go so nobody arrives guessing.
$2,050
Until 15 October
$2,200
After 15 October
What's included.
Flights from JFK
Group booked, so you're travelling with the people you'll be there with. We fly Qatar, Turkish or Saudia, occasionally United or Royal Jordanian.
Hotels near the Haram
Great quality, a five to ten minute walk in both cities. Daily breakfast.
Visa handled
We do the paperwork. You send documents, we take it from there.
Guided ziyarah
The sites in Makkah and Madinah, with shuyookh explaining what happened there.
Umrah seminar
Before departure, so the rites are familiar before you're standing in them.
Private transport
Airport, between cities, and to ziyarah sites.
Free time
Built into the schedule.
$2,050, and here's the honest math.
Most agencies run this trip for around $3,000. Ours is priced for students and people early in their careers, because that's who actually goes on it. The margin is thin on purpose — this trip isn't where the business makes its money. It exists because some people would rather go with a group the first time, and because running it every year is what keeps me on the ground.
If you'd rather learn to plan it yourself and go for less, that's what the $99 call is for, and I'd genuinely rather you did that.
What the days actually look like.
Five nights in Madinah, four in Makkah. Madinah first, always.
Leave JFK. Routing changes year to year depending on the fare, so you may land in Madinah or in Jeddah with a connection.
Land and get to the hotel in Madinah. Check in, rest. Nothing scheduled.
First full day. Masjid an-Nabawi, and getting your bearings around the Haram.
Ziyarah in Madinah with the shuyookh.
Madinah. Free time.
Madinah. Free time.
Leave Madinah, make ihram at Dhul Hulayfah, and travel to Makkah. We perform Umrah after we arrive.
Rest day. Most people sleep and go back to the Haram on their own time.
Ziyarah in Makkah.
Makkah. Free time.
Fly home.
Return date can shift to the 23rd depending on the routing. We'll confirm your exact flights before you pay anything beyond the deposit.
Who you're going with.
I first went when I was 17, still in high school. We booked through one of the big agencies and paid a lot for it. It was amazing — but the group was people three times my age and the schedule was built for them. I never left the area around the Haram. I didn't see the city at all. The second time I went I did it myself, and it was a completely different trip. Since then it's been three years of this, including months living in Madinah. Dozens of Umrahs in and it still doesn't get old. I run the January trip because I love doing it. You go out with a group of young people and they come home your brothers and sisters. A lot of them come home and change their lives — not slightly, properly. Being part of that is the reason any of this exists.
Before you book.
Early bird closes 15 October. After that it's $2,200.
Ask about the trip.
GHL FORM — connect to the trip enquiry form asset