The State of Texas is bracing for an influx of skywatchers as the demand for RV rentals skyrockets in anticipation of the April 8 total solar eclipse. According to KXAN, rental company RVshare has reported an unprecedented 2,000% surge in bookings for the highlight weekend compared to last year.
Small towns like Ingram, Texas, stand to gain from this celestial event, as they expect to play host to nearly half a million visitors. Marvin Willis, who is organizing a watch party in Ingram, told KXAN, "We've never had 100,000 people in our town, but we’d love to have as many as we can take." Roads could get congested, with Willis remarking, “It's gonna be hard to travel from one side of the town to the other."
Travelers who won't make it to Texas or other prime locations have the option to tune in online for free. Yahoo News recommends watching live streams like the one provided by timeanddate.com, which promises to cover the eclipse "from start to finish." The site will also update a live blog with real-time progress reports and background information throughout the event.
RV rentals have also spiked in other states situated along the eclipse's path, such as Ohio and Arkansas. Maddi Bourgerie, a travel expert with RVshare, told KXAN, "I think a lot of people are interested in watching the eclipse from the beautiful like hill country." In a comparison to past stats, she noted, "In the last Eclipse (in 2017), we saw about 150% of bookings jumped during that time. So we’re definitely seeing more interest this time around."
With more than 32 million people living within the eclipse's path, those unable to secure an RV or a prime viewing spot on the ground have, at least, a digital recourse. This total solar eclipse, which will cast its shadow from northern Mexico through parts of 15 U.S. states and into southeastern Canada, promises to darken the day temporarily while brightening the prospects for local economies along its route.
