Tony Toghia is on a moon mission — not to visit, but to finally see the celestial body cover the sun.
The computer engineer from Southern California flew to New York in 2024 to watch the “Great North American Eclipse” from Niagara Falls. This August, on a ship off the coast of the Spanish island of Ibiza, he waited to see the total solar eclipse that stretched from the Arctic to the Mediterranean.
Both times, clouds blocked his view of totality, the key period when the moon passes between Earth and the sun.
“The elements keep conspiring against us,” he said.
To his wife’s dismay, he spent much of the rest of his cruise this summer “kind of obsessed with trying to figure out what’s the best strategy for attempt number three.”
That would be the upcoming “Eclipse of the Century” on Aug. 2, 2027, so named because of the extraordinary amount of time in totality — more than 6 minutes and 20 seconds at the greatest duration — and the excellent chance of clear skies.
The path includes a bit of southern Spain, northern Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. Toghia will be on a sold-out Mediterranean cruise positioned for the best chance at experiencing the eclipse.
“I’m hoping third time is the charm,” he said.
Here’s what travelers should know about catching the next solar eclipse — or the ones after that.
What is special about 2027?
Viewers should have a very good chance of seeing a long period of totality, depending on where they are. The maximum of more than six minutes and 20 seconds near Luxor, Egypt, is nearly two minutes longer than the longest duration of the 2024 total eclipse, which was four minutes and 28 seconds.
“At its maximum, it’s the longest totality basically for the rest of the century,” said Jeffrey Bennett, an astronomer, author and creator of the Totality app. He said the “cloud prospects are really good” for next year’s event.
Meteorologist Matthew Cappucci wrote in The Washington Post earlier this year that no other solar eclipse visible from land will offer more time in totality until 2114. Atmospheric odds, the angle of the sun and the wide path all amount to a great show.
“In other words, the next eclipse will be spectacular,” Cappucci wrote.
Where can I go?
The big-ticket location is Luxor in Egypt, which will experience the longest period of darkness. But the path cuts through a swath of countries, including southern Spain, Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria and Saudi Arabia.
Where you should go depends on many factors.
Bennett said travelers should weigh the length of totality, the possibility of clear skies and convenience when they pick their spot. Travelers should examine the U.S. State Department’s travel advisories to make sure they’re aware of risks and warnings. There’s also the weather to consider: Temperatures in Luxor in August can easily top 105 degrees.
Alexandra Gillespie, a luxury and adventure-focused travel adviser who owns New Atlas, said she’s seen an uptick in inquiries about traveling to Luxor for next year’s eclipse since the one in August. But some clients have decided to avoid Egypt because of the heat.
She encouraged eclipse chasers to look at the entire path of totality, including destinations “where you can still have a high chance of clarity and see a really long totality without necessarily cramming into Luxor.” Tangier, Morocco, will have nearly 5 minutes of darkness, while parts of Tunisia will see more than 5 and a half minutes.
“Make sure it’s a destination that does interest you holistically,” she said, so the trip will be worthwhile even if the eclipse isn’t picture perfect.
What kind of trip options are out there?
Eclipse seekers can join multiday cultural tours of Spain, Morocco, Egypt, Algeria, Tunisia and Saudi Arabia. They can spend the eclipse on a riverboat on the Nile or a large cruise ship on the Mediterranean.
Gillespie said there are also glamping experiences in the desert and charter yachts in the Red Sea.
“Get creative and be flexible,” she said.
Travelers can also try to patch together their own trip, though finding hotel space could be tough even months in advance.
Bennett said travelers can also find a place to stay close enough to the path of the eclipse that they can travel to a good spot on the day of the event.
“Find a place you get cheaper and drive,” he said. Gillespie warned that vacationers should make sure the roads wherever they’re going can accommodate that kind of trek.
Are there still spots left?
Some tours still have availability, and many operators are adding more trips to meet demand.
Richard Skinner, joint managing director of Responsible Travel, an online travel company that vets tour packages for responsible practices, said the tour operators he works with in eclipse destinations are adding more and more trips when they can.
“They’re filling up really quickly,” he said.
In an interview Tuesday, he said there were only three spaces left on a Sahara Desert camping trip. Bennett said he will be speaking as part of a trip to Gibraltar that has been sold out for months.
Gillespie said many hotels have long-running wait lists. She’s working to secure a hotel room for a client that is still being built as the property expands for the eclipse.
What’s coming next?
If you miss the 2027 show, or just want to plan ahead for the next one, a total eclipse will be visible over a stretch of Australia, including Sydney, and New Zealand’s South Island in July 2028.
“It’s not too early now. The trips for ‘28 are already out there and they’re probably filling up fairly rapidly,” Bennett said. He said travelers will have a better opportunity to book their own trip because of all the lodging options in Sydney.
Further out, a total solar eclipse will be visible over southern Africa and Australia in November 2030. For Americans who don’t want to travel far, the next coast-to-coast total solar eclipse isn’t until 2045, when the path will stretch from California to Florida before continuing to the Caribbean and South America.
“If you want to see totality — and you do, it’s amazing … you’re going to have to travel for it one way or the other,” Bennett said. He saw his sixth total solar eclipse in Dallas in 2024, but one that really stands out was in 1999 in Europe, when his toddler son took his first steps.
“They’re addictive,” he said. “Once you see one, you want to see another.”
The post What to know about traveling for next year’s ‘Eclipse of the Century’ appeared first on Washington Post.
