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The total solar eclipse is coming up fast and it's set to put on quite a show for millions of lucky Americans -- and more watching online -- on Aug 21.
For the first time in 99 years, the total solar eclipse will be visible across the entire United States -- but only a section of the country will experience complete totality, where the sun is completely blocked.
As the astronomical event gets closer, late-comers who want in on the two minutes of solar action can still get lucky -- if they act quick.
SEE ALSO:NASA has party tips to make this the best solar eclipseIt's not impossible at this point to get to the path of totality that starts in Oregon and crosses the U.S. through South Carolina, but it's tough this late in the game to find somewhere to stay or even book flights to get you closer.
Out of luck
Flights have sold out to key destinations along the path. To get to Nashville from San Francisco, for example, forget flying on Southwest. Every flight out is booked.
Flying to popular eclipse locations is near impossible.Credit: screengrabAn Amtrak train that traveled into the peak duration zone in Illinois sold out within a day. Even if you can get to Carbondale, Illinois, where totality will reach a full 2 minutes and 40 seconds, a city tourism board spokeswoman said all hotels in the city are booked.
Campsites are also long gone in places like Oregon and other parks, like those in Nebraska, will be beyond crowded. Camping website Hipcamp has really limited availability for any sites directly on the path on eclipse day, and most of them are on farm land and other big open spaces.
But there's some good news
Don't fret. You can actually find places to camp in Washington, California, Texas, New Mexico, Colorado, and other states. These are all great options, but not for totality. Instead you'll see a partial eclipse, meaning the sun won't be completely blocked. NASA has all the individual maps of states where the eclipse will pass through.
The solar eclipse path of totality.Credit: NASAWhile legit camping locations are nearly impossible to find less than a week out, some campsites have opened up on farm lands and backyards in places like Oregon and Wyoming, as seen on Craigslist and Airbnb.
If you're willing to pay, however...
You canstill get to -- and stay on -- the path of totality if you're willing to shell out extra bucks.
A flight from New York to St. Louis, for example, will set you back about $700, while other destinations to more remote areas like Boise, Idaho, are $1,000 and up for a round trip, as a search on travel site Kayak shows.
Other flying options include heading to cities like Denver, Chicago, Seattle, and Atlanta and driving toward the eclipse path. But all over the country, flights are in demand -- bookings are up more than 400 percent to eclipse destinations, according to The Verge.
A look at Booking.com meanwhile shows how booked up places are. Nashville is 99 percent reserved on the site, with remaining options only at expensive places like the Mansion at Fontanel for $2,000 a night. Bend, Oregon, is only 75 percent reserved, but your options are limited to places like the Days Inn for $800 a night. That same hotel a week later is $113.
A Charleston, South Carolina, beach house or a Salem, Oregon, bungalow on TripAdvisor are some of the few options left on that booking site.
You could also head to sea if all land options fail. Royal Caribbean's special total eclipse cruise still has a few spots left for about $1,000, but you'll have to get to Florida to set sail.
After all this last-minute planning, there's always the possibility that cloudy skies will ruin the experience. Good luck, eclipse procrastinators.
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