New Animated Map Shows Airbnb’s Fully Booked Cities Along the 2024 Eclipse Path of Totality

This year’s solar eclipse is a hot topic. News channels are covering it, everyone is talking about it, and local governments are even warning us about increased traffic in areas near the path of totality. Astronomy geeks and curious tourists alike are flocking to the path of totality to make sure they have the greatest possible viewing experience. While solar eclipses occur between 2 and 5 times per year, it takes nearly 400 years for an eclipse’s path of totality to occur at the same location. In fact, the next time a solar eclipse will be visible from the contiguous United States will be in 2044! So it’s no surprise that this is a big deal to people who live in the area.

Dedicated solar tourists are traveling from all around the country (and even the world) and, as a result, hotels and other accommodations in the area are completely sold out for the days leading up to the April 8th eclipse. AirDNA, a company that provides data analyses and insights on the vacation rental industry, has visualized fully booked Airbnb rentals across the nation for the days leading up to the eclipse and the result is remarkable. Fully booked cities, represented by an orange coloration, perfectly frame the path of totality across the United States. Check out the animated visualization below that was shared by AirDNA’s Chief Economist, Jamie Lane, on Twitter.

Why is it so important for people to be directly within the path of 100% totality? Even if you are just barely outside of the path of totality, at 99%, the ambient sunlight is 10,000 times brighter than the eclipse corona, making it impossible to see with the naked eye.