In January, we stepped foot on our seventh continent (Antarctica…See post here) and we looked around and after that amazing experience we thought…what’s left!? In fact, there’s a lot left…the “book it” list keeps growing as we are intrigued by emails in our inbox and friends’ posts of their trips. “how have we not been to Lisbon?” and “Copenhagen sure looks incredible!” So there’s lots still to see and do!
But this spring, we found a new place to explore, not on any particular continent, we found amazing things to see…IN THE SKY and IN THE WATER and we didn’t have to take a plane anywhere!
Total Eclipse
This April, a spectacular astral event happened all across North America. A relative lives in Vermont, right on the path of totality and we moved in for the weekend, hostel style, with a crowd of other relatives, roommates, friends and a handful of Dartmouth college students. In exchange for a making batches of chili and a ‘make your own taco bar” to share, we scored an actual bed! My back was grateful!
We’d experienced a partial eclipse a few times over our years, but totality is something “totally” different. The unique experience of the moon blotting out the sun for 3 minutes, was fleeting, delightful! The changes to the light, the wildlife around us and the ability to tear off the eclipse glasses and truly see this spectacle was pretty special.
The next total eclipses will require some travel for US viewers who got hooked on the last one! August 12, 2026 over Greenland, Iceland, and Spain. August 2, 2027 over northern Africa, Gibraltar, and the Saudi peninsula. July 22, 2028 over Australia and New Zealand. Below are some tips for planning your eclipse travel.
Eclipse Travel Tips:
Book any special tours or cruises that will be on the path of totality asap! We tried to get an Air BNB or book a cruise with our favorite adventure cruise line more than a year in advance, and all were already booked.
If you choose to stay in the “path” , prepare to pay. Hotels in VT we looked into increased prices by 200-400% for the night before the eclipse. Friends who lived within 90 minutes to 2 hours away from the path of totality, who drove to see the eclipse and paid with a 4-7 hour trip home in traffic! So keep your electric car charged and top off your gas tanks!
Restaurants will likely be overwhelmed by crowds, so pack in your own food and avoid eating out in towns experiencing any special event.
Choosing to take a longer vacation in the area bracketing the eclipse dates will allow you find more reasonable flights and transportation options.
Northern Lights
In May, a huge solar storm made the Aurora Borealis visible through much of North America. The typical Aural Oval is in the north, and can most be seen in the winter, and where its dark between latitude 60 and 75 degrees. But in early May, all eyes were on the sky and people as far as south as South Carolina were able to see some “northern lights” Describing this phenomenon is way over my paygrade, but NOAA (click here) does a good job of making it understandable.
Luckily, we had planned an annual family trip to northern Maine to stay off the grid at one of our favorite fishing camps. (See our previous posts here) and it coincided perfectly with this forecasted event. We enjoyed gorgeous sunsets, and then later, assembled in our PJs at nearly midnight, we experienced this solar storm in the sky!
Northern Lights Travel Tips:
Seeing Northern Lights requires a “perfect storm” of the right kind solar activity (which can’t be predicted much better than weather) and dark nights with no light pollution, and cloudless, clear weather.
Travel to Alaska, Canada, Greenland, Iceland, and parts of Finland, Norway, Sweden and Russia in winter for the best opportunities. Some tour companies offer glass domed accommodations to facilitate late night viewings.
That said, we’ve seen Northern Lights unexpectedly twice; once this May (ME) and once in August (AK) and yet friends who have traveled to Iceland or Norway in winter to specifically see them have missed them entirely (as we did during a November trip in northern Canada)
So my biggest piece of advice is to travel north to see things that interest you…in Iceland go for geologic formations and geothermal baths, travel for cross country skiing and saunas in Finland or go to Canada to see polar bears, and let the northern lights be a delightful surprise that might happen during your trip! Spend more time near the arctic circle and you have a better chance to see this spectacle!
Bioluminescence
What’s “glowing on” in the ocean? Bioluminescent organisms are! Another scientific explanation above my pay grade, but our Maine Guide and operator of Castine Kayak Adventures, Karen, (click here) explained that there are dinoflagellates that when exposed to oxygen will flash, similar to the process in fireflies. Because these colonies of organisms are usually found in sheltered bays, (and move around!) the best way to reach them is by boat, and to use an experienced guide. Usually kayaking puts you right on the water for the best viewing, but some bays allow power boats and guests to jump in to “swim”. We didn’t have the best experience on a kayak tour in Puerto Rico, which was over crowded, so when we learned we could see this phenomenon right in our back yard, we signed up for a tour in late May. Maine has some of the strictest guiding standards in the US, so we felt very safe and our small group tour felt like a magical experience rather than like a fraternity party. I’ve already booked another tour this summer when some guests are here visiting. (photos from both of our bioluminescent kayak tours, one in Farjardo Bay PR and the other in Castine ME)
Another way to see bioluminescence, without getting into a kayak, is to take a look outside at night when you are on a cruise or boat. As the boat moves through the water, if there are dinoflagellates there, the boats bow wake will activate them making it look like there are sparks in the water!
Do we have any photos of this magical moment? Not from this last trip because very special equipment is required for this kind of night photography. But one of our most special experiences with bioluminescence happened in the Sea of Cortez in Mexico…where one night the dolphins following our expedition ship activated bioluminescence as they frolicked alongside and it created an outline of the animals that we could see in the pitch dark!
Dolphins outlined in bioluminescent organisms they are disturbing while frolicking next to the ship.
Tips to See the Sea Glow:
Look at the bow wake at night anytime you are on a cruise or boat.
If you decide to take a kayak tour, choose a good outfitter, kayaking at night requires experienced leaders who can assure your safety first!
Choose a tour on a date with the “new moon” (which means no moonlight) as the phenomenon is more visible the darker it is outside.
My last tip…wherever you go, look around, look up, look down, go out at night. There are magical things happening on our planet everyday…and as we all learned this spring, sometimes in our own back yards! Adventure doesn’t always require extensive travel, sometimes it only requires opening our eyes and watching what’s happening all around us! Get out there and get “glowing” !