Places to stay for the solar eclipse are getting booked fast — here are some tips for securing a last-minute spot

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Attention, stargazers: If you’re trying to find a last-minute place to stay where you can view (through goggles) this month’s total eclipse, it might be tall order, but not necessarily impossible.

Sure, most hotels, motels, camp sites and homes in or on the cusp of the eclipse’s parabolic path, which curves across the U.S. from the Oregon coast to near Charleston, S.C., have been booked for months.

This path is the perfect place for seeing the total eclipse and hopefully you’ve already found a place to stay.

With a little luck and ingenuity, you’ll still find a perfect place to stay along the path of the eclipse.
 
Here are some tips for finding last-minute places to stay:
 
●      Hotels in the direct path are likely booked. But think about staying in single family homes, rustic farmhouses, and even camping out in someone’s back yard. Listings are still available, so stay open minded and make some calls to secure your spot ASAP.
 
●      Large rental properties are still available and can often accommodate over a dozen people. Why not convince your friends and family to join you for the stargazing action? Splitting the nightly rate will keep your costs low and you’ll get to share this once-in-a-lifetime event with some of your favorite people.
 
●      If you’re willing to stay a few extra days, you can find great deals on vacation rentals that have minimum stay requirements. This means that you’ll have access to even more available properties if you’re able to stay for 3 nights instead of just 1. Americans don’t take enough vacation as it is, so use the eclipse as an excuse to kick back and relax as the earth spins around a few more times.
 
●      If you’re open to paying top dollar, you can find some amazing vacation rentals in ground-zero towns that perfectly situated for the total eclipse. A rental in Casper, for example, could cost you almost $2,000 a night with a two-night minimum. In Idaho Falls, Idaho, a day under the stars (and a night) could cost up $1,350. Paying premium nightly rates will give you a front-row view of the eclipse.
 
●      Conversely, some rental owners may be cutting their nightly rates right now. They may have opportunistically over-priced their properties in anticipation of the eclipse but  you could wind up getting a great place at a low price if vacancies are making them nervous.
 
●      While most of the excitement is centered around seeing the total eclipse, the partial eclipse is pretty cool too. If you’re okay seeing the partial eclipse (which is visible if you’re outside of the parabolic path), there are thousands of vacation rentals ready and waiting for you to show up with your telescope in hand.
 
A total eclipse is so rare that the next coast to coast solar eclipse won’t happen until 2045. So if you want to see the eclipse this summer, I highly recommend booking your accommodation today. Don’t hesitate too long — the vacancies might not last much longer than the eclipse itself.
  

Jen O’Neal is a co-founder and the CEO of Tripping.com, a travel aggregator specializing in vacation homes and short-term rentals. Its headquarters is in San Francisco.

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