I'm signed up to use 10 vacation days at Christmas, and I'm trying to decide what to do with it.
Because I'm a Virgo, it seems I should probably go somewhere remote. At least that's what Tripbase.com tells me in its travel horoscope, a new feature that uses astrological readings to help would-be vacationers narrow down their choices.
Cancers who log on for August will be advised to travel with a group and do volunteer work. For Geminis, the horoscopes recommend a vacation off the grid. Sagittarius vacationers should just leave the family at home.
The feature, introduced in June, enhances a popular 3-year-old website that's devoted to helping travelers decide what they want to do, and where.
Tripbase (www.tripbase.com) allows users to enter their travel preferences, such as cost, distance from home, and importance of amenities like dining and shopping, and returns with some destination suggestions.
For travelers who are still undecided, Tripbase has hired a pair of twin sister astrologers, one based in New York and the other in Seattle, to write customized travel horoscopes for every month.
The horoscopes don't make any recommendations about where to go, but they do suggest who to bring, who not to bring, what to avoid, and what to seek each month. Virgos in August are advised to travel solo or with a quiet companion only. That rules out my preadolescent children.
Capricorns traveling this month should start practicing phrases in foreign languages, and Cancers in August should digest the changes of two summer eclipses that touched on Cancer. For anyone who doesn't know what that means, the horoscope recommends rest and a spa.
Still need help? You can go on Twitter every Tuesday at noon and the astrologers themselves will give you a personal reading.
When it comes to vacation, there are just too many options, said Pamela Johnston, a spokeswoman for Tripbase. Horoscopes help narrow it down.
"A lot of people turn to the stars for inspiration and guidance," Johnston said. "Even for people who don't believe in horoscopes, let them disagree and have fun and let that inspire them.
"As long as it gets you thinking what's really right for you, we've done the right thing."
