Halal holidays during Ramadan: how to travel while fasting

Is travelling during Ramadan a good idea?

Many Muslims choose to spend the month at home with family and community, and that is a perfectly good option. Others travel for work, to visit relatives or because school and work calendars leave no other time.

Travellers who are on a journey may be permitted to postpone fasting under common practice, but many prefer to keep it. This is a personal decision where scholars give different guidance, so ask your own scholar before you leave.

Choosing a destination for the holy month

Muslim-majority cities slow down during the day and come alive after sunset, with special menus, late shopping and evening prayers. Visit Dubai, the emirate's official tourism portal, carries a page about Ramadan across the city, with feasts and cultural showcases during the month.

Cooler regions are kinder to fasting travellers than hot ones, and long summer days or very short winter days both shape the experience. Check the fasting hours for your dates, since they vary a great deal by latitude.

Fasting hours also shape what you can do. In some seasons the day is long, which makes air-conditioned transport and indoor museums more attractive than hiking or beach days.

Resort and lodge packages

Some hotels build Ramadan packages around suhoor and iftar. In Qatar, Hilton Salwa Beach Resort & Villas has run Ramadan Nights packages combining a room or villa with an iftar buffet at Souk Kitchen and a suhoor buffet in the Arabian Village courtyard.

In South Africa, Aquila Private Game Reserve near Cape Town has offered a Ramadan safari package with a light suhoor before dawn and a private iftar platter of dates, fruit and savouries delivered to the room. Its Salah prayer room is listed among the facilities; confirm food arrangements with the lodge, as its own page does not state halal certification.

Suhoor and iftar on the road

Ask the hotel what time breakfast service can begin and whether a suhoor tray can be left in your room the evening before. Many kitchens are willing, but they need notice.

For iftar, dates and water are the traditional start, followed by prayer, then the main meal. If you are touring, carry dates, nuts and a bottle of water so that the sunset meal is never delayed by traffic or a long queue.

• Confirm sunset and dawn times for each city on your route.
• Pre-order suhoor when you check in.
• Keep a small iftar kit in your day bag.

Bangkok and other non-Muslim destinations

A city where Islam is a minority religion can still suit Ramadan if you choose accommodation carefully. Al Meroz Hotel in Bangkok is described as alcohol-free, with restaurants it says are fully halal-certified, and it sits near the Foundation of Islamic Centre of Thailand.

Its page does not advertise a specific Ramadan package, so contact the hotel to ask about iftar and suhoor arrangements for your dates. The same approach applies anywhere: ask first, and get the answer in writing.

Pacing the day: rest, prayer and taraweeh

Plan sightseeing for the early morning or the hours after iftar, and keep the afternoon for rest. Avoid booking tours that require long exposure to the heat when you are fasting.

If you wish to pray taraweeh, find the nearest mosque on arrival and learn its schedule. Some hotels and resorts also arrange prayers on site, which is worth asking about when you book.

If you travel in a group, share the plan beforehand so that everyone knows when meals, rest and prayer happen. Keeping evenings flexible leaves room for family visits and late walks after iftar.

Travelling with family

Children who are not yet fasting still need regular meals, so check that the room has a fridge or that the restaurant serves daytime food discreetly. Older relatives may tire quickly, so choose rooms close to the lift and the prayer space.

Women who are not fasting or not praying on certain days may want privacy and flexibility in the schedule. A hotel that offers family rooms and flexible dining times removes many small stresses.

Eid at the end of the month

The date of Eid depends on moon sighting, and countries sometimes announce it on different days. Keep flights and hotel bookings flexible around the last nights of Ramadan.

If you plan to celebrate Eid abroad, find the nearest prayer ground or mosque and its likely start time. Booking a table or an Eid meal early is wise, as popular places fill quickly.

Some travellers use the last ten nights for worship rather than sightseeing. If that is your intention, choose a hotel near a mosque and keep the itinerary light.