School holidays provide a relaxation break to students and teachers. Different countries of the world have their own schedules about school holidays. December is one of the popular period when almost the whole world is on school break for at least two weeks. In the UK, especially in England and Wales, holidays are usually divided into terms. Students gets around six breaks in the whole year such as Christmas, Easter, summer, February half-term, October half-term, and May/June half-term.
UK school Holidays doesn’t just provide breaks due to some special events, even people arrange their planned activities during this time. Most of the UK Muslim residents plan their Umrah trips during school holiday periods. But the major disadvantage of travelling in holidays is that travel packages’ costs become higher than the usual rates. Obviously, when demand will be high, prices will automatically be expensive.
So, if you are one of those who are planning their Umrah journeys during the UK school holidays, it’s time to consider some valuable tips and guidelines. You will explore how school holidays affect the cost of Umrah travel packages and how you can get the best deals from a reliable Umrah agency.
Rising Demand for Flights During Holidays
Holidays directly impact the cost of flights because people prefer to travel towards their favourite destinations. If you are a UK resident, you will surely face this situation. The cost of flight looks to be very simple when talking about travelling but behind this, there is a proper strategy of airlines. Airlines always use dynamic prices instead of static and they know travellers don’t have the option for further flexibility especially in holidays. Moreover, when direct flights becomes full, people prefer connecting flights towards Jeddah or Madinah from the UK.
Airlines typically gets high profit on flights during vacations, so they know when the ticket is higher in demand and when it will become lower. In addition, flights from London Heathrow or Manchester are limited to slots, hence airlines use their management techniques to arrange tickets and their costs. So, the prices are bound to increase.
Surge in Hotel Bookings’ Pressure
Hotel booking is another major component of Umrah that can become expensive during holidays after flights. In Makkah and Madinah, hotels sold out weeks in advance. During the peak seasons of Umrah, hotels lease their rooms in bulk to travel agencies or companies. Then, further this process follows the multi-level leasing and prices of hotels higher.
Every family during holidays wants to stay in the hotels which are near Haram and only takes 5-7 minutes of walk. Families often include older ones and children, so hotels priority goes to them. Front-row hotels near the Haram makes their prices higher than the usual rates because they know people will prefer to pay any price for convenience.
Typically, the travel agencies in the UK organise Umrah in larger groups from different cities. They book hotels in advance and later it becomes difficult for individual travellers to book rooms on time at low rates. So, holiday seasons follow the tactics of sophisticated prices.
Holidays are Peak Seasons for Family Travel
Holidays are nothing without travelling with your loved ones. We always prefer to spend some quality time with our families. You can arrange your travels like Umrah with your family members and spend valuable moments with them. Families are often bound to their children’s daily school routines and unauthorised absence can lead to fine up to £150. So, 95% families prefer holidays to travel with children because UK considered it a legal offense for expelling children from schools.
Every state of the United Kingdom, England, Scotland, Wales, and often Northern Ireland, gets school breaks on the same time. Since, every family is free to travel so Umrah prices won’t be in cheap deals. It’s not difficult to expect highest possible prices of packages. Family travel habitually not likes to travel via connecting flight with layovers in the Middle East. This matters more if travelling with older ones and they choose direct flight with rates sky-high.
You should keep in mind that holiday period is a global competition, not just for Brits. When British are on breaks, people from other parts of Europe and America are also on holidays. This means families are coming to Saudi Arabia to perform Umrah not only from the UK but from all over the world. Because of this international pressure, Saudi hotels don’t even consider lowering their rates.
The Effect of Seasonality and Weather
The weather conditions of Saudi Arabia effects directly on Umrah packages’ costs. Saudi Arabia faces hot weather throughout the year except the peak winter months (December to February). Additionally, schools in the UK are already on holidays during December and February half-term break. So, Muslims of United Kingdom and even from the whole world prefer the colder months to perform Umrah. When everyone wants to go on pleasant weather, then surely travel packages will be expensive.
Why every pilgrim desire to choose pleasant time to perform Umrah? Firstly, Makkah and Madinah provides physical comfort for offering prayers. Secondly, during December, UK faces very cold weather and people find Saudi Arabia’s mild winter a great escape from the cold. Muslims not only perform Umrah in good weather but also like to explore the city and historical Ziyarat places. UK travellers know pleasant weather means huge crowds in the holy cities, so people make bookings 6-8 months in advance.
Clash of Religious Dates Can Happen
Here the clash of religious dates means when religious holidays come on the same dates of school holidays. Usually, during school holidays only families prefer to travel for Umrah but when any Islamic event occur like Ramadan, every individual and even couples also depart for Umrah. Sometimes Easter holidays come during Ramadan then the number of travellers leaving the UK for pilgrimage increases. So whether Easter holidays come in March or April, Muslims take advantage and book Easter holidays Umrah packages, then leave for Umrah.
In 2026, Ramadan is expected to start from the mid of February and ends on the mid of the March. So, February half-term school break in the UK will come in Ramadan’s first stage (Ashra). As we talked about when any festival clashes the school holidays, prices will high from normal rates. Hotels sold out their rooms at their earliest convenience. Due to double demand, flights and hotels run out of space and what’s left turn out to be very expensive.
Limited Economy Options During School Holidays
Many UK Umrah pilgrims choose economy options rather than luxurious packages, according to their budget. A lot of travellers book their Umrah deals during holidays in advance to avoid higher rates on time. They book 6 to 8 months before their departure time. Hence, those who book on time will get double to triple cost of packages when Umrah agents don’t have low-priced rooms availability. In this situation, it’s best to go with the trusted and affordable Umrah agency, who can give you reasonable rates even on time booking.
3-star hotels and economy hotels falls under budget for most pilgrims but some also likes to stay in 5-star accommodations. Thus, economy hotels sold out quickly. If you prefer to stay under budget and want to travel via direct flight towards Saudi Arabia, confirm your Umrah booking early. Agencies close their cheap packages to avoid losses in profits.
Overall, from the above entire arguments, it’s clear that there is a deep connection between school holidays of the UK and the cost of Umrah. Whenever schools close in the United Kingdom, the prices of flights, hotels, and the whole Umrah packages increases rapidly due to the principle of supply and demand. So, make sure your booking at your earliest convenience and enjoy your Umrah journey!
