Whether it be for a birthday, anniversary or a wedding, hot air ballooning is a great gift idea. Soak up your birds-eye view of meadows, streams, and oceans as you drift higher into the sky. A hot air balloon experience gives you a rare 360-degree view of everything around you. Often accompanied by a glass of bubbles and brunch, a hot air balloon ride is a romantic gift idea for couples to enjoy together while celebrating a special occasion.
Hot air ballooning dates all the way back to Paris in 1783. It was literally groundbreaking stuff - the first time humankind was to throw off the shackles of gravity and fly. Perhaps that’s what makes these adventures so romantic as well as exhilarating! Since then, across the world, millions of adventurers have taken to the skies in hot air balloons to experience the thrill of gentle flight.
When thinking about gifting someone special with a hot air balloon adventure you can rest assured, they will love it! The rides always happen early morning. So your gift voucher recipient will need to be bright-eyed before the dawn to get to the launch site on time. If we’re planning to join a flight, we at Gifting Owl go to bed early the night before, showered and dressed ready for the call to let us know ‘it’s on’. The early starts are because hot air ballooning is safest when the air is still, and this is mostly at dawn. Once you up, the ride is amazingly smooth, and while some people might have ideas about whether it will hot or cold, it’s pretty much ground temperature during the flight.
One major thing to keep in mind in mind is that there are no bathroom breaks on this joy ride, so pre-plan!
Destinations All Over The Globe
Gifting Owl has lots of hot air balloon gift voucher offerings to choose from in destinations across the globe. Whether your gift recipient is at home or abroad doing some grand travelling, gifting them a hot air balloon experience will guarantee they see the destination they are in, in a whole new light. There are a few top spots to consider.
Dubai is a colossal stop-over point and port of call for international travellers. The city is fast-paced and exciting, and from the moment you arrive, it can be a hectic ride. But not when you do it by hot air balloon. This is one of the best ways to see and experience the Dubai desert. Travelling above the ground at 1000 feet, you will be surprised about how much flora and fauna there is to see as you cross over the Dubai desert conservation reserve. Like most adventures in Dubai, this is five-star enjoyment as you watch the sun come up over the Jajjar Mountain range, look down on camels and gazelles wandering wild in landscape and on settling back to earth tucking into a delicious gourmet breakfast box.
One hot air ballooning adventure that always features on our Gifting Owl site is Cappadocia in Turkey. Leaving from the township of Goreme, the ride floats over the jagged ranges below that twist and turn through tight valleys that have been carved by the wind, water and volcanic eruptions. Among the cliffs are tall stone pinnacles that look as if they were chiselled by hand in the long distant past. These unique natural phenomena are known as the fairy chimneys, what remains of a busy trading town for central Turkey some 4,000 years ago.
To make the most of the visit and your gift voucher, you can team up a hot air balloon ride with a tour of this historic region - two brilliant adventures that showcase one of the really extraordinary places on earth. Florida in the United States of America is famous for its destructive tornados that periodically sweep across this southern lying peninsula, causing havoc as they go. However, quite to the contrary, the city of Orlando, located smack-bang in the middle of the state is renowned for its calm winds and perfect conditions for hot air balloon adventures. These adventures are city crossings where passengers can look down on the landmark buildings and parklands that dominate the Orlando landscape. It’s a spectacular sight at sunrise as you see the nights lights extinguish to be replaced by the warm glow of morning sunbeams. You even pass over the famous Walt Disney World Resort.
As mentioned earlier, hot air ballooning originated in Paris, and the other thing France is renowned for is champagne. From that milestone first journey to now, it is tradition to celebrate the end of your flight with a glass of good bubbles. On touch down in Orlando, your glass of champagne is always waiting along with a commemorative certificate as a keepsake of the adventure you’ve had. Here’s cheers to that!
Down under in Australia, scenic hot air balloon flights are all the rage. You can choose city or country flights and it's usual that they include a breakfast of glass of champagne afterwards. The wide-open spaces of Australia are there to be enjoyed from above and below. For those lucky gift recipients doing their gift experience, what they see from their balloon and basket might be just the thing to inspire them to take things further. The road can lead them on to other exciting sites in the vicinity that they caught glimpses from above but can investigate more fully from the ground.
Whichever hot air balloon gift voucher you give to your loved one, it is sure to leave wonderful and unforgettable memories of a morning spent floating through air like a bird on the breeze. Happy gifting!
