When traveling there are steps; first, you book and board your flight, second, you book and check-in to your hotel, third, you find places to eat, and the fourth step is finding fun activities to do while on your trip.
For some these are simple steps to follow, but if you are part of the Muslim community you know you can encounter problems at almost every step. Boarding a flight is not always easy for Muslims and Arabs. Since 9/11 they are often subject to further searches and questioning when trying to board a flight. At times these extra security measures lead to them missing their flight.
Not only can it be a humiliating experience to be pulled aside but sometimes these checks put Muslim women in compromising situations. One woman accidentally revealed her stomach when having to remove her belt, another was asked to remove her underwear, and another was forced to show TSA agents her menstrual pad. These situations would embarrass almost any woman, but it is especially awful for Muslim women who are forced to break their religious beliefes.
The ideal situation would be to stop the racial profiling of Arabs and Muslims when traveling, but seeing as the issue is not likely to be solved ay time soon, and prejudice should not deter you from traveling, there are many articles with helpful tips.
Muslims can also experience issues in steps two through four when traveling due to their dietary restrictions and prayer. While there is some argument over certain dietary restrictions, there are restrictions nonetheless. Muslims pray (Salah) five times a day and there are certain conditions you must abide by when praying. This can all be made very difficult when traveling seeing as Muslims are part of the minority, so accommodations are not often made. So here are some resources for Muslims when traveling.
When you are part of a minority group you often do not see much representation of your group and that can lead to negative effects. Lack of representation can also be seen in the travel industry and that can make minority members, like Muslims, feel like traveling is not for them, or they have unrealistic expectations. That is why it is great that there are Muslim travel bloggers who can provide travel tips and resources.
Many of the travel bloggers provide resources, but there are also some websites that can ease the process of planning and taking a trip.
This is a great resource for Muslim travelers who are looking to find a Muslim-friendly place to stay that provides halal food and drinks, prayer facilities, private pools/spas, etc.
This resource is great for booking your next trip and is described as Tripadvisor for Muslim travelers. There is also a mobile app version available for download.
TAP is a resource for Muslim travelers as it was created to provide travelers who at-risk due to travel bans with legal assistance. They also have a 24/7 emergency hotline (+1-872-333-2737).
This resource is useful for Muslim and Arab travelers who often have issues when flying. You submit an application online stating your complaint and then the government decides whether or not to take you off the no-fly list. If they do, then you are given a redress number that helps them know you are not who they are looking for.
Muslim Pro is a great travel app to help find local prayer times as well as which direction to pray towards.
The Halal Navi app can help you find Halal restaurants, hotels, and prayer rooms while on vacation.
Zabihah is a mobile app that helps you locate the nearest halal restaurants, markets, mosques, and all with reviews from the public.
Halal Trip, as mentioned before, is the mobile app version of the travel website for Muslims with prayer tools, visitors guides, Halal trip passes, and much more.
While it more difficult to travel as a member of the Muslim community it should not keep you from doing so. However, you should also not give up your beliefs in order to travel. So until the world catches up, or some sort of change is made, there are wonderful Muslim people who are willing to share their knowledge and create resources so members of the Muslim community can travel safely and not compromise their faith.
