You can be in the middle of the busiest city, surrounded by millions of people, high rise buildings and cars and lorry's, yet look up and what do you see? A colourful hot air balloon seemingly stationary in the sky and you know, you just know, that up there is the most peaceful place on earth right now. But how do you know? Particularly if you've never taken a balloon flight.



It doesn't stretch the imagination much to think about what it could be like up there. Most people will have at least one moment in a day when they wish they were somewhere else entirely, somewhere more peaceful, away from the rat race. To see that colourful balloon in the sky gives you a moment to dream about the experience of the lucky occupants.

What exactly are these occupants enjoying that you are missing out on so much?

Taking a balloon flight is a pretty special time. If you have received it as a gift, you will never forget this day. Many balloon flights occur early in the morning. You will arrive at your specified location just as sunrise is approaching. Soon after take-off you are being carried along with the air currents. This means that you will feel barely more than a wisp of a breeze on your skin. In this mellow, gentle, fresh air you will drift along and take in sights that you just never dreamed existed all around you.

To see your local area that you think you would recognise on any given day will take your breath away. For a start, nothing looks the same. You are looking at it all from an entirely different angle. Buildings and structures that you see every day tend to blur into one grey mass so that you don't even notice them. But take a look from an alternative angle and it takes on an entirely new meaning. You will notice architectural points that you would never have otherwise spotted and even the most average building can take on a whole new meaning.

Taking a balloon flight over a city can totally change your whole perception of it. To see life going on below you while being able to step out of it for an hour or so makes you feel so special and gives your life a breath of fresh air in more ways than one. It helps you to put your life and your worries into perspective and it helps you to see the beauty in everyday things all around you.

If you do take that balloon flight at sunrise, try taking it over the countryside. With the early summer haze misting the muted colours of the sunrise, you will be filled with a sense of awe and excitement that comes from nothing more than feeling at one with nature and completely detached from the stresses and worries or normal life. This breather can be just what you need to find the oomph to carry on a bit longer.

Balloon flights at sunset bring a similar experience. The colours and atmosphere are slightly different to a sunrise trip but the challenge will still be the same. Glide through the sky, getting a close up view of any clouds that make you feel as if you could reach out and touch them, appreciate all the colours, the stillness, the amazing sights of nature and man entwined and hear virtually nothing - do all this and not yearn for another trip and therein lies the challenge.