By the time you read this I will (hopefully, fingers crossed, you-just-don’t-know-these-crazy-days) be off on a vacation. With that tantalizing prospect on the horizon, I thought it would be fun (fifth house keyword) to explore the astrology of vacation, and, specifically, where our birth charts want us to go.
While the ninth house often denotes foreign travel or contact with foreigners, and the third house represents travel closer to home, for vacation, we need to look to the fifth house to understand what it is we want to do for fun, once we get where we’re going.
The first definition of vacation that I found online is: an extended period of leisure and recreation, especially one spent away from home or in traveling (my emphasis). So, a trip is only a vacation when the purpose of it is solely for leisure and recreation, which is fifth house territory.
Keep this concept in mind: you saturnian types who tend to confuse work trips with vacation, you martian types who love the grind so much you won’t take time off, you mercurial types who have too many balls in the air to plan anything.
Vacation is different than other travel. It is travel + recreation and leisure.
So, let’s take a look at the relationship between the fifth and ninth houses by rising signs and rulerships to see where everyone naturally wants to travel:
Aires Rising (Leo Fifth House, Sagittarius Ninth House)
Ruled by action-figure Mars, Aires rising is always up for a challenge. Their assertive style and need for physical activity, as embodied by their Aires first house, suggests an active or sport-related vacation as a starting point. With Leo in the fifth whole sign house, they want to see and be seen, while taking in some culture along the way. Sun- drenched fun is the operative concept here. And, with Jupiter ruling the ninth house of travel, a sense of adventure and long-distance travel is a must.
Expected: seaside bike tour of Sicily stopping at ancient highlights
Unexpected: bike tour from Santiago, Chile to the Pacific coast
Taurus Rising (Virgo Fifth House, Capricorn Ninth House)
With a Venus-ruled personality, Taurus rising is more concerned with material comforts and self-improvement than savoring culture while on vacation. This is one of the rising signs that is somewhat prone towards grind culture, with no-nonsense earth signs in the fifth and ninth houses (Taurus is less no-nonsense, as it’s ruled by pleasure-loving Venus, so the personality is more indulgent). Thus, it may be hard for Taurus rising to take a break. With cerebral Virgo on the fifth house and serious-all-the-time Capricorn on the ninth, their preferred vacation destinations will combine some type of historical destinations, weighted down by history, where they can learn something new. Luxury accommodations are a must for Taurus rising!
Expected: Oxford University
Unexpected: Mosque and University Karaouiyn in Fes, Morocco
Gemini Rising (Libra Fifth House, Aquarius Ninth House)
Mercurial Gemini rising always has a million things going on, making taking a vacation difficult. And then there is the indecision factor, with Libra on the fifth house, which wants to do everything, all at once. With air signs along this axis of fun, Gemini rising needs to have socializing baked into any vacation. Bountiful cultural offerings are required too, as this social butterfly likes nothing more than museum hopping and going to performances, wherever they are. Finally, with wonkish Aquarius on the ninth house, Gemini rising needs to be intellectually interested in any destination and will want to engage with people there in the realm of ideas.
Expected: culture hopping and intellectualizing in Paris (never gets old)
Unexpected: hanging out with artists and intellectuals in Istanbul
Cancer Rising (Scorpio Fifth House, Pisces Ninth House)
Here we find our first water destination, appropriate for the first water rising sign. With sensitive moon-ruled Cancer on the Ascendant, Cancer rising must be emotionally attuned to their destination. Yet, with Mars-ruled Scorpio in the fifth house, Cancer rising doesn’t just want to lie by a pool all day. They crave action, preferably mysterious, subterranean, or (possibly) risky. And, with Jupiter-ruled Pisces on the ninth house, an element of philosophical or religious orientation is part of the mix, as well as a sense of piscean abandon, of letting their hair down.
Expected: take in ancient culture by day and dance the night away on Santorini
Unexpected: snorkel with the turtles by day and party by night on Lombok, Indonesia
Leo Rising (Sagittarius Fifth House, Aires Ninth House)
Similar to its fire rising sign brethren, Leo rising needs an active vacation, where movement in part of the experience. With its Jupiter-ruled fifth house naturally attuned to pilgrimage and its Mars-ruled ninth house always up for anything, Leo rising looks for trips that will open up new points of view and expand their horizons.
Expected: walk the camino de Santiago de Compostela, northern Spain, along with the other pilgrims
Unexpected: join the throngs of devotees in ecstatic musical celebrations of Sufi saint Lal Shahbaz Qalandar in Sehwan Sharif, Pakistan
Virgo Rising (Capricorn Fifth House, Taurus Ninth House)
With practical Virgo on the Ascendant and Saturn-ruled Capricorn on the fifth house, Virgo rising will want to plan every aspect of their trip in advance. An interest in soaking up the structures of history (Saturn) will be strong. But with sensualist Taurus on the ninth house, their basic philosophy is definitely not spartan. Truth = beauty for Virgo rising, who will look for a blend of mentally stimulating, structured activities with beautiful surroundings.
Expected: archeological tour of ancient Egyptian temples and pyramids
Unexpected: archeological tour of Maya ruins in the Yucatan
Libra Rising (Aquarius Fifth House, Gemini Ninth House)
Like Taurus rising, Libra rising gets out its artistic impulses in daily life, as part of its personality. So, their vacation destinations focus on the heady, social signs of Saturn-ruled Aquarius and Mercury-ruled Gemini. An interest in political or intellectual history will keep them occupied on their trip, which should combine physical comfort (Libra rising) with politics, ideas, and socializing.
Expected: literary pub crawl in Dublin
Unexpected: a literary tour of St. Petersburg, Russia
Scorpio Rising (Pisces Fifth House, Cancer Ninth House)
Mars-ruled Scorpio rising may not seem like any kind of shrinking violet. But, Scorpio rising’s home-oriented Cancer ninth house belies their little secret — they prefer to stay close to home. Indeed, their happy place (fifth house) may be sitting on some beach nearby and staring (moodily) off into the horizon. Nevertheless, it’s good for everyone to break out of their comfort zones, and fixed signs in general are known for liking to stay in their ruts. So fixed-sign Scorpio rising might be gratified if they push their boundaries a bit and let their jupiterian fifth house have some fun.
Expected: snorkeling in coral reefs and a fish fry on Grenada
Unexpected: relaxing at the beach and communing with lemurs on Madagascar
Sagittarius Rising (Aires Fifth House, Leo Ninth House)
Like the other fire rising signs, Sagittarius rising is go-go-go, like Dora the Explorer, but on a mission. With Mars-ruled Aires in the fifth house of fun, physical challenge and adventure is a must, upping the ante, even, on the other two fire rising signs. And, with Leo on the ninth house, they will want to express their sense of adventure through their unique personality.
Expected: ski tour of the fjord slopes of Norway
Unexpected: hill trekking in Nepal
Capricorn Rising (Taurus Fifth House, Virgo Ninth House)
Serious Capricorn rising has a surprisingly indulgent sense of fun and is often a great supporter of the arts, with Venus-ruled Taurus on the fifth house. And with prudent Virgo on the ninth house, there will be an emphasis on experiences that expand the mind. Capricorn rising has high standards and will want everything set up before hand, with no comfort spared.
Expected: river cruise on the Danube to the Salzburg Opera Festival
Unexpected: Reykjavik Arts Festival, Iceland
Aquarius Rising (Gemini Fifth House, Libra Ninth House)
With a Saturn-ruled sign on the ascendant, Aquarius rising, like Capricorn, may have trouble taking time off for vacation, since they are attuned to the grind. Like the other air sign triads, Aquarius rising needs to have a social and intellectually oriented destination where they can expand their mental horizons while also taking in some culture. And with aesthetic Libra on the ninth house, catching some arts and culture is a must, wherever they go.
Expected: hanging out with artists, intellectuals, and secessionists in Barcelona + architectural tour of buildings of Antoni Gaudí
Unexpected: trip to Cuba to meet with artists and activists + salsa dancing
Pisces Rising (Cancer Fifth House, Scorpio Ninth House)
Our final destinations are water-oriented, where emotional Pisces rising can cool its heels and feel expansively connected with the world and our human history. With a moody moon-ruled fifth house, Pisces rising has to be emotionally-invested in their leisure activities — that is, they have to be personally meaningful. And, with Mars-ruled Scorpio on the ninth house, there is an attraction to places with an element of mystery or danger. Places that connect to an emotional pulse or a family story are also a draw for Pisces rising.
Expected: bobbing in the saltwater of the Red Sea, at the crossroads of ancient civilizations
Unexpected: soaking up the sea and spice in Zanzibar
Wherever you go, in this great, wide world of ours, whenever you go, I hope you enjoy your trip!
To remind us of our interconnectedness, here’s the late, great Spanish rock band, Jarabe de Palo, whose lead singer sadly passed away last year, in the song that put them on the map. La Flaca was the song that made everyone drop whatever they were doing and start dancing, when it came on in the bars, back when I was a student in Granada. The video cuts between New York, where the band is performing, and Havana, where the story of a fling with a mysterious woman, “La Flaca,” takes place.