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What Are the Best Tips for Halal Travel?
Traveling can sometimes prove difficult for Muslims who want to follow halal requirements in the places they visit. The Islamic law, Sharia, establishes a series of halal foods that are allowed to be consumed by Muslims. The most useful tips for halal travel include information about finding a halal restaurant in a non-Muslim country, in-flight food and eating in fast-food restaurants. Whenever possible, Muslims who are traveling should inquire about the ingredients and preparation of food before consuming it or should prepare their own food if necessary.
Halal means “lawful” in Arabic and is a word that describes all food products permitted by Islamic law, as opposed to haram, which is a term applied to all foods that are forbidden by Islamic law. The most important food products Muslims have to avoid include pork and all products derived from it, carnivorous animals and all types of alcohol. Islamic beliefs consider that animals should be slaughtered in the most humane way possible. This is a complicated rule to follow when a Muslim is trying to practice halal travel to non-Muslim countries, mainly because there is no way to know how the animal was slaughtered.
Especially in Western countries, Muslims might find it difficult to find proper food if they want to practice halal travel. Most restaurants do not disclose all of the ingredients of a dish on the menu, so Muslims should make sure that there was no alcohol used when preparing them. Opting for seafood or vegetarian meals is a good way to respect the halal diet. If in doubt, customers should request to know more about the ingredients of restaurant dishes.
The same rule applies to fast-food restaurants. If someone who respects halal guidelines has to eat at a fast-food restaurant, he or she should choose vegetarian or vegan products. Better yet, there are halal fast-food restaurants in many major cities, so looking for one of them can be a good way to make sure that all halal guidelines are respected.
Some airlines offer passengers the opportunity to choose special dietary requirements. If a company does not include halal menus on the list, Muslim travelers should again opt for vegetarian menus. If the airline permits, some healthy, halal snacks such as dried fruits, cereal bars or nuts can be packed and consumed on the plane.
Another halal travel tip for Muslims is to cook their own food when possible. Fresh halal foods, including vegetables, fruits, honey and organic drinks, are available in all corners of the world. These can be found either in supermarkets or at farmers' markets.
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![A Muslim engaged in halal travel must adhere to the strictures of Islamic code.]()
By: Orhan ÇamA Muslim engaged in halal travel must adhere to the strictures of Islamic code.
Discussion Comments
@feruze-- Yes, most jello is not halal because it is made with gelatin. Gelatin usually comes from pig fat. Even if it's from another animal, the animal was not slaughtered in the Islamic way. So just don't eat jello and avoid foods with gelatin in it.
Packaged foods without meat are usually fine though. And there is always ingredients lists on the packages so you can check to see if any meat, pork or alcohol was added. If you have a Middle Eastern / Islamic grocery store nearby, you can do your shopping from there as well. Their products are almost always halal.
The other option is kosher food. Kosher is actually same thing as halal. Maybe some religious authorities might disagree with me but Jews also require the same slaughtering methods Muslims do. And many grocery stores have kosher food, like kosher hot dogs and so forth. I personally eat kosher foods a lot.
I'm going to be traveling to US this summer. One of my friends said that I shouldn't eat jello there because it's not halal. Is that true?
I live in a Islamic country and we only have halal food here. All the packaged foods are also labeled as halal and guarantee that no pork was used in the product.
As far as I know, in other countries, especially the West, there is no labeling like this. So how will I know if the packaged foods I buy are halal or not?
When I travel, I avoid meat altogether. Unless I am in a strictly halal restaurant, I stick to vegetarian foods or seafood. Even though halal food is hard to come by in the US, it's easy to find vegetarian food. Seafood is nice too, but it's not really something I can eat everyday.
I tend to eat a lot of salad and cheese sandwiches when I'm traveling. Indian restaurants are also great because they offer a lot of vegetarian food. Of course, if you have access to a restaurant that serves halal food, that's the best.
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