As a Muslim revert, I am starting to get used to travelling as a Muslim woman with all the extra things I need to bring and to think about. I do strongly believe the majority of travel hacks and travel tips apply to all travellers and all women, but there are definitely some specific travel hacks for Muslim women that can help the trip be smoother and more enjoyable; from the packing process to when we’re on a trip!
So let me share with you the travel tips and hacks for Muslim women that I have picked up whilst on my recent trips. Hopefully, these travel hacks for women can help you too!
Travel Tips for Muslim Women
1. Know that packing light is hard!
Without a doubt, travelling as a hijabi woman requires taking much more items in our case or bag.
Those long dresses, additional layers, scarves and the 3-5 piece modest swimwear sets take up a lot of room, and I say that as someone who has mostly travelled as a non-Muslim and is now adjusting to living and travelling as a hijabi, where I can’t pack light as easily anymore!
My travel hack to help with packing as a hijabi is to pay to check in a case if you are able to, rather than relying solely on carry-on, so you can take a bigger bag and fit more items in without being stressed.
If you really want and need to travel light, be sure to plan your outfits before you go and don’t take too many items with prints that clash. Plain colours are better so you can mix and match.
Plan outfits where you can wear the same scarf or underlayers most days so you don’t need multiple pieces of clothing.
2. Wear a long layer under a coat or jacket at the airport
If you wear a coat or light jacket when you go through airport security, you’ll likely be asked to take it off and put it through the security scanner, especially in UK airports. So if you dress modestly and covered, make sure you wear a top underneath that you’ll be comfortable walking through security in without your coat or jacket on.
I know that airports, especially airports that are used to Muslims travelling through them, know not to ask women to take their hijab or turban off, as we have them on for religious reasons. However, all passengers are required to take their coat off during security checks and I don’t believe keeping this on for religious purposes is a valid reason, so make sure your outfit underneath is something you are comfortable showing.
If you’re new to my blog and to me and want to know how I became Muslim, you can read my revert story here!
3. Pack scarves cleverly
Compressing clothes is a great way to fit more in your case and keep everything together. Recently, I used a dedicated travel scarf bag which fits 4-5 scarfs plus accessories inside along with my prayer dress.
I like it because it keeps them tidy and together and I can unpack them easily too. If you don’t have a dedicated scarf case then any packing cube will also do.
However, another travel hack for Muslim women when packing is that if you are tight for space, rolling scarfs individually and placing them in the gaps between clothes once everything is in, is a great way to fill in gaps and pack more in your case.
4. Do some research before going
I always recommend doing some research before a trip to get you excited and prepared. Research and planning beforehand also means you won’t waste precious time whilst you’re away doing this, and as soon as you arrive you’ll be ready to go.
As Muslims, I think it’s great for us to not only look at the top things to do in a city but to also look into the Islamic history of where we are visiting because it’s fascinating how far Islam has spread and the amount of Muslim history there is.
I only recently realised how big the Muslim Empire in Spain used to be. The photo below is of the Mosque-Cathedral in Cordoba, which is fascinating to see, and then we also have the huge history of the Ottoman Empire in Turkey for example. I know so many Muslims who travelled to Turkey without knowing the full history.
To help you with your research on Islamic and Muslim history, you can use Qalbox where there are many interesting shows available for you to watch. If you’re going to Turkey soon, definitely be sure to check out “Turkey – Beautiful Diversity” on Qalbox and learn all about this beautiful country.
5. Remember you can do travel prayers
Travel prayers have been given to us by Allah to help our travels. Travel prayers relate to shortening our prayers for Dhuhr, Asr and Isha and combining prayers in some cases too.
After travelling with many Muslims, I have realised that different schools of thought do travel prayers slightly differently. The main difference seems to be whether they combine them or not, and how many days they can do travel prayers for.
So please do not judge others if they do travel prayers differently to you and do some research if you are not familiar with what to do yourself. But there’s no doubt about it, travel prayers do really help when travelling, especially when you are short on time or on travel days when you are flying and driving a lot. Remembering to do these will really help ease your travels, inshallah.
Another travel tip for Muslim women is to use the Muslim Pro app which has a built-in compass to help find the direction of the Qibla and you can change the location to where you are, to see the local prayer times and get a notification on your phone when it’s time to perform your prayer. This really helps if you are used to being in a country with the call to prayer and are going somewhere where you won’t hear it.
6. Don’t let not finding Halal food worry you
I hear of so many Muslims not travelling to certain places because they know Halal food will be limited which feels like such a shame to me because there are many ways around this!
Firstly, if you are a big meat eater and want to find Halal meat, then look for Arab and Asian restaurants, most of which should serve halal meat (check beforehand though).
Secondly, many countries are abundant in seafood, especially if you are near the water so be sure to enjoy and indulge in this, as long as the seafood is being prepared and cooked without alcohol or in a way that is inclusive to us.
For example, in Greece, it’s unlikely you’ll find halal meat but one of the most enjoyable things about Greece for everyone is the seafood so Muslim or not, this should be enjoyed and you definitely shouldn’t miss out on an amazing country like Greece which covers amazing local seafood because you can’t get halal meat.
Lastly, many countries these days especially in Europe cater so well for vegetarians and vegans, and dedicated vegetarian cafes and restaurants can offer delicious food! For example, there are so many cool vegan burger places these days so make sure you google search for places like this around you so you can still eat great food and not have to worry about meat!
If you’re new to my blog and to me and want to know how I became Muslim, you can read my revert story here!
7. Be clever with the materials of clothes and hijabs in hot weather
As a new hijabi, I am slowly getting used to wearing more clothing in hot countries and it was definitely a struggle at first.
If you are going to a hot destination and worried about how hot you will be whilst being covered then look for long loose dresses to wear, long light coloured linen trousers, and a white linen shirt is so handy for putting over a short-sleeved top or dress. Linen is incredibly helpful in hot weather as it is breathable and absorbent.
I also opt for lighter hijab materials and colours in hot countries. Usually, I like to wear jersey hijabs but I wouldn’t pack this if it was hot and humid where I am travelling to. I find mixed georgette, fine cotton and light chiffon to be the best materials for hijabs in the heat, and depending on your modesty preference you might prefer to have a turban-style hijab to give your neck some air which definitely helps me at the moment.
I hope these travel hacks for muslim women have helped you and will help you travel with more ease and encourage you to travel more inshallah!
This post is in collaboration with Muslim Pro and Qalbox. All tips, thoughts and opinions are my own.