Halal travel guide: prayer, halal food and hotels

Before you travel

1. Prayer times at your destination: they change a lot between summer and winter far from the equator.
2. The qibla direction, especially in hotels: ask reception or open the qibla page for your city.
3. The nearest mosque or prayer room to your hotel and the places you will visit.
4. Halal food options: certified restaurants, markets selling halal meat, or vegetarian choices.
5. Hotel services: some provide a prayer mat and Quran and rooms away from alcohol service.

Search for your city on our site to find prayer times, the qibla, nearby mosques and halal restaurants listed in open community maps.

Praying while travelling

• Most scholars allow shortening four-unit prayers to two for a traveller; each school sets its own distance threshold.
• Combining Dhuhr with Asr and Maghrib with Isha during travel is permitted for need by most scholars.
• You may pray seated on a plane or train if you cannot stand, facing the qibla as far as possible.
• Pray on any clean, permitted surface: airport prayer rooms, parks or your hotel room.

The details of shortening and combining differ between schools, so follow the ruling of a scholar you trust.

Eating halal abroad

• Look for a recognised halal certificate, or ask directly about the meat source and any alcohol in dishes.
• Watch for hidden ingredients: gelatin, animal fats and alcohol in some sauces.
• When halal meat is unavailable, vegetarian and seafood options are the safest choice; scholars have differing views on meat of the People of the Book, so ask a mufti you trust.
• Carry snacks from home when visiting places with few options.

Hotels and travelling in Ramadan

Choose a hotel near a mosque and ask about suhoor and iftar meals. A traveller in Ramadan may break the fast and make it up later; most scholars say fasting is better if it is not hard.

In countries where daylight is very long, Muslims follow the guidance of their local religious bodies for fasting times.

Preguntas frecuentes