Your pathway to the Sacred House, one step at a time.
Umrah, Hajj, and Istanbul journeys from the United States — planned by a family that has walked them nine times, for pilgrims taking the journey for the first time, and for those answering the call again.
Waseela Travel began with one family's first Umrah in 2012. The journey changed us — so we returned, again and again: Hajj in 2019, and Umrah nearly every year since. Along the way our daughters joined us, and the trip became the thread that ties our family together.
We started Waseela — from the Arabic wasīla, a means of drawing near — to help other American Muslims make that same journey with confidence: honest guidance, hotels close to the Haram, and pricing you can see and understand before you commit to anything.
In October 2026, we led our first Waseela group from Seattle — six nights in Madinah and five nights in Makkah. Most of the group were performing Umrah for the very first time, and they came home describing a deeply satisfying, truly blessed trip — and you can see the journey in their photographs.
Whether this is your very first Umrah or a return your heart has been waiting for, we prepare you the same way. Every step is explained before you travel, so you arrive knowing what to expect: first-timers are hand-held through each rite — and returning pilgrims get the unhurried moments, and the beloved places revisited, that make every journey back richer than the last.
Where you sleep shapes your whole journey. We favor quality hotels a short walk from Masjid al-Haram and Masjid an-Nabawi, so your energy goes to prayer, not to shuttle buses.
Umrah from the US typically costs $2,500–$4,000 per person, depending on whether you travel in peak season or the quieter months — and too many pilgrims learn the real price only after paying a deposit. We show you what things cost and why — before you decide.
Our first group — first-time pilgrims from Seattle — has already made the journey: six nights in Madinah, five in Makkah. The next departures are being prepared now; join the waitlist and you'll be the first to hear dates — there is nothing to book and nothing to pay yet.
Coming soon
Guided journeys to Makkah and Madinah built for first-time pilgrims and returning families alike — the rites explained step by step, ziyarat to the places of the Seerah, and hotels close to both Harams.
Join the Umrah waitlist →
Coming soon
The journey of a lifetime deserves preparation to match. Our Hajj journeys grow out of our own 2019 Hajj — performed with a guided group — and are paced for the days of Mina, Arafat, and Muzdalifah.
Join the Hajj waitlist →
Coming soon
Many routes to the Haramain pass through Istanbul. Turn the layover into a gift: the Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque, and fifteen centuries of history under one great dome — an add-on to any Umrah journey.
Ask about the stopover →Every photograph on this page is ours. This is the road that led to Waseela.
Our first journey to Makkah and Madinah — the one that started everything. We came home already planning to return.
The greater pilgrimage, performed as part of a group led by Dr. Muhammad Salah of Huda TV, who served as our group leader and imam throughout.
After the pandemic kept the Haramain out of reach in 2020, we were called back — the first return, and the beginning of an unbroken run of journeys.
Our daughters walked every step with us for the first time — Madinah's umbrellas at sunset, tawaf under the night sky.
Another Umrah, a visit to Taif in the mountains — and on the way home, a stopover in Istanbul: the Blue Mosque glowing at night, and the Hagia Sophia.
View Umrah 2023 on Instagram →View the Istanbul stopover on Instagram →
Our daughters joined us again. Alongside the Haramain, a quiet walk through the Garden of Salman Al-Farsi in Madinah — the historic date-palm grove by the Al-Fuqair well.
Thirteen years after the first journey, Madinah welcomed us back — the Prophet's Mosque glowing by night, the Green Dome, the Rawdah's golden light, Quba's quiet courtyards by day — then the train to Makkah: tawaf under the stars, the Kaaba's golden door.
Fourteen years after the first journey that convinced us to build Waseela for everyone still waiting for their first. This time we also led our first group from Seattle: six nights in Madinah and five in Makkah, most of them first-time pilgrims who came home calling it a deeply satisfying, blessed trip.
"Twelve years after our first journey, our daughters walked every step with us — Madinah's umbrellas at sunset, tawaf together under the night sky. The best journeys are the ones you make together."— The Waseela family, on Umrah 2024
In October 2026 we led Waseela's first group from Seattle: six nights in Madinah and five nights in Makkah, most of them first-time pilgrims. This is their journey as it happened — the arrival in Madinah, the Prophet's Mosque, Quba, the Rawdah, and Baqi, then on to Makkah and the Kaaba. Swipe, or use the arrows, to walk through their journey.
Words from pilgrims who have traveled with us — in their own words.
What we've learned across nine Umrahs — the process, the real costs, and how to protect yourself — written for pilgrims planning their first trip.
Umrah is simpler than it looks from the outside. The rites themselves take only a few hours; most of your trip is prayer, rest, and ziyarat (visits) in the two holy cities.
Our full pre-departure checklist — what to pack, what to read, what to book in which order — goes to everyone on the waitlist.
For most American pilgrims, a proper Umrah lands somewhere between $2,500 and $4,000 per person, depending on whether you travel in peak season or the quieter months. Where you fall in that range comes down to a few choices:
That cost, all due at once, is the wall most first-time pilgrims hit. It's the problem Waseela was founded to solve — and why we insist on prices you can see in full, in writing, before anything is owed.
Every year, pilgrims lose savings to sellers who were never going to deliver the journey they promised. Protect yourself:
If an offer feels wrong, it usually is. Forward it to us before you pay anyone — we'd rather talk you out of a bad deal than see a pilgrim's savings lost.
If your route home passes through Istanbul — as most Turkish Airlines routes from Jeddah and Madinah do — a stopover of even a single night is one of the great bargains in travel.
Stay in Sultanahmet and you can walk between the Blue Mosque, glowing against the night sky, and the Hagia Sophia — fifteen centuries of history under one great dome, golden mosaics, and calligraphy that humbles you. The Hippodrome, the Grand Bazaar, and ferries on the Bosphorus fill the hours around them.
We made the stop on our way home from Umrah in 2023, and it's why every future Waseela journey will offer it: some journeys end with one more wonder.
Tell us where you'd like to go, and we'll write to you personally when our first journeys open — with dates, hotels, and full prices in writing. No deposit, no obligation.
or email us directly at [email protected]
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