While many of you have know us already for years, we have ultimately been busy for the best of the last 15 years providing ground services and hospitality to travelling groups of all backgrounds and origins in Andalusia, Spain. Few however will know much into our organisation, beyond this name and a website.
Traditionally this has been a basic html website, or wordpress “landing page”, inviting the world to experience Islamic Heritage in Spain and cater our own experience as locals to travellers’ needs.
I has been over fifteen years, nearly literally on our feet, and on the road, and looking back to then, is when we see “Al-Andalus Experience” started our own journey into the modern era of the internet, though this very website.
As a small organisation, in fact for much time a one person, (Ahmad Zaruq) freelancing service with an online travel agent license. “fear of success” wasn’t a problem, but as a travel service in Andalusia, Spain, that specialises on Islamic heritage and hospitality, our administration and trip confirmation process was ruled more by the underlying laws of the Universe, than in a standard or timely manner.
Quotes being systematically delayed and the old laptop cracking away excel sheets for trips overnight at hotels during the busy tour season, were signs for the need of progress. This was also a sign that we need to be selective in our services, and along with our own success also came plenty of followers, drawing from our cohesive intention with a few of our local collaborators, into a more disperse and diverse new “market”.
Yes, the origins of Al-Andalus Experience have been along the exact same time frame as the travel and hospitality sector in Spain has developed the first signs of hospitality for Muslims in the past thousand years. This is an interesting fact and one that fills us with purpose, to continue innovating and infusing new lights from our own multi-cultural background into our homeland Spain today. Somewhat of a philosophical question, while specialising in historical insight and narrative, we feel it important to keep our goals and intentions in the present time.
Looking into our past is a way acknowledge and to commemorate, learn and be thankful, yet our goal is to steadily approach or evolve around a “state of art” presence in our own time. We haven’t drawn away from our essence, virtues or heavy causes: the revival of andalusi traditions, local sustainability and development, but keeping a healthy activity seeking good company is our main driving force!
So now to the nit of the grit. We are not just a website, and we are not just the links shared below, Al-Andalus Experience is a synergy of local knowledge, insight and collaboration, towards showing the world the best of our land, heritage and tradition. To the heart of us is a spirit of ‘Tawheed’ that blends experience and action into a journey worth traveling.
Here are the links I wanted to share, these represent the different areas of, introducing, inviting, informing and documenting our services, as well as providing quick ways to access and communicate around our services and specialities.
Keeping up with the revolution in digital communications as well as our administration, bookings, road trips and other services, has been a challenge which we are pleased to accept one year after another but, to be honest, have never actually achieved! For this reason we are streamlining our process ahead of a new custom build full fledged web app!
Containing the best of our administrative and travel planning logic from the past 15 years. It is the result of over 7 years of development, from an original complex spreadsheet (we internally call “the Matriarch” table). So far we won’t be releasing our web application until it is ready to be the most useful to travellers as we have conceived it.
We have recently hard coded a series of standalone server side automations that will simply make sure you get your quote and trip plans on time, these automations will also be triggering a few calendar meeting dates, ahead of your trip, for you to accept, or re-schedule as you find convenient.
We shoudn’t really need more than one meeting to discuss, but it is always good to have reminders of our landmarks ahead of the trip, to mange the bookings, logistics and payment schedules appropriately for a smooth confirmation and final trip experience.
Our classic form → https://admin.alandalus-experience.com/v1
A more opinionated form to plan along our favourite routes and options →
https://admin.alandalus-experience.com/interactive
Further option as a custom booking form →
Throughout our website you will find some Sample Trip Plans. You may plan and book any of the sample trips, by simply choosing a starting date, your name, email and group size, through the form provided within each Sample Trip Plan.