Sirius Travel Inc.

21/12/2024

Happy December Solstice from Sirius Travel! - https://mailchi.mp/e4e92e3d3806/sirius-travel-travel-the-planet-study-the-world-17512223

05/12/2024

Interested in going to Mallorca to view the total solar eclipse in August, 2026? We have added a few rooms on our previously sold out options! Both double (2 people) and family (3 adults or 2 adults and 1 or 2 children) rooms are available on the 5 and 7 day options.

Join Sirius Travel to see the total solar eclipse from Iceland or Spain in August, 2026

04/12/2024

22 years ago today we led a group of travelers to Woomera, Australia in the Outback to see a 30 second total solar eclipse near sunset. We became close friends with the people on that tour, traveling together many times after that. (Thinking of you in particular, Anne!). In 2026 we will lead a few more people to another sunset eclipse on the island of Mallorca in the Mediterranean. Happy anniversary everyone!

02/12/2024

Our last full day in Egypt was spent at the sparkling new and very impressive GEM (Grand Egyptian Museum) in Cairo and meeting with our local partners to go over our 2027 itinerary with a fine toothed comb to adjust and improve.

30/11/2024

Aswan, Philae, and Abu Simbel on our scouting trip in Egypt

29/11/2024

Cruising on the Nile from site to site is an ancient way to travel and still a good idea.

26/11/2024

Scouting in Egypt for our 2027 tour

13/10/2024

Nicely shown!

11/10/2024

Sirius Travel's 2024 Northern Lights Tour - Trip Report - https://mailchi.mp/d372307de653/sirius-travel-travel-the-planet-study-the-world-17510847

07/10/2024

Last night all the elements aligned, clear skies, dark site, solar max, geomagnetic storm, placement of the auroral oval…. What a show for our northern lights tour!

05/10/2024

The recent x-class flares are producing in Iceland tonight!

13/09/2024

VACANCIES for our eclipse tour to Mallorca in 2026. You may register using the links below.

1. Our 5 day tour with lodging in the Iberostar Selection Hotel in Playa de Palma - in the path of totality!
- August 10-14: https://siriustravel.com/solar-eclipse-tours/2026-majorca-spain-august-12/
- 3 family rooms available (occupancy: 3 adults, or 2 adults with 1 or 2 children)
- Family rooms have a bedroom with 2 single beds that can be together or seperate and a living room with a fold out sofa.

2. Our 7 day tour with lodging in the Iberostar Cristina hotel in Playa de Palma - in the path of totality!
- August 10-16: https://siriustravel.com/solar-eclipse-tours/2026-mallorca-spain-7-day-total-solar-eclipse-tour/
- 12 Double occupancy rooms
- 3 family rooms available (occupancy: 3 adults, or 2 adults with 1 or 2 children)
Family rooms have a bedroom with 2 single beds that can be together or seperate and a living room with a fold out sofa.

3. Our 7 day tour with lodging in the Iberostar Bahia hotel in Playa de Palma - in the path of totality!
- August 10-16: https://siriustravel.com/solar-eclipse-tours/2026-mallorca-spain-7-day-total-solar-eclipse-tour/
- 1 double occupancy room
- 1 female solo traveler (room-share)

We will fill the rooms on a first-come, first-serve basis.

10/09/2024

The journeys of merchants and their caravans along the Silk Road through the Middle East, Central Asia, and North Africa would have been much more difficult if not for the caravanserais (also spelled caravansary) that dotted those ancient routes. Variously described as “guest houses,” “roadside inns,” and “hostels,” caravanserais were buildings designed to provide overnight housing to travelers. Merchants and their caravans were the most frequent visitors.In furnishing, safe respite for guests from near and far, caravanserais also became centers for the exchange of goods and culture.

As traffic along the Silk Road increased, so did the construction of caravanserais. They were needed as safe havens—not just from extreme climates and weather, but also from bandits who targeted caravans loaded with silks, spices, and other expensive goods. In fact, caravanserais were built at regular intervals so that merchants would not have to spend the night exposed to the dangers of the road. They appeared roughly 32-40 kilometers (20–25 miles) apart—about a day’s journey—on the busiest Silk Road routes.

The design of these buildings also reflected their protective purpose. Often built just outside the nearest town or village, they were encircled by immense walls resembling those of a fort. Caravans entered through a high, massive gate that could be secured from within at night with heavy chains. A porter stood guard just past the gate, charged with safeguarding the persons, goods, and animals inside.

The interior of a caravanserai looked more like an inn than a fortress, however. A large ground-floor courtyard ringed with storerooms and stables for camels, donkeys, and horses would often have a corner for cook fires as well. Small, unfurnished rooms for lodgers were found on the second floor. Some larger caravanserais also featured a bathhouse and prayer room.

Most of the old caravanserais still in existence today are crumbling stone ruins, of interest only to historians and tour groups. In contrast, medieval caravanserais were lively seedbeds for globalization, resembling the modern city in the variety of people, languages, goods, and customs found within their walls. Travelers from East and West—speaking many different languages—traded stories, news, merchandise, and ideas while they mingled at these trade hubs. They sampled local cuisine and observed foreign etiquette. They learned more about Christianity, Islam, Judaism, and Buddhism from missionaries and scholars passing through. When they traveled on, they took much that was new and different along with them. The economic and cultural exchanges caravanserais made possible had far-reaching effects still seen today in the variety of languages, faiths, and cultures co-existing in this region of the world.

📸 Obruk Han, a 13th Century CE, Seljuk Caravanserai, located within borders of Karatay district, Türkiye.

Source: National Geographic

31/07/2024

Remember the big solar storm in May? Scientists have just discovered that, in addition to creating spellbinding auroras, the storm also made a new temporary ring of charged, high-energy particles encircling Earth.

Earth is typically surrounded two of these giant, donut-shaped rings of particles called the Van Allen Belts. But during especially large solar storms, a temporary third Belt can form sandwiched between the two permanent ones.

The new Belt, which was discovered by NASA’s Colorado Inner Radiation Belt Experiment (CIRBE) CubeSat, could last months to years. Scientists are studying the data to better understand the Belt and how long it might stick around. Stay tuned for their findings!

Learn more about the Van Allen Belts and why they’re important to space travel: https://go.nasa.gov/4fu7oP2 & https://go.nasa.gov/3LIF65U

31/07/2024

We are getting close to announcing our 2028 plans for Sydney!!! Getting very excited about sharing it!

29/07/2024

The sun through our Vaonis today - looking a bit spotty..

25/07/2024

Very excited about our newest tour!