How to avoid disasters during Haj

Haj can be a difficult journey. Even for reporters who have experience in performing Haj. But there are six things you must consider before heading for Haj to avoid the mistakes this Arab News reporter had. In a nutshell, I failed to makes plans for the unexpected. It started in the night before Arafat day when this reporter did not recharge his phone. Everything went downhill after that. It took me six hours to get to where I was supposed to stay.
1) Get a map. In Arafat, streets are numbered in an ambiguous way. You must avoid losing your way in Arafat. It can be your worst nightmare, especially if you didn’t plan for a street stay. You expect a comfortable air-conditioned tent and suddenly you find yourself roaming in circles. Even if you are getting instructions by phone, the streets are roughly alike. A map pointing exactly where you should go is a must. Don’t rely on Google’s maps, it will not work with the great demand on the network at the area.
2) Make sure you go to bathroom in the morning. Although there are plenty of public bathrooms in Arafat, there are not enough to accommodate 3 million people.
3) Get an umbrella. The sun, thirst and walking can lead to sunstroke. Most of cases in the medical centers are from sunstroke.
4) Travel light. Carrying heavy stuff will slow you down and make it easier for crowds to carry you away. This could be the worst thing that happens to you, especially if you don’t know your way. You will reach a point where you find yourself unable to stand or sit down. Every single inch in Arafat is occupied, if not by people then by waste.
5) Take enough drinking water. Despite water being freely distributed in some places in Arafat, getting hold of it is sometimes impossible, especially if you are in the Namira mosque surroundings (Yellow Area or Area 3). The intensity of people around Namira mosque makes it difficult to spot the water faucets. Even if you find one, getting to it is a difficult.
6) Stay connected. Carry a travel recharger. A pre-recharged battery is useful. The point is to stay in touch with your friends or family.
Finally, if you did exactly the opposite, don’t allow yourself to collapse. Don’t forget, one of the ideas from Haj is to learn patience. You will learn to have mercy on weaker people. Always remember, you will see cases far worse than yours.