The advice of one of his teachers remained in his mind, as he told him: "Constant travel is difficult. If you want to increase your knowledge, you must travel to Mecca, where Muslim scholars meet." This is in addition to Mecca being a meeting point for all Islamic peoples.

Thus, Ibn al-Sanusi left Algeria, passing through Tunis and then Tripoli. From a passing mention by Ahmad al-Sharif in his book, we can ascertain the date of Ibn al-Sanusi's passage through Tripoli. Ahmad al-Sharif says in his account of his grandfather's meeting with one of his disciples, named 'Umar ibn Barka: "His meeting with him occurred during his passage through them, coming from the Maghreb to the East in the year thirty-eight and one hundred and two hundred [1238 AD], in the town of Zalmatan, near Tripoli." Ibn al-Sanusi continued his journey along the coastal road, then through Benghazi and the western desert, the Green Mountain, and the western desert until he reached Cairo.

Ibn al-Sanusi spent most of this phase of his life, which began in the year 1238 AD and ended with his arrival in Cairo around 1245 AD, in continuous travels that left a deep impact on him. His movement from the southern Algerian cities allowed him to observe the conditions of Muslims there and in various parts of West Africa, through the caravans that brought news from those regions. Moreover, his passage along the North African coast allowed him to learn about the conditions of the Maghreb's Muslims and form an idea of their situations. It is most likely that he was affected by the state of backwardness they were in. His travels also increased his knowledge of Sufi paths. Anyone who reads his book, "Al-Salsabil al-Mu'in," will notice the extent of his knowledge of Sufi affairs. Furthermore, these travels allowed him to meet many people and visit many places. This knowledge benefited him later upon his return from the Hijaz. It was Ibn al-Sanusi's ambition to strengthen his relationships with those he met. We can infer from Ahmad al-Sharif's history that during his journey to Cairo, he strengthened his ties with many individuals and succeeded.