Hot Air Balloon Rides - The next big trend?
Here at Viator we are always looking for the next big trend in toravel. After all, as your “tour and activity experts” it is our job to find the must-do activities in each destination we cover, as well as the ‘weird and wonderful’ things to do. Maybe you want to do something more than a hop on hop off tour. Or maybe you are headed back to somewhere you’ve already been and you want to try something new.
Sometimes I am amazed with the cool and exciting products our product managers have found for our customers. It was just last week that I learned what zorbing is, and that we actually sell it. Who doesn’t want to hop in a ball full of water and roll down a hill! Sign me up! That’s an adventure!
Although rare, sometimes we do overlook products that we should be selling. When I came across this Darth Vader Hot Air Balloon my heart skipped a beat. Viator sells many hot air balloon rides - over the Yarra Valley, in Phoenix, Cairns and Buenos Aires. But all of our photos don’t look like these hot air balloons!
Perhaps those photos are from hot air balloon festivals, at least I hope so. But it got me to thinking, are we missing something big here? Would you book a ride in a hot air balloon shaped like Darth Vader?
Get articles like this one delivered to your favorite RSS feed reader. Subscribe to Viator Travel Blog now.
May 8th, 2007 at 9:16 pm
this is one thing that i’ve been looking fwd to try. and zorbing too. ur website’s gonna be real useful too as i’m a flt attendant i get to travel around. though i alwiz wish i have more time to explore. keep it up
July 1st, 2007 at 7:14 pm
Hot air balloon rides are great! That’s why I became a balloon pilot!
One word of caution if you’re thinking of taking a balloon flight, avoid certificate sellers who are not balloon flyers. There are a few companies that take your money, and will tell you that they have a pilot and a balloon in your area, when in fact they don’t. Then they’ll string you along until your certificate is expired.
Make sure the people you give your money to are close to where you live. Ask for local references. There are many wonderful people who fly balloons. Don’t be afraid to look for them, and to take a flight. Definately a unique experience!
July 2nd, 2007 at 8:17 am
Thanks Tedd.
Maybe next time you can tell us (a) how one becomes a balloon pilot and (b) how many times a day you say to yourself, “WOW I have a great job.”
I also wanted to reinforce your point for our other readers — don’t mess around with shady or questionable balloon operators. Here at Viator we only work with certified operators, directly, and your trip is covered by Viator’s guaranteed.
Happy flying.