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.
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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.