Several Muslims often travel for pleasure, religious activities and work. Traveling allows Muslims to explore new places, meet new people and learn about other cultures and traditions. However, traveling can take a toll on Muslims — when it comes to adhering to religious beliefs and navigating strange situations. Hence, there is a need for halal travel.
Going on halal travels will streamline your options for things under Islamic rulings. Muslims must equip themselves mentally, spiritually and financially to scale through traveling adversities. This article will showcase halal travel hacks that will make your trips comfortable. We’ll also highlight a few halal traveling apps that will guide your journeys.
Halal Travel Hacks
1. Use a Halal travel app
Since many people use smartphones, having a halal travel app is easy. These mobile apps help Muslim travelers search for Halal restaurants, foods, mosques, and other Islamic places during the journey. These apps usually have different sections for cafés, supermarkets, restaurants, nearby mosques, prayer times and the Qibla.
Moreover, some halal travel apps usually have cultural tips — based on the country you’re visiting and other emergency assistance. Halal travel apps will prove helpful to Muslims traveling to unfamiliar places. They can also help travelers to interact with the local Muslim community and learn more about different traditions. There are several Halal travel apps, and we’ll highlight a few in this article.
2. Observe Qasr
Prayer is vital to a Muslim’s life — traveling isn’t an exception. When traveling, Muslims are commanded to observe the Qasr prayer. The Qasr prayer refers to shortening the Solat rakats when traveling a long distance. It involves shortening Dhur, Asr and Isha prayers to two Rakahs while Fajr and Maghreb are observed the usual way. However, you can observe Qasr only when you’re travelling over a long distance, like 88.7 km or 55.11miles. Observe the usual solah if it’s not up to the distance requirement.
3. Prayer Kits
Prayer Kits like a small portable mat and qibla compass will be useful. You can find lightweight, durable prayer mats that are simple to roll up and portable for transportation.
Qibla Compasses are small, portable devices that help Muslims determine the Qibla or the direction towards the House of Allah (Kaaba) in Mecca. A Qibla compass will help to choose the right orientation of the Qibla even when you can’t see the Kaaba. Qiblas are lightweight and portable enough to carry around.
4. Research beforehand
Before going on a journey, doing detailed research beforehand is essential. Halal food is vital to many Muslims, since it’s permissible under Islamic law. Finding halal food in an unfamiliar place can be stressful. It’s a good idea to research Halal restaurants and dining options beforehand. It’ll make meal planning easier. You can use online resources like halal traveling apps and websites to find halal dining areas.
5. Get Halal Travel Insurance
Travel Insurance is important for all travelers, but it’s more important for Muslims with special needs on the road. Travel Insurance protects you financially in case of emergencies like lost luggage, medical issues, technical problems and trip cancellation. It’ll help choose travel insurance policies that cover Halal dining, prayer and other activities. You can check around before settling for a travel insurance policy to find the one that meets your needs and fits your budget.
Halal Travel Apps
1. Zabihah
Zabihah is the world’s largest guide to finding Halal-based activities. Users can locate halal restaurants, mosques, and markets. You can also check out reviews to learn more about your chosen restaurant. The app has over 40,000 restaurants and markets since its existence in 1998. We like it because it gives a wide range of options. Also, it works in the UK, Europe, Singapore, Australia, etc.
2. Muslim Pro
Are you looking for a one-stop shop for all things halal trips? Then, download Muslim Pro. The app has features like prayer times, a Qiblah locator, a calendar, a Quran with translations, etc. You can use the app to find nearby mosques after setting your location. It has both the free and paid version.
3. HalalGuide: Map, Food, Salah
HalalGuide is another halal trip app that helps you on your travels. Its features help you find places like halal canteens, grocery stores, cafés, restaurants, bookstores, mosques, etc. It also lists food features categorized into halal, doubtful and Haram. You can find prayer times in all parts of the world and a list of Duas for events in life. The app provides languages like English, Turkish, Kazakh, and Russian.
4. HalalTrip
HalalTrip is a halal trip app that you’ll find extremely useful. It’ll ensure you have seamless and non-stressful trips to non-Muslim countries. They’re available in countries like Japan, Jordan and South Korea. The app contains every feature for a successful halal trip, including halal food.
5. Verify Halal
Verify Halal app is a beneficial mobile application that will aid your travels to non-Muslim countries. The app will help you understand whether a food product is halal or Haram. You can scan and search for foods to check whether they’re verified halal. The app is necessary for your travels to ensure you consume the right food.
Bottom Line
In this article, we’ve shared five halal travel hacks and apps for Muslims. From praying Qasr to packing your prayer mat and researching halal dining options, these hacks will make your Halal trips more enjoyable and stress-free.
We’ve also highlighted different halal trip apps that will come in handy for you. Whether you’re an experienced traveler or a newbie, this article will help you navigate unfamiliar environments and find the needed resources. We hope these suggestions will help you on your next trip.