What to pack for Umrah: the list our team actually uses

Every group that leaves Mumbai with us gets the same advice at the airport: you have packed too much. After thirty-seven years we know which items get used every single day, and which ones travel to Makkah and back without leaving the suitcase.

This is the list, in the order you will reach for things.

Before you leave home

Your passport pouch goes around your neck, not in a bag. Inside it:

• Passport, with the visa page flagged
• Two photocopies of the passport and visa, kept separately
• The Bakhla itinerary card with your group leader's number
• A small amount of Saudi Riyals for the first day

The kit we hand every pilgrim already includes the pouch, a musalla, a mat, a tasbeeh and a printed Hajj and Umrah guide. Don't buy these.

Ihram and what goes with it

Item	How many	Why
Ihram set (men)	2	One to wear, one drying after Tawaf
Abaya / loose clothing (women)	3–4	Long days, warm halls, laundry is unlimited
Unscented soap	1	Scented products are not permitted in ihram
Money belt or ihram belt	1	Pockets are not an option
Slippers with a strap	1 pair	You will walk more than you think

Medicines and comfort

1. Your regular prescriptions, in original packaging, for the whole trip plus three days
2. Blister plasters and a small roll of tape
3. Electrolyte sachets for the days in the sun
4. Vaseline, for the same reason every pilgrim discovers on day two

Leave these behind

• Perfume and scented deodorant. Not permitted while in ihram; our hotels stock unscented alternatives.
• Large towels. Provided daily.
• More than one pair of shoes. Sandals for the Haram, one closed pair for travel days, nothing else.
• A heavy Qur'an. The Haram has copies in every language, and your phone has the rest.

The one thing people forget

A small foldable bag for carrying slippers into the Haram, a bottle of water and your phone. Every pilgrim ends up buying one in Makkah for three times the price it costs at home.

If anything on this list raises a question, ask us on WhatsApp — someone who has just come back from the journey will answer.