If you have flown in a hot air balloon you will know what we mean when we talk about the magic of a hot air balloon ride. Flying hot air balloons is a passion of Balloons over Britain and their UK wide network of balloon operators and you are invited to share in this passionate experience, it will be something that you will not forget, we guarantee.

Firstly imagine floating in a basket where you feel as though you are weightless, being taken along with the breeze when you will not have a care in the world, looking down on mother earth like a bird in the sky. Popular landmarks appear that you will recognise, but from an entirely different angle of course, with the landscape taking on a whole new appearance. Your flight will take around three to four hours from launch to landing and the excitement begins when you arrive and help inflate the balloon, a gigantic envelope taking shape above you. Now is the time to book your hot air balloon flight available from a launch site near you, for the delights of spring or late summer magic.

The first thing to say is that hot air balloons are considered to be aircraft in the sense that are regulated by aviation regulations. Hot air balloons use plain old air as the lifting medium and by heating this air with a gas burner this makes the air within the balloon or envelope lighter than the air outside and the balloon rise sounds simple doesn’t it? Conversely as the air in the balloons envelope cools the balloon falls, to prevent this happening, the pilot can control this by using the burner to heat the air again.

Lighter-than-air was the first aviation, and is still the choice for many pilots more than 200 years later. You don’t need an airport or a runway; if you own a balloon you don’t need a hangar or even a tie-down space, just a corner of your garage.  In theory, although not usually in practice, you can take off from the field at the back of your house!  Why not buy a hot air balloon ride and experience the sensation of drifting quietly along, experiencing little or no sensation of movement of height. Landing on a meadow or freshly cut hayfield, and promise yourself that you will do it again.

If you are one of those who find hot air balloons fascinating, almost certainly you have longed to go for a hot air balloon ride and deep down being a pilot of one of them. It is not difficult to get involved in hot air ballooning, just following a balloon to where it lands and talking to the pilot, the passengers and the chase crew.

Booking a hot air balloon ride is the easiest way for you to become involved and learning about the sport. You can help with the inflation and deflation of the balloon, most passengers enjoy this part of the hot air ballooning experience. Finding a company that offers hot air balloon rides close to you is not difficult, Balloons over Britain has hot air balloon rides from more than 70 launch sites throughout the UK, one of the launch sites will be close to you. Although the flight itself usually last for about and hour, the whole experience will be around 3 to 4 hours, normally at dawn or dusk when the wind is at its calmest.

One of the most popular hot air balloon festivals in the UK is the Bristol festival which this year is being held on Thursday the 6th to Sunday the 9th of August 2009, at Ashton Court. This year the festival is to be sponsored by the TV channel Discovery and there promises to be a whole series of events aimed at the whole family.

Celebrating this, the thirty-first year of the festival, it is hoped that following their success at last years celebrations, organisers are hoping that the Red Arrows will appear again. Naturally events such as Night Glow with around 120 hot air balloons will feature, showing all there glorious shapes and colours of these wonderful machines.

Naturally, major operators like Balloons over Britain with be represented and many take this opportunity to take a hot air balloon ride for the first time. Buying a voucher online enables you and friends to make this weekend part of a holiday in the Severn area, one they will talk about for a long time.

It may seem a long way off, but like Christmas it is upon you before you know it. Just what plans have you and your loved one made to celebrate the occasion and to relax over the Easter weekend? There are of course a multitude of offerings that will be advertised but do you really want to go to a stately home or a funfair?

For something that is out of the ordinary and which is bound to be a talking point with your friends, is a hot air balloon ride in the UK. With the national operator Balloons over Britain you have a choice of hot air balloon rides from more than 70 launch sites throughout the UK from this established company that has been in the business of hot air ballooning for nearly 20 years.

Enjoy the peace and tranquility as you float gently over the British countryside with the wind pushing you toward the landing area that will be selected by your qualified pilot. Choosing a time and place from which to fly is simple, just visit the web pages of Balloons over Britain, a gift voucher being amongst the most popular methods of booking, after which you select the launch area and date of choice, plan your Easter Weekend now.

They all come round, the significant birthday, you know the one we mean, for some it is the end of the twenties for most it is the dreaded 40th or the 50th birthday when we believe that all is lost, it really isn’t you know, but that is every reason to celebrate it.

Giving your loved a special birthday treat, especially for that significant day, can present many with a problem, but a really terrific gift for that day can be something entirely different and one that many would not think of for themselves, a hot air balloon ride.

The national operator Balloons over Britain has a range of gift vouchers that can be booked through their easy to navigate web pages and all hot air balloon rides are through operators that fly from a location that is near to you. Check the Balloons over Britain website and decide which voucher is the one you wish to give and then simply find a hot air balloon operator near you. With the gift voucher you have full flexibility to choose the date that is most suitable to your recipient and you, we guarantee that it is a gift that they will remember celebrating that special day.

You meant to give your loved one a very special gift, perhaps it was a hot air balloon ride but you did not get round to it before the day, don’t worry all is not lost, tell her that the bunch of roses was just because you love her and you have something really special for her to come in the spring!

Balloons over Britain offer excellent gift vouchers for hot air balloon rides that can be used for up to a year from purchase and they are taken at a time that is suitable to you not the balloon operator. Buying the gift voucher is easy and when you have chosen from those on offer that is right for you. Simply navigate the Balloon over Britain website to locate the hot air balloon operator that is either close to you, or where you want to take the hot air balloon ride. This can be as part of a holiday in this country, or even if you wish in Florida! Imagine floating silently over the magnificent British countryside or looking down on the hustle and bustle of Florida, so stop worrying about that forgotten Valentines gift.

Most if not all have suffered recently from the worst snow to have been seen in many parts of the country for years and it is usually after events such as these that our thoughts turn to spring, and that is not just a young man’s!

What could be better than to book a hot air balloon ride for a time in the not to distant future when the nights are drawing out and the days getting warmer? Gift vouchers are an ideal way to reward a hard working member of staff, your loved one or why not just have a wonderful balloon flight yourself from one of the many local launch sites in the UK. Hot air ballooning UK wide is an experienced which once tried is one that is rarely forgotten and is something that most people talk about for a long time, and they usually try again and again. Online booking is easy and there are numerous options from which you can choose.

Why not give your loved a valentine’s gift that they will not just remember but talk about for years to come? This unique gift from Balloons over Britain does not have to be used on the day itself, unlike other valentine gifts; this can be taken when it suits your valentine.

Imagine floating high in the air drifting with the wind and holding on to your loved one, what could be more romantic? With Balloons over Britain operating from a launch site near you the whole day can be planned around a romantic dinner if you are taking an evening flight, or part of the special day that you have chosen. Naturally Balloons over Britain offers a wide range of champagne balloon flights and the whole experience will last for around 4 hours including the flight itself which will take around an hour. Naturally you will be given a commemorative certificate and Balloons over Britain local operators will cater for and consider any special requirements that you may have to make the day really special.

Hot air Balloons work exceptionally well in the world of advertising, when literally pictures and shapes speak louder than words, and there is no language barrier! If you have a Hot Air Balloon branded in your image or shape you could tether this at an exhibition, this will attract press and media coverage at no cost to you, even fly over or near residential areas.

With calculated marketing it is even possible to target postal areas or sections, always provided that the wind is blowing in the right direction, but this can often be overcome. Using your Hot Air Balloon static at prestigious events such as the London marathon or the Great North Run as examples will get you massive exposure. Naturally you can use your branded Hot Air Balloon to fly your clients and to use it as an incentive for your employees; the Hot Air Balloon world is your oyster.