The Great Solar Eclipse of 2024 is only 6 weeks away, and people are getting creative when it comes to viewing it. Gone are the days of running out into the street, looking up for a minute, saying, “Whoa, sweet,” and then going back inside. People from around the world are planning entire vacations around the solar eclipse to give themselves the most epic, memorable viewing experience.
The 2024 solar eclipse is taking place mid-day in North America on April 8th. The path of totality, where the moon passes directly in front of the sun, is the best geographic strip from which to view it. This is the sweet spot where the midday sky will turn to night. The 115-mile path will stretch from Mexico, across the United States, and into Canada.
Whether you live in the direct path or not, solar eclipse trips seem to be a trend this year. According to several airlines and rental car agencies, there has been a surge in demand for flights and rental cars in cities in the eclipse path. “Demand for rental cars is picking up, especially in cities with high daily rates,” Brian Doan, one of the Regional Managers for Enterprise, tells The Royal Texan, “DFW, as an example, has had an 1800% increase in searches for rentals the weekend of the solar eclipse. It seems like eclipse enthusiasts are gearing up for some road-trip action.”
“Some areas of Texas and Oklahoma are showing more than triple the reservations when compared to the same time frame in 2023,” according to an Avis statement, “Rentals in Austin and San Antonio, in particular, are in high demand. We are also seeing increased demand in areas throughout Ohio, New England, and upstate New York.” This increased demand is consistent across all three of the major rental brands – Enterprise, Avis, and Alamo – and is expected to continue growing as spring approaches. However, it isn’t just the rental cars. Travel searches, in general, are on the rise in cities connected to the eclipse. That means flights and hotels, too. Good luck trying to find a hotel room along the direct path of totality.
“Overall, this year’s solar eclipse is creating quite the spike in travel demand,” continues Doan. “We’ve seen over 2,000% more searches for flights to Indianapolis and 8,000% more searches for Buffalo hotels compared to the same time period in 2023.” He further notes that cities like San Antonio, Austin, Dallas, Indianapolis, Cleveland, and Shreveport are seeing premium and surge pricing, indicating a heightened interest in these locations from would-be travelers searching for cars, flights, and hotels.
IS IT TOO LATE?
Cars are just about gone for the eclipse, but there’s still plenty left in inventory. “Reserving a vehicle as early as possible for future travel continues to be critical,” Doan notes. “Providing flexible dates and branch pick-up locations in your search may help to increase your options. Enterprise can redirect customers to other nearby options – if available – during the online reservation process when they are booking if their selected option is showing no vehicle availability.” The good news? The path of totality is long. If you’re intent on having an eclipse road trip experience, there are plenty of destinations from which you can see the phenomenon and probably secure a rental car, even if your first-choice city is sold out or the prices are too high. Instead of renting a car in expensive San Antonio, for example, you might instead rent in Abilene, Texas, or Shreveport, Louisiana, where the average rental car is one-third the cost.
images source: Google & Washington Post
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