If you’re panicking because you just now realized you didn’t book travel to the path of totality and now it will be too expensive to find something at the last minute, don’t worry. It’s not too late, and you won’t have to pay exorbitant amounts for that very special three minutes of eclipse viewing that won’t roll around again for another few decades. That’s because Kayak has curated a list of the cheapest destinations with at least two minutes of totality (meaning that the sun is 100 percent obscured by the moon). You’ll get to have that creepy otherworldly feeling of seeing the daytime temporarily go dark and experiencing awe at the moon’s impressive girth blocking out the sun… and still have something there padding out your wallet.
Whether you choose to fly to a destination or drive, check the list for the least expensive airfare and the best rates for car rentals. And then maybe you’ll want to splurge a little on the hotel, especially if it has some extra perks for star-minded people who are traveling to catch the eclipse. If you’re still not sure exactly which cities are in the path of totality, check out the NASA map here.
The top 10 cheapest places to fly on return, economy airfare:
1. St. Louis: $337 average airfare
2. Pittsburgh, PA: $349
3. Cincinnati, OH: $362
4. Louisville, KY: $378
5. Montreal, Canada: $422
6. Cleveland, OH: $435
7. Dallas, TX: $437
8. Indianapolis, IN: $495
9. Burlington, VT: $501
10. Buffalo, NY: $509
The cheapest hotel destinations in the path of totality:
1. Montreal, Canada: $217 average per night
2. Little Rock, AR: $232
3. Dallas, TX: $247
4. Indianapolis, IN: $289
5. Cleveland, OH: $321
6. Buffalo, NY: $324
7. Cape Girardeau, MO: $368
8. Lake Placid, NY: $390
9. Erie, PA: $407
10. Hot Springs, AK: $417
These are the 10 cheapest places to rent a car:
1. Montreal, Canada: $59 average daily rate
2. Indianapolis, IN: $72
3. Pittsburgh, PA: $77
4. Burlington, VT: $78
5. St. Louis, MO: $80
6. Louisville, KY: $89
7. San Antonio, TX: $89
8. Cincinnati, OH: $90
9. Cleveland, OH: $90
10. Dallas, TX: $93