Travelling in Ramadan: a practical guide

Travelling during Ramadan is either the best month to travel or the worst, and the difference is almost entirely in how the itinerary is built. Get it right and you see a side of a Muslim country that visitors in any other month never touch.

Where to go

Muslim-majority countries are easiest: the rhythm of the day is already Ramadan-shaped. Malaysia, Turkey, Egypt, Morocco, the UAE and Jordan all run extended hours, iftar in public, and tarawih in every neighbourhood mosque.

Post-Soviet and Balkan Muslim countries — Bosnia, Uzbekistan, Albania — are a different experience but a good one: the fast is kept by a minority in Bosnia outside its Muslim heartlands, but Sarajevo is overwhelmingly Muslim and the old town fills every evening.

What to change about flying

Book night flights where you can, and avoid tight connections during the day. A 2am-arrival flight means a 2am sahur, which is miserable; an overnight flight where you sleep through most of the fasting hours is much easier.

Travelling in Ramadan is not a compromise. Fasting on the road, and breaking it with a group, is the best version of the month.

Airlines will usually not serve meals during daylight hours on routes with a large Muslim passenger load — ask your travel planner to confirm the policy for the specific carrier.

Iftar and tarawih on the road

Iftar is where a trip leader earns their keep: a good one books the table the week before, knows which restaurant serves dates and which serves them badly, and gets the group there fifteen minutes early.

Tarawih needs a mosque near the hotel. On our Ramadan departures we confirm one for each night in advance — in Malaysia, in Bosnia and in Istanbul. It is a logistical problem, not a hopeful one.

A word about taraweeh and long days

If Ramadan falls in summer, remember the fast is longer at high latitude. A 17-hour day in northern Europe is a very different proposition from a 13-hour day in Malaysia, and the schedule should reflect that.

The most common mistake in a Ramadan itinerary is a 7am start for a bus. It is not pious, it is just tiring. What works is a later leaving time, a long afternoon rest and an evening that runs late.