Is it too late to buy plane tickets to see April 8’s total solar eclipse—or out of your budget? Either way, don’t give up hope. You can still find a way to the path of totality to increase your chances of a beautiful view of the sun completely blocked by the moon, only its fringe of corona visible, an experience that won’t come again for 20 years… by taking the bus. A long-distance bus is an affordable way to get there—and we can only imagine a good party atmosphere if you get a group of friends together to do it with you. Busbud has pulled together a list of regions where you can easily take the bus to the path of totality: all of them for less than $49.
For instance, if you’re based in Chicago, you can take the bus for 5.5 hours to Toledo for your solar eclipse experience for around $27. Or hop on for a shorter ride of three hours to Indianapolis for a little more than $29.
If you’re in Texas but not in the right swath of visibility, there are several options to get you there. From the Houston area, you can head to San Antonio (2.5 hours, $29), Austin (3 hours, $23), Dallas (3 hours, $25) or Fort Worth (3 hours, $25). Abilene folks can also get to Fort Worth for $34 with a ride that lasts 2.5 hours.
Are you based in New York State? From Albany, you can ride to Saranac Lake for $49 on a 3.5-hour ride to catch your eclipse. If you’re in Ithaca, head to Syracuse, an hour and a half away, for just $21.
There are many more options for astrotourists living near St. Louis, Columbus, Memphis, Louisville, Cincinnati, and various Canadian cities as well. So don’t fret about plane reservations!