How much it costs to chase the 2024 total solar eclipse

A total solar eclipse will cross North America in early April, and travellers are paying big money to experience the path of totality.

On 8 April 2024, a sliver of the globe will go dark for roughly four minutes as a total solar eclipse – an astronomical event in which the Sun, Moon and Earth are perfectly aligned – completely blocks the sun's rays in the "path of totality".

But that path is only about 115 miles (185km) wide, covering a portion of northern Mexico, the US and south-east Canada. For those lucky enough to live in the path of totality, witnessing the eclipse is as easy as popping outside with protective eyewear. For everyone else, travel is in order.

People making moves to see the eclipse can expect to shell out for airfare, petrol, lodging and more – but with the next total solar eclipse not hitting the US for another 20 years, it's worth it for these travellers.

Do Trinh has travelled for solar eclipses before, having holidayed in France to experience a path of totality in 1999. But when the Amsterdam-based IT professional saw an eclipse photo taken from a plane, he knew exactly how he wanted to witness the event in 2024. "Experiencing the eclipse at 30,000 feet – it's just a totally different view," says Trinh. "It's a once-in-a-lifetime thing." 

Trinh mapped out a few different flights in the path of totality before deciding on a Delta flight from San Antonio, Texas to Detroit, Michigan, paying about $500 (£428) for a domestic first-class ticket to get the best possible view. But shortly after booking, Trinh's flight was rescheduled and pushed out of the eclipse path. Fortunately, he was able to transfer his ticket to another flight – Delta flight 1218 – from Austin, Texas to Detroit.

Weeks later came a surprise: Delta announced that flight 1218 would be the airline's official eclipse flight, operating aboard an A220-300 plane specifically selected for its large windows. Since Trinh booked before the announcement – and the resulting surcharge – his first-class seat cost less than half of the $1,150 (£908) surge rate that accompanied the promotion.

Along the way, Trinh will rack up some serious airline miles, intentionally booking what frequent fliers call a ‘mileage run' – a flight booked for the express purpose of generating miles or points. First, he'll fly from his resident Amsterdam to Madrid; then, he'll head directly back to Amsterdam on the same plane. After that, he'll fly to the US, landing in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Finally, he'll fly from Minneapolis to San Antonio, arriving on the Saturday prior to the Eclipse. In all, Trinh spent around $2,500 (£2,144) on airfare.

Trinh will also spend $700 (£552) on lodging during his weekend in San Antonio. Also in the cards: a private rideshare from San Antonio to Austin, a trip that generally takes around an hour and a half and costs an average of $120 (£94) per the Lyft website estimate. 

"It's 25 to 30 hours of flying for four and a half minutes of the eclipse," says Trinh, laughing. "But it's worth it for a very unique perspective."

Traveling with two children under the age of four is never easy, but it's a priority for Carlee Myers, a gym owner in Lansdale, Pennsylvania. Myers plans to drive 400 miles (644km) to Buffalo, New York to catch the total eclipse from a lakeside Airbnb with her husband and their two children, aged three years and 10 months. 

Myers was inspired to chase the eclipse after experiencing what she calls a "distinct sense of FOMO" – that's 'fear of missing out' – after the 2017 eclipse, which was also visible in North America. "I ended up knowing a surprisingly large number of people who travelled [in 2017]," she says. "Now, I'm excited to see something that's not going to happen for another 20 years."

The Myers family plans to spend three nights in their rented home, which they booked for $600 (£473). They'll be traveling in one of the family's large sport utility vehicles; as such, they've budgeted roughly $200 (£157) for petrol. They're also planning to spend about $300 (£236) on groceries, road-trip snacks and the occasional meal out, plus sightseeing activities throughout the weekend. 

Ultimately, says Myers, she's looking forward to making family memories – although she notes her youngsters likely won't register the eclipse itself. "My three-year-old thinks it's all about rocket ships," she jokes.

Musical-theatre lyricist Kate Leonard plans to view the eclipse from her hometown of Rochester, New York, along with six friends. Leonard, currently based in Manhattan, planned the trip upstate after attending a talk from a member of Rochester's tourism-focused eclipse task force; immediately afterward, Leonard sent an email to a group of around 120 people outlining her newfound enthusiasm for the eclipse.

"People who've witnessed a total solar eclipse sometimes describe it as a spiritual or holy experience," Leonard wrote in an email to the BBC. "Some feel an enormous sense of community with fellow eclipse viewers, a oneness with the universe, or an unprecedented sense of stillness. Cool things happen during eclipses: the air temperature drops, the wind slows, and birds go silent. No matter what, it will be strange and memorable."

After firing off the email, Leonard gathered her closest friends and booked an Airbnb in New York's Finger Lakes region. The rental cost a total of $1,600 (£1,264) for three nights, or about $230 (£181) apiece, plus groceries, which Leonard estimates will cost around $200 (£158) for the weekend, or around $30 (£23) apiece.

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On the morning of the eclipse, the group plans to pile into a vehicle to make the drive to Leonard's native Rochester, where they'll visit the George Eastman Museum, a photography museum dedicated to the founder of Kodak. Between individual tickets for the museum – $35 (£27) apiece – and parking, which is $100 (£79) per vehicle, they'll spend about $50 (£39) each to enjoy the museum's eclipse exhibit.

It's well worth it, says Leonard, noting that she also spent $200 for her roundtrip Amtrak trip from Manhattan to Rochester and set aside another $200 for odds and ends during the trip, including a souvenir t-shirt. ("It will probably cost $45 and look terrible on me," says Leonard. "I've made peace with this.")

"I've never experienced an eclipse before, and I feel like it's going to be incredible," she says. "Even if you don't get a good view of the sky, it's still going to be a pretty remarkable thing."

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