Traffic into the path of totality is reportedly expected to equal 20 to 30 Super Bowls. Hertz says rental car bookings for the weekend are up 3,000%. Searches for Airbnb rentals are up 1000% and the cost of plane tickets has soared.
Hundreds of millions of people are traveling Monday to what is called the path of totality, where the total solar eclipse will be visible. That means massive traffic jams and overbooked flights and hotels.
Hertz says rental car bookings for the weekend are up 3,000%. Searches for Airbnb rentals are up 1000% and the cost of plane tickets has soared.
Traffic into the path of totality is expected to equal 20 to 30 Super Bowls, according to Time.
In New York, a state of emergency has been declared as one million tourists are expected to travel to Niagara Falls to witness the cosmic event.
After the last eclipse in 2017, getting home was a nightmare for many Americans. One Ohio mother said in a video on social media that it took her seven hours to drive 100 miles.
“Do not drive on eclipse day. Don’t do it,” she says.
Potential cloud cover on Monday means there is no guarantee that you will get the full total eclipse experience.
But some eclipse enthusiasts are undeterred.
Dan Lange is driving 16 hours from Minnesota to Austin, Texas, with his son Samuel and pet parrot, Pearl.
“They said it may be cloudy but Texas, even in April, if it can get above 78, it’s going to clear off. I’ve got a good feeling about it,” Lange tells Inside Edition.
American Automobile Association’s Alec Slatky shared some tips on driving on Monday.
“Don’t wear the eclipse glasses while you’re driving. I mean, that’s tip number one,” Slatky tells Inside Edition. “They’re not sunglasses.
“We expect people to be on the road early and getting there early, but especially when you’re leaving the eclipse destination, everyone’s gonna be leaving at the same time, so we expect some big jams,” Slatky says.
Slatky advises against drivers stopping their vehicles on the road to watch the eclipse.
“We want anyone that’s on the road to be looking at the road and also be on the lookout for pedestrians that might be wandering around looking up,” Slatky says.
