Hot Air Balloon

Planning a first balloon ride? These guides cover who can go, weather, what it feels like, clothes, cost, kids, and how this is not a helicopter tour. Search a ZIP when you are ready to find an operator.

The first-timer product is you in a basket under a balloon someone else flies. Dawn launch is common. Wind cancels. That is the sport.

Want a rotor instead? Helicopter tours are a later Air hub, not this one.

Start here

• Can Anyone Go Hot Air Ballooning?
• What Does a Hot Air Balloon Ride Feel Like?
• Hot Air Balloon vs Helicopter Tour
• Why Do Balloon Rides Cancel?
• What to Wear on a Hot Air Balloon Ride
• What to Bring on a Hot Air Balloon Ride
• Hot Air Balloon Rides With Kids
• Common First-Time Balloon Questions

Planning

• How Much Does a Hot Air Balloon Ride Cost?
• How Long Is a Hot Air Balloon Ride?
• Where to Go Hot Air Ballooning in the United States

Quick Facts

• Experience needed: none
• Crew flies. You ride.
• Weather cancels — often
• Dawn is the usual slot
• Best first step: Can Anyone Go Hot Air Ballooning?