Lorena Costin, the founder of Astro Lorena, went to Dublin on a four-day trip in 2022 and returned to Bucharest, Romania, engaged to her fiancé. As an astrologer, Costin knew that the location of her engagement aligned with her Venus line, which represents love and beauty, according to astrocartography – an astrology practice which determines the best places for you to visit, according to your birth chart. They spent their honeymoon in Italy in 2023 because it’s close to her Jupiter line. “Given this is the planet of abundance, wisdom, and overall well-being and happiness, this was an easy choice,” she says. And Costin isn’t the only one choosing her next vacation or honeymoon spot according to the stars. Online, geo-horoscope astrologers are telling their hundreds of thousands of followers that your “destiny is tied to your location”, claiming that locational astrology can impact your love life, work prospects, and even your weight.

Costin says that, since the pandemic, she’s noticed an uptick in clients interested in branches of astrology that can be applied for life improvement. This includes astrocartography. While astromapping has existed in Vedic astrology throughout history, the astrocartography practice taking off online was pioneered by American astrologer Jim Lewis, with his foundational 1997 text The Psychology of Astro*Carto*Graphy. “It’s a valuable branch of astrology, given you can travel to locations that can enhance areas of life you would like to gain more wisdom,” says Costin. “Customers are interested either in potential locations to relocate with their family, where we analyse every family member’s relocation charts and find a common denominator, or in short-term travel locations for holidays or business-related travels.” Costin is currently planning a trip to the US for the first time in June, where she plans to visit cities crossed by her Jupiter and Sun lines.

The opportunity to fine-tune and curate the “vibe” of your next vacation according to astrology has already caught the interest of major players in the travel industry, including Delta. In December 2023, Delta teamed up with astrologer Lisa Stardust to release an official list of best destinations for 2024 based on each zodiac sign. After previously announcing Delta’s largest transatlantic summer route to date, the idea was to use astrology to share the schedule in an interesting way, says Stardust. “In 2008, I became wholly immersed in the topic when I traveled to Paris, France, and I connected with someone and became lifelong friends,” she says. “Ever since then, I’ve been fascinated with how we can live different versions of our lives and attract other people or energies based on where we travel to.”

In January 2024, Moxy Hotels and Sanctuary, a digital astrology platform, announced a cosmic-inspired travel partnership for this year of “astrological transition”. Through the Sanctuary app, customers can now access personalised travel date and location recommendations according to astrocartography. “Today’s travelers are exploring more ways than ever to inform their travel choices in a way that feels personalised to them,” says Brian Jaymont, Moxy’s global brand leader. The astrological programming includes full moon watch parties and aura readings. Lauren Ash, Sanctuary’s lead astrologer, traveled to Austin, Texas to see the total solar eclipse in Aries as part of the partnership and reaped the benefits of being close to her Mercury line, which corresponds to communication and energy expression. “I also have a trip planned this September to my Jupiter MC – luck and career – line in Copenhagen, which promises to introduce me to some very influential people and expand my social circle,” she says.

Ash says the current astrocartography craze can be explained by, suprise surprise, astrology itself. “The Saturn in Pisces transit lasts for three years and causes people to do a lot of spiritual soul-searching,” she says. “So, it’s no surprise that many are looking for ways to apply their newfound insights.” Ash recommends that people avoid traveling close to their Mars (conflict), Saturn (limitations), and Pluto (destruction) lines if possible. And Costin suggests looking at vacation spots close to your Sun, Venus, Jupiter, and North Node lines for those looking to “simply relax and have a good time”. But Alice Bell, astrologer and the author of Trust Your Timing: How to Use Astrology to Navigate Your Love Life and Find Your Authentic Self, says you may already know your most astrologically-aligned vacation spots, by looking at where you’re drawn to and feel best in.

Bell had been visiting Italy regularly before she knew what astrocartography was. “I’m naturally drawn to that place and it’s always enjoyable when I’m there,” she says. “When I learned that my astrocartography is great in Italy, it all made sense.” Bell is getting married and honeymooning there this summer and her fiancé also has an Italy-positive chart. “His isn’t the same, but it’s an enjoyable place for him and more relationship-oriented, so it’s interesting that we’re literally getting married there.” Bell suggests that astrocartography newbies use astro.com to view their locational chart or speak with an astrologer directly. She also is wary of sun-based zodiac vacation recommendations. “You could give a blanket statement saying water signs need to go to the ocean, but maybe it’s a super outgoing water sign,” she says. “Right now it’s more surface level, so people need to know more about astrology for it to be more niche and accurate.”

As with the nature of vacationing, some astro-guided explorations can be underwhelming. Content creator Jacquelyn Son came across an astrocartography video on TikTok two years ago and it piqued her interest in the practice. She used astro.com to plan a one-week trip to Cancun, Mexico, according to her Jupiter and Sun lines. “I think it was a bit too far from either of those lines so I didn’t feel the effects of the planets too strongly,” she says. Still, she plans to visit one place close to each planet throughout her life. “I would like to touch on them all.”

When it comes to astrocartography, only some have the resources to move or vacation according to astrology. Your chart could tell you that your best place for communication is in the middle of the Pacific Ocean or send you to find the love of your life across the other side of the world — and it’s tough luck if you were born in an energetically difficult country. But, according to astrologer Meghan Rose, the possibility for “real-life application” through travel draws people to the practice. Rose credits a previous trip to Miami with deepening an important friendship and Amsterdam with several writing opportunities. “Let the plumber do the plumbing and reach out to a professional astrologer to help you understand where in the world is best for you to go,” she says. “And don’t be afraid to travel the parts of the world where you have difficult aspects and lines. Sometimes those challenges help you to level up.” Then all you  need is the money for flights, accommodations, visas, and travel insurance, to tap into your “unique energetic coding” around the world.