Assalaamu alaykum. I had registered for an architectural study tour of more than a week to various countries and later discovered that Ramadan started during the journey. I took the consideration for a traveller and made up for the missed fasts of Ramadan later because of this journey. Is this correct, or should I have cancelled the journey since Ramadan came at the same time? If so, then how should I make up for this? Please note that I already made up for the days that I missed due to the travel. May Allaah reward you. I hope you can reply soon.

All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of the worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger.

It is not forbidden to travel in the month of Ramadhaan, and the person who wants to travel is not obliged to cancel his travel. Indeed, the Prophet traveled in Ramadhaan, as in the hadeeth narrated by Anas, may Allah be pleased with him, who related that the Prophet traveled in Ramadhaan and got on his mount while it was sitting on the ground, and he then asked for water, and when he took the water by his hand, he made his mount get up, and when it got up, he drank, and the people were looking at him. [Ahmad]

Also, Abu Sa'eed narrated, “We used to travel in Ramadhaan; some of us were fasting and some were not…” [An-Nasaa’i]

So,  if you did not fast on that tour and then made up the missed days of fasting, there is no problem with that, and this is permissible as Allah gave a concession for the traveler to break his fast. Allah says (what means): {So whoever among you is ill or on a journey [during them] - then an equal number of days [are to be made up].} [Quran 2:184]

However, we would like to draw your attention to the fact that the journey of a woman traveling without a Mahram (permanently unmarriageable kin) is a travel of disobedience, and according to some scholars, she is not entitled to take the concessions of travel, such as shortening the prayer, breaking the fast, and so forth.

Sharh Al-Muntaha, which is a book on Hanbali Fiqh, reads, “If a woman performs Hajj without a Mahram, then her travel is forbidden without him, but her Hajj is sufficient (in fulfilling the obligation of Hajj) … I say: She is not entitled to take the concessions...”

If a woman took the concession out of ignorance, then she is not obliged to repeat (the act of worship), because some scholars permitted taking the concessions during travel in all cases, even if it were a travel of disobedience. If a layman does an act that is in conformity with the view of some scholars, then he is not obliged to repeat the act of worship.

Al-Bahr Ar-Raa'iq, authored by the Hanafi scholar Ibn Nujaym, reads about a layman if he does an act, “…If he did not seek a fatwa from any scholar and his act is correct according to the opinion of a mujtahid scholar, then it is sufficient and he is not required to repeat it..."

Allah knows best.