Is there still time to book travel to watch this year's total solar eclipse?

AccuWeather

A lot of hotels in key Texas towns along the path of totality are already booked, but that doesn't mean you're out of options everywhere.

Transcript

00:00 It's only two months until the celestial spectacle of the decade and we're looking at the total solar eclipse.

00:07 And if you're planning to travel to the path of totality where you're going to get the big show,

00:12 you're going to need some travel arrangements to probably be locked in very soon, if not already.

00:17 It may not be too late, though. So if your sense of adventure cuts down to the wire,

00:21 we have asked Expedia travel expert Christy Hudson to talk to us about travel trends

00:26 and remaining availability and provide a few travel tips. So thanks for joining us here, Christy.

00:31 Thanks for having me. Excited to talk about the eclipse.

00:35 Yeah, well, I'm optimistic about this after speaking with you a little bit before this hit here.

00:39 So what have been some of the most popular travel destinations for the eclipse?

00:43 Well, Texas is definitely the hot spot for the eclipse because there are three major cities

00:49 that are on the path of totality in Texas.

00:52 Austin, Dallas and San Antonio are three of the major ones.

00:57 All of them, according to Expedia, are seeing a huge search, search increases,

01:01 upwards of 800 to 900 percent compared to last April.

01:06 So the eclipse is absolutely fueling a ton of travel interests this spring.

01:11 But there are still great options in those places and a couple others that I'll tell you about.

01:16 And eclipses like this only come once every so often.

01:20 And car rental options may be kind of sparse in a similar way in places like Buffalo,

01:25 Indianapolis, Cleveland, San Antonio, Austin and Dallas.

01:29 So what strategies or recommendations do you and Expedia have for travelers

01:33 to secure reliable transportation to get this in?

01:37 Yes, you're exactly right. This is coming at the same time as traditional spring break travel.

01:43 So it just means that everything is going to be a little bit more competitive.

01:46 What you're going to want to do is get those arrangements made soon.

01:49 You can use things like book now, pay later to make sure you get the vehicle type you want.

01:54 Your pickup time can be confirmed.

01:56 That way you don't get to the lot and find that they don't have what you need

01:59 or they're all out of good options.

02:02 And you're also going to want to keep that in mind for travel and traffic on the interstates

02:07 in these areas all around the April 8th eclipse.

02:11 And given the unique nature of this eclipse and its rarity,

02:14 what are some lesser known or maybe off the beaten path destinations within the path

02:19 that Expedia recommends for travelers seeking a more intimate and memorable experience?

02:24 Yes, we just talked about Texas, but there are tons of great options on the path of totality,

02:28 especially great because if you want to go to these places and stay for a few extra days,

02:33 you want some fun things to do in those cities or towns.

02:36 So here are a couple of recommendations.

02:38 Little Rock, Arkansas still has great availability.

02:41 It also has museums.

02:43 It has Pinnacle Mountain State Park, which is an amazing spring destination.

02:47 You could go to Burlington, Vermont, also on the path of totality, a great place.

02:52 It's a college town with an art scene.

02:54 But what you're going to want to do is go to Expedia, type in solar eclipse April 8th,

02:59 and it's going to pop up all availability all along the path of totality.

03:03 It's a really great way to find what's still available.

03:06 All right, great advice there, Christy Hudson from Expedia.

03:09 Thanks again, Christy.

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