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Stargazing Travel

Many of us live in urban environments, enveloped by light. For us, the night sky has vanished. Yes, there’s the Moon, a planet or two, and a few bright stars are visible. Maybe you can even find the seven stars of the Big Dipper from your backyard or balcony. But usually, when viewed from a light-filled city, the sky is pretty much starless. Even if you escape to a nearby state, provincial, or national park, the sky scene isn’t much better. Urban lights cast a long glow.

In a dark night sky, the stars literally jump out at you, and you can easily become lost in the heavens. Where are the constellations? What are the names of those numerous bright stars? And wouldn’t it be nice to look through a telescope at some of the celestial sights.

That’s where a stargazing vacation with TravelQuest comes in. Not only do we take you to a very dark location, we have an astronomer with us to help you navigate the heavens and explain what you’re looking at. We often bring telescopes with us, so you can get close-up views of assorted double stars, star clusters, nebulas, and even a few galaxies.

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An Unforgettable Trip

What makes a stargazing trip to a dark-sky site so enjoyable? It connects you with the universe—nature on a grand scale. For many, there is great pleasure in simply standing beneath a dark, crystal-clear sky, gazing up and out into the cosmos. Far from city lights, the night sky shines with a light show of its own, a show highlighted by the naked-eye spectacle of the glowing Milky Way.

With stargazing, there is no need to rush; it’s a very tranquil pastime. Given the hectic pace of modern life, it’s extremely pleasant to be able to just kick back, relax, and connect with the universe—and with yourself. You’ll also connect with other, like-minded travelers who share your interest in the night sky. Our stargazing trips are small-group tours, and you’ll quickly become friends with your fellow stargazers, some of whom are repeat travelers.

You don’t need to know a thing about the night sky. Our trip astronomer will introduce you to the heavens, point out some of the finest sights, and help you get the best out of any equipment we have with us. No need to bring a telescope, though if you have binoculars, do take them.

From Costa Rica—the dark-sky site that we travel to most often—the Milky Way, our galactic home in the universe, is prominent. In spring, beautiful sky sights such as Crux (the Southern Cross), the brilliant Jewel Box star cluster, the pretty Eta Carinae nebula, the magnificent Omega Centauri globular star cluster, and the Large Magellanic Cloud (a neighboring galaxy) are in view at various times of the night.

Our stargazing trips to Iceland (and occasionally Norway) are a little different, as we’re there primarily in search of the aurora borealis, the northern lights. Here, the northern sky dominates, but because we go in early autumn, the intriguing winter stars rise late each evening, including the pretty Pleiades star cluster, the Orion nebula, numerous open star clusters, and more bright stars than are visible during any other season.

While we’re outside stargazing, we may be favored with an occasional unexpected sighting. A sporadic meteor might flash across the heavens, or we may spot a number of artificial satellites as they orbit Earth. Even the International Space Station might put in an appearance.

The core of our Milky Way galaxy contains millions of stars interspersed by dark dust lanes. (Photo by M. Zamani/European Southern Observatory)
The Summer Triangle region of the northern Milky Way is a lovely naked-eye sight in a dark night sky. (Photo by Rick Fienberg)

Why Go On a Stargazing Vacation?

Stargazing is extremely relaxing. There’s no rush, no stress, no competition. While on a stargazing vacation with TravelQuest, you connect with others who share your interest in the night sky. Our stargazing tours are small-group travel at its best. You’ll learn about the heavens by observing the sky and chatting with our trip astronomer.

Stargazing holidays with TravelQuest are about more than the stars. Our dark-sky sites are also interesting locales to explore during the day. Each year, when we travel to Costa Rica, we enjoy views of the splendid southern sections of our Milky Way galaxy. During the day, we explore this central American country known for its rich biodiversity and dramatically varied landscapes.

Another one of our stargazing destinations is Iceland. Here, our prime objective is the dancing celestial lights known as the aurora borealis. So we stay at remote hotels or guesthouses with dark skies and quick access to the outdoors. While waiting for the aurora, we survey the northern heavens, with our trip astronomer pointing out the constellations and their brightest stars. During the day, the magnificent Icelandic countryside spellbinds us with its waterfalls, volcanoes, lava fields, and hot springs.

Due to demand, TravelQuest is adding more stargazing vacations. In the summer, we’ll head to Hawaii and the observatories on Maunakea (the Hawaiian spelling of Mauna Kea). Here we’ll stargaze from the Onizuka Visitor Center, located at 9,300 ft (2,800 m) elevation. We are also planning a spring trip to Baja, California, to see gray whales in Magdalena Bay. On clear nights we’ll observe from the deck of our ship and have two nights of observing from a dark-sky site on land.

All of our stargazing trips combine night-sky viewing from sites free from light pollution with fascinating landscapes that we explore during the day. It’s a mixture that’s hard to beat.

Globular clusters—distant spheres of stars containing thousands of suns—are a delight to observe. (Photo by European Southern Observatory)
Planets such as Jupiter (left) and Saturn are lovely sights through a small telescope. (Photo by European Southern Observatory)
The night sky can sometimes surprise with the slow passage of a satellite or the burst of a meteor plunging Earthward. (Photo by TravelQuest)

Join TravelQuest Under the Stars

If you’ve never gazed in awe at a dark, star-speckled night sky, or swept your eyes across the dark dust lanes and millions of stars of our Milky Way galaxy, then you’re in for a real treat. Join us, and make your next holiday a stargazing holiday. We’ll take you to a dark-sky site, where (weather permitting) our astronomer will guide you through the heavens and describe what you’re seeing. We’ll often have telescopes with us, so you can get closer views of some of the beautiful celestial sights found throughout our galaxy.

A stargazing holiday is wonderfully relaxing. It puts you in touch with the universe—it’s nature on the largest scale possible. Sometimes, you won’t believe your eyes. If this sounds appealing, contact TravelQuest today to learn more about one of our upcoming stargazing vacations.

Whether we’re up north looking for the northern lights, or in the south exploring the Milky Way, our stargazing trips reveal many wonderful sights in the night sky. (Photo by Paul Deans/TQ)

Header image by European Southern Observatory/B. Tafreshi (twanight.org)

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