Travel By the Stars: How to Vacation According to Your Zodiac Sign Vacation Planning U.S. Travel International Hotels
The astrological new year kicks off with the vernal equinox on March 20, so what better time to set your travel intentions by the stars? The personality traits of your sun sign are a great starting point. Astrologer Jay Austin, based in New York City, applied his starsight to our roster of travel and tourism clients.Working his way through the zodiac, he presents his best ideas for an astrologically compatible adventure:
Aries on Adrenaline: Adrenaline-driven Aries is the first and fieriest of the three fire signs. Whiteface Lodge, the only all-suite resort in Lake Placid, N.Y., home of two Olympic games, can direct daredevils to pulse-pounding activities like ice-climbing, bobsledding, tubing, speed skating, downhill skiing, dogsledding and tobogganing in the winter, and hiking, rock climbing, boating, fishing, cycling and horseback riding in the summer. Rates from $378. For rams who prefer a warmer clime, the all-suite Palm Beach Marriott Singer Island Beach Resort & Spa connects guests with local operators for scuba-diving with sharks – both cage and free – off Florida’s Gold Coast. Rates from $871.
Taurus the Environmentalist: The ecologically progressive Sanctuary on Camelback Mountain Resort & Spa, one of Arizona’s leading resorts, drew enough monarch butterflies with its thoughtful landscaping to become a certified butterfly habitat in 2015. The monarch butterfly motif echoes in the guestrooms on the area rugs. The resort is also a hummingbird sanctuary, with as many as 400 species of hummingbirds lured by the siren song of the resort’s blooming flora. From $649.
Gemini in the Driver’s Seat: Geminis with a need for speed can channel their inner Dale Earnhardt Jr. in an eight-minute racing session in a real NASCAR racecar at the NASCAR Racing Experience at the Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C. From $320 per person.
Cancer and Cuisine: Each sign is associated with a part of the body and Cancer’s is the stomach, which is no surprise given how much Cancers love to cook (and eat!). From April 19-22, 2018, Sanctuary’s annual Nirvana Food & Wine Festival will return to Paradise Valley, Arizona to showcase the talents of premier chefs and winemakers from around the globe. Among the many highlights, don’t miss Todd English at the Rosé Parté, Bourbon Street Blues presented by Bulleit Bourbon and hosted by Beau MacMillan and Jason Asher, and Flutes & Coops, an inspired pairing of fried chicken and Champagne presented by Moët & Chandon and Woodford Reserve and hosted by Stephanie Izard and Chuck Hughes. Individual event tickets are available from $135.
Leo Shines: Leo will find an unexpected den in Cabarrus County, located 20 minutes north of Charlotte, N.C. The lion loves the stage, and The Davis Theater in downtown Concord, housed in a historic courthouse, offers an art gallery on the first floor and an intimate theater on the second. Local folk-indie favorites The Avett Brothers are known to turn up from time to time. Sun-ruled Leos have an affinity for gold, and Reed Gold Mine is the first documented site of gold discovery in the U.S. and the only public underground gold mine in North Carolina.
Virgo the Health Nut: Spa is derived from theLatin word for health through water, and no sign is more health-conscious (or hypochondriac) than Virgo. And no spa is more sublime than the 22,000-square-foot Forbes Five-Star Spa at Pebble Beach, with its signature services incorporating the healing properties of plants, herbs and minerals indigenous to California’s Monterey Peninsula. The Water Experience Room is an enclave with a solo soaking tub and signature shower with tiles by lauded architect TAG Galyean, and its water system is part of a greater sustainability project at Pebble Beach, ultimately reused to irrigate the resort’s golf courses.
Libra in Love: Libra the scales is the sign of partnership and marriage, and where else would a Libran be on May 19, when Prince Harry and Meghan Markle tie the knot, but in London? CIE Tours' Best of Britain tour will put you in the heart of the city on the day of the wedding. The nine-day tour covers a lot in a short time, from Windsor Castle and York to Edinburgh Castle and Cardiff. From $2,370 per person.
Secret Scorpio: The scorpion is fascinated by secrets and the occult (it’s no coincidence that Halloween falls in the thick of this sign). For a touch of the macabre, check out the “coffin doors” at the historic, recently restored Marriott Syracuse Downtown – they were handcrafted in the 1920s by Marsellus Casket Company, which itself was laid to rest in 2003. Rates from $146.
Sagittarius the Perspective-seeking Adventurer: The consummate traveler, freedom-loving Sagittarius is always exploring – and the ne plus ultra of international journeys is the “grand tour.” CIE Tours’ epic 24-day Grand Tour of Britain & Ireland starts in London and moves to Stratford-Upon-Avon and York before continuing on to Edinburgh. The tour then explores the Scottish Highlands and wends around the Irish coastline before traveling through Wales and England’s West Country, finally ending in Windsor. From $6,285.
Capricorn and Tradition: Capricorn’s ruler, Saturn – better known as Father Time – imparts the sign with an appreciation for tradition. Martha’s Vineyard’s historic Harbor View Hotel has served as the second home for generations of families, sometimes accommodating many generations at once. Built in 1891, the award-winning property overlooks the Edgartown Lighthouse, Edgartown Harbor and Chappaquiddick Island, and is flanked by the historic homes of 19th-century whaling captains. Rates from $129.
Aquarius High on Tech: The final air sign, Aquarius, whose symbol is parallel lightning bolts, adores technology and electronics. For the Aquarian golfer, nothing is more appropriately Utopian than the RoboGolfPro, the world’s most advanced golf training tool, at the Pebble Beach Golf Academy & Practice Facility. Using the RoboGolfPro, Pebble Beach Golf Academy instructors record the swing, analyze errors, and provide on-the-spot corrections, allowing the golfer to experience what the perfect swing feels like. After repeated instruction on the robot, muscle memory starts to develop and the golfer is able to maintain long-term, consistent performance from the tee box to the fairway to the green. Lessons from $325 per hour.
Pisces Makes a Splash: Pisces’ symbol, the fish, nods to the sign’s deep love of the water. Guests at Sanctuary have the privilege of being personally coached in their indoor pool by none other than Gold Medal Olympic Swimmer Misty Hyman, best known for her underdog victory in the 200-meter butterfly at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney.
We all have every sign and planet functioning somewhere in our horoscope – some better than others – so don’t feel limited to, or by, your sun sign. To find out where everything in your own unique natal chart is, plug your birth data in at Astro.com.