Source: www.hajjumrah.pk

Each year more than 25,000 British Muslims travel to Mecca for Hajj, a ten day ritual which is due to start between 25-30 November.

This is an extremely important event in the Islamic religious calendar. So we have put together some top tips to ensure that any pilgrims travelling to Mecca and Medina this year, can do so without the worry of contracting a food related illness or coming down with swine flu:

• All visitors should carry disinfectant gels and/or tissues, which should be used often especially for use after handling items or objects in public areas.
• If possible, minimize the amount of time spent in large congregations, as swine flu and Norovirus are both airborne bacteria. If necessary wear masks when in large congregations, which is inevitable during prayer time and carrying out the ritual of Hajj.
• Visiting UK pilgrims should consult their doctor prior to their visit for any required vaccinations and perhaps precautionary medicine to be supplied, such as TAMIFLU.
• Consume sufficient amounts of water to avoid experiencing dehydration during the conduction of the Hajj Rituals. Despite it being winter, the weather can still be rather warm.
• Pilgrims should only use bottled water purchased from approved and appropriate suppliers and avoid any drinks with ice.
• Do not purchase or consume food from unknown local shops or street vehicles and only rely on food and drinks sourced from the hotel accommodation and appropriate large chain super markets.
• While it is part of the ritual to wash your hands before prayer, we would recommend washing your hands as often as possible.
• If you are unlucky enough to become ill, showing symptoms of a high temperature and other gastric related symptoms, then isolate yourself for at least for four days.

Green and ethical travel is slowly becoming an important requirement for holidaymakers and eco-tourism is growing at a rate of 5 percent worldwide each year. The size of our carbon footprint caused by flying to far-off destinations has always been a concern, but so should the impact we have on the local environment and community.

Which is why we’ve teamed up with Travelife to understand what hotels should be doing to support environmental and ethical sustainability initiatives.  We’ll then be able to advise our international customers on how they can control energy consumption, water management, waste disposal recycling and labour relations at their hotel.

I love travelling abroad and exploring new places, but not to the detriment of the local environment or culture.  Therefore, I think it’s important to give travellers the option of having a green holiday. 

What do you think – are you starting to check whether a hotel is environmentally friendly before you book, or is it not an important aspect of your holiday?

With the pound being almost at an even keel with the Euro and the dollar looking a little peaky, it seems that the only winners in the current climate within travel are Turkey, Egypt and Mexico. According to a new report from the Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO) and ABTA, the travel association, British holidaymakers are favouring destinations that do not use the Euro in 2009.

This does raise the issue of culture and customs, and whether Brits properly understand the laws in these emerging destinations. A prime example is the couple that were imprisoned and later released for engaging in a sexual act on a beach in Dubai. Not only did the couple in question breach common decency laws, in Dubai it is illegal to have pre-marital sex. In this case, the party was very lucky to be freed from imprisonment and expelled back to the UK.

These countries and their cultures are beautiful and something that should be experienced by all. However, we would recommend that people do their research before they go and respect the different customs.