I received travel and tickets in exchange for sharing my honest opinion.

A hot air balloon ride?  Never.  Well okay if everyone else is doing it, how can I say no, right?  I will say I am so glad I got the chance to ride in a hot air balloon ride and I got to do it over the beautiful city of Orlando.  This was another thing that I was able to knock off my bucket list from my Experience Kissimmee trip.  I highly recommend it for anyone and Orlando Balloon Rides is a great company to take that plunge with, or should I say soar with?  They have been in business since 1983 and with all the prep work and ride itself you can definitely tell they know what they are doing.

First off in the Orlando area, hot air balloons fly at sunrise, which meant we had to get to our balloon around 5:30 AM.  Yes its early but its worth it.  We met the company at a nearby hotel and then piled in their vans to head to the site.  The company uses different sites depending on the weather and visibility.  They actually set off a tracking balloon to see which way the wind blows it to determine which site they will use.  It was a quick van ride to the site and then the set up began.

Our balloon was taking off alongside two other balloons and the set up was pretty neat to watch. First they unload the balloon and basket from the trailer.  Then they start the process of spreading out the balloon and blowing it up with a giant fan.

Once ready, we all hopped in and took off.  Since its a gradual flight up it wasn’t that scary, even though we got about 3,000 feet into the sky.  Since your contained in a basket, that came up to my chest pretty much, it didn’t feel that scary to me.  We had two employees who flew with us and controlled the balloon by lighting fire to make the balloon go up or down.  I read on their website that the pilots get paid no matter what, so if conditions are not right they are under no pressure to fly.  Its their lives too since they are flying with you and each pilot is certified by the FAA with a commercial license as well as attends annual safety seminars.  Our pilots were amazing and had great stories to share!

Our balloon and another balloon “kissing”:

Of course I had to take a selfie:

Landing the balloon was as easy as slowly floating down to the ground, which again was a determined landing site that came from how our specific ride flew.  Our pilot was talking to our driver on the ground who drove and met us in the field we landed in.  Don’t worry it is not a random field, it was one they use often.  Since landing can be a little rough, we all had to squat and hold on.  Amazingly our landing was super smooth and once down the pilots and other workers quickly took hold and started to take down our balloon.  We all helped flatten out the balloon and roll it up, we didn’t have to help but we couldn’t leave until it was done anyways!

After we wrapped everything up, we drove to an orange stand (gotta love Florida oranges) and had a champagne toast to a safe flight!

Going to be in the Orlando area?  I highly recommend Orlando Balloon Rides.  They are professional, safe and while it is costly it is well worth it!  I say costly but honestly I have nothing to compare it too.  I do know though that they have promotions they run occasionally and even if you can’t find a deal, it is an experience of a lifetime.  Even if you are scared of heights, try it if you can.  Its hard to describe, but its not that scary once your up since your so contained and the flight is so smooth.  I even did a Google Hangout with my husband while up in the sky!

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