We couldn’t and wouldn’t ever expect you to choose to fly with Adventure Balloons unless you knew more about us. We’re not talking about taking you on a shopping trip here, this is big stuff, a flight in a giant hot air filled balloon doesn’t get more daunting for some and so it’s important that you do your research for your own peace of mind. So let us tell you a little about our background.

Adventure Balloons offers exclusive flights in and around London and the Home Counties and are proud members of Balloons Over Britain, the UK’s national ballooning network. We first took to the skies in April 1985, when at the time, few other companies offered balloon flights in the UK. As demand for our hot air balloon flights grew, by 1988 we purchased a four passenger balloon, which of course was followed by several others.

We are the largest company in the country who offer UK balloon flights, and now boast a fleet of seven hot air balloons with capacities which range from four to sixteen people! These include the following:

• Our eight passenger balloon, aptly nicknamed the “Stained Glass Window”, and felt by many to be so attractive that we have used its design for the Adventure Balloons emblem and mugs, T-shirts and other balloon flight memorabilia.
• Our two traditionally coloured 16 passenger balloons, perfect for big party groups!
• The “North Sea Flyer”, our sixteen person balloon, has another story to tell. We bought it from two millionaires who flew across the North Sea for fun! It was the first hot air balloon of this carrying capacity the Civil Aviation Authority actually allowed to fly in the UK.
• Our Toucan Travel balloon which is a new aerial promotion tool for the Toucan Travel chain of travel agencies. The balloon carries 10 people plus pilot in the latest state of the art basket designed by manufacturers Lindstrand Balloons of Oswestry.
• Let’s not forget our Happy Birthday Balloons. So many passengers buy balloon flight as a birthday gift, so we thought this would be a great idea to create balloons that say HAPPY BIRTHDAY on them, the perfect birthday surprise!

Adventure Balloons are CAA (Civil Aviation Authority) Certified and members of The British Balloon & Airship Club. For more information you can call us on 01252 844222 where you can also make bookings, alternatively you can easily book online.

Book with Adventure Balloons now to get your chance to fly over our beloved capital in 2013! With this year’s London flights terminated, we are gathering quite a list of passengers waiting for their chance to fly with us in London in 2013. If you want to be one of those lucky flyers, then get in their quick before we’re booked up over the big smoke!

Thanks to this year’s London events the Department of Transport has made it clear that security arrangements will preclude flights at Adventure Balloons launch sites and will ban the use of London’s airspace for security reasons due to the Queens Diamond Jubilee Celebrations and the 2012 Olympics and Paralympics. With our growing list of customers thanks to high recommendation rates and general good word of mouth it is becoming evident that we’ll see a full ballooning season for London flights next year, so if this is something which has been on your mind to organise for next year, don’t delay as you may be very disappointed.

Do bear in mind that due to London’s constant building development, there is now just one take-off site remaining where it is possible for us to launch our hot air balloon rides and where special Air Traffic permission enables our dawn flights during the summer months. London ballooning requires very strict weather criteria and so they are often subject to cancellation and re-scheduling at short notice.

Having said this there are about two to three hundred passengers a year who are patient and lucky enough to take these balloon flights over Central London with Adventure Balloons. We ensure that their experiences are unique, exclusive and well worth the wait!

If you’d like this to be you, just get in touch with us on 01252 844222, or alternatively you can easily check date availability and book online for fast e-mail vouchers.

The ballooning season has begun here at Adventure Balloons, and so if you’ve been holding onto a hot air balloon voucher from us, maybe as a birthday present, Christmas present or even a valentines present, then maybe it’s time you give us a call and book that flight! It’s very simple to book with us and here’s how to do it.

1. Before you do anything else, you’ll need to select your location. Take a look at our list of launch sites including Oxford, Reading, Hemel Hempstead, Stevenage, Watford, Tring, London, Basingstoke, Hartley Wintney, Guildford, Farnham, Godalming, West Meon, Micheldever, Alton, Winchester, Kent, Sussex and Essex. Once you have found a location or two to consider, you can move onto the next step.
2. Check out our dates page where you can log in and book yourself onto a flight date, update your details, upgrade your voucher, extend your voucher and more. You will also be able to tell how often we fly from each of the locations so that you have a better idea of the chances of a flight from your chosen location.
3. Now you have you voucher, your location and your date, you simply go ahead and book online or call us on 01252 844222 where we will be happy to do it for you. Remember, on the morning of your flight, if you haven’t already here’d from us, give us a call and we will let you know whether the weather is right for ballooning!
4. Get on board and enjoy your champagne flight over the stunning location of your choice. A couple of this to remember; decent footwear for outdoor conditions, no skirts (obviously), a hat to keep the heat from the burners off your head, and of course a camera to take your own pictures of the events of the day and your fabulous birds-eye-view. Remember also, you will have the opportunity to help set up the balloon prior to flights and pack it away after, so this is a real jam packed day of fun and unique experiences!

If you’re thinking of embarking upon the adventure of hot air ballooning then you will first need to look into the ‘ins and outs’ of what to expect. The art of ballooning is fully dependent upon the weather and as you well know, the weather here in Great Britain has a mind of its own. This is why any good hot air balloon flights company will have specialists who are dedicated to determining the forecast prior to each flight. At Adventure Balloons we highly recommend that our customers call us on the morning of their flight so that we can confirm to them whether the flight will go ahead or not.

Unlike many other balloon flight operators, Adventure Balloons has a unique date check availability page which allows prospective customers and voucher holders to check out our flights schedule in the location(s) of their choice. This way you will gain an insight into how many of our bookings we actually fulfil. Many companies advertise a whole range of different flight locations; however in many cases you will find that they rarely launch flights from most of those sites. With us, you choose your location then browse through each available flight date available from that spot!

Due to the fact that ballooning is weather depending, you’ll find that not all passengers fly on their first attempt, it can often take a few tries, it simply boils down to luck. Rest assured however, the experience is always worth the wait! Light winds, good visibility and no rain are required for a balloon flight to go ahead. When surface winds are calm, hot air balloon ride pilots can control the altitude of the balloon very finely by heating or venting the air inside. This is why flights will take place during sunset or sunrise as the weather is at its calmest then.

If you’d like to understand more about how we ‘balloon’ take a look at our FAQ page or alternatively our ABOUT page where you’re likely to find all the information you need. Alternatively however you may wish to speak to a member of our team. Please feel free to call us on 01252 844222 where you will always find we are happy to help.

At Adventure Balloons our 2012 season kicked off with a rather chilly start which just added to the excitement of the day. The temperatures peaked at a “brrrrrrrrreathtaking” minus 8 degrees, we thought it was mighty brave of Kunal Barai to brave it with his partner so early on a Saturday morning! The pair travelled from London to Winchfield by train with anticipation and excitement of their adventurous day ahead!

However what was unquestionably a rather freezing day was soon warmed by a question from Kunal himself. With the hot air balloon ascended to 2,000 feet over the picturesque village of Hook in Hampshire, it couldn’t have been a more perfect backdrop for Kunal – on bended knee – to pop the question to Tina!

Hot air ballooning is without a doubt the most romantic way to take to the skies, so why not take this perfect opportunity to ask your loved one to spend the rest of their lives with you? It’s certainly one way to knock their socks off, so to speak! Kunal was obviously one of the more romantically minded men of the world and thanks to his thought and deliberation of the best way to propose, he was of course successful! As Tina said yes he slipped a ring on her finger which he had purchased from Tiffany’s earlier in the week. Perfect.

“It was a great way to start our ballooning season and the weather was superb. It was one of those rare crisp winters days with lovely visibility, some snow on the ground and the balloon landed on a field belonging to a lovely farmer” said Chief Pilot Kim Hull. “We wish Tina and Kunal a great future after their flying start!”

For more details of other proposals on our hot air balloon rides click here.

We’ve compiled a list of your most frequently asked questions so that you can easily find the answers to all your queries and hesitations. However please don’t let this stop you! If you find you have any questions at all that you’d like answering and would like to speak to a member of our team you can call Adventure Balloons on 01252 844222 or our sister company Balloon Rides Ltd on 01757 288888.

Many of our customers ask us when we fly, the answer is in fact subject to suitable hot air balloon flying conditions. Normally we fly early morning and early evening when the wind is generally calmer and our flying season is from April to October. The times we fly are fully dependent on sunrise and sunset and so vary throughout the seasons. Based on a typical may, we would meet you at 6am for morning flights and 6pm for evening flights.

Next our customers ask us where we fly. Adventure Balloons cover locations in Berkshire, Essex, Hampshire, Hertfordshire, Kent, Lincolnshire, London, Oxford, Surrey, Sussex and York. Balloon Rides fly in York from York Racecourse or from the banks of the River Ouse at Naburn Lock. They also fly in Lincolnshire where they have sites near Grantham, Rutland Water and Stamford.

Customers ask us how to book. This is simple, you first decide which location you’d like to balloon in and then either call the relevant balloon company on the numbers given above, or alternatively you can check Balloon Rides date availability online, or use their online booking feature. Adventure Balloons also give you both the option to check dates and to book online. Whichever way is easier for you!

Another popular question asked is what weather conditions are expected for a successful flight. In answer to this we require light winds, no rain and good visibility. We strongly advise you to call us at the time specified in your map pack to confirm if the weather permits us to fly, and if so the meeting time and place. In the event that we should have to cancel your flight at short notice, it will simply be for reasons such as bad weather, and we ask you to reschedule your flight as soon as possible at a time to suit you.

If this hasn’t answered your questions please do not hesitate to get in touch with us on the above numbers or you can easily access our information and more FAQ’s on our websites www.adventureballoons.co.uk and www.balloonridesltd.co.uk.

Adventure Balloons have partnered up with Balloon Rides Ltd (www.balloonridesltd.co.uk) to offer you a wider selection of balloon flight locations. Now you can go through us to book flights in York and Lincolnshire too! But who are Balloon Rides I here you ask? Balloon Rides are in fact York’s longest running balloon operator! They were created by founder Tom Donnelly together with his unlimited enthusiasm for the sport of hot air ballooning and with his 30 plus years of experience in flying and manufacturing hot air balloons, Balloon Rides are proudly at the forefront of modern hot air ballooning. Coupled with us at Adventure Balloons, who are of course another founding member of hot air balloon rides in the UK, our customers will have a far wider choice of where to take their dream hot air balloon flight.

Balloon Rides Ltd’s pilots offer their customers the security in the knowledge of their national, international and world ballooning award wins. They have flown television and film celebrities, secured several national flight records, and made a number of ‘adventure’ flights crossing the English Channel, the Irish Sea and the Alps. With Balloons Rides you can be sure of unrivalled expertise, an unblemished safety record, excellent personalised customer service and a passionate enthusiasm for the sport.

Still of Britain’s ‘Top Ten Things To Do’ list, there’s no doubting the magic and wonder of hot air ballooning. For everyone who has ever flown in a balloon, it is a truly memorable event, one that will be treasured forever and one which will be completely unique to any other experience. Giving the gift of a hot air balloon ride ticket is certainly unbeatable and guaranteed to get quiet a reaction! What’s more, it isn’t as expensive as you might think! With balloon flights from launch sites in Yorkshire around the county’s ancient Capital City of York and over the beautiful Lincolnshire countryside near Grantham, Stoke Rochford and Rutland Water and a minimum price of just £89 per person, what have you got to lose?! Simply book online or call us on 01757 288 888.

All this cold weather doesn’t half bring the mood down. Fuel prices are going through the roof, we’re all struggling to keep our homes warm, and now the seasons are teasing us! Our garden flowers, shrubs and climbers are re-budding and daffodils are raising their sunny heads bringing us hope for spring, warmth and sunshine, but then the frost is quickly killing them off again. With the recent snowy conditions, it seems spring has been put on hold entirely! However let’s be realistic, spring will come again and just as we’ve had for the past 5 summers, our summer will all happen at around the same time and be gone within weeks. With the sunny season of late being so short lived, it seems that year on year out we’re not getting enough of a chance to enjoy it and re-charge our batteries. It used to be that we’d look forward to winter after a scorcher of a summer, however now we’re left wanting more!

It’s all very odd, but we’ve found that the key to enjoying your spring/summer is to maximise it! Book as much into Britain’s tiny summer as possible and photograph every moment so that when you look back it will feel as though you’ve actually had one! And what better to put at the top of that list than a fabulous trip 3,000 feet in the air, in a hot air balloon?! This is where we come in…

Adventure Balloons specialise in extraordinary champagne balloon rides across the most beautiful and fascinating parts of Britain, Oxford, Reading, Hemel Hempstead, Stevenage, Watford, Tring, London, Basingstoke, Hartley Wintney, Guildford, Farnham, Godalming, West Meon, Micheldever, Alton, Winchester, Kent, Sussex and Essex. We are the longest running passenger balloon ride company around London and the Home Counties and have been operating since 1985! People come to us when they want a balloon ride for that special occasion; For birthday presents we offer our unique HAPPY BIRTHDAY balloons, for valentine’s we even have balloon rides just for the two of you (and the pilot of course), we’ve a reputation for attention to detail and tailored service for Wedding balloon rides and proposals and you can choose from a number of voucher designs and even gift box your treat for Christmas surprises! Companies choose us for corporate flights and advertising and recommend us highly for our professionalism where appropriate and more personal touch.

You have all the options you need with us, you can check date availability, book online, order last minute for emailed vouchers or call us for more information and one to one bookings. Our telephone number is 01252 844222, call us local rate for consistently friendly help and guidance. From everyone here at Adventure Balloons, Welcome Aboard!

At Adventure Balloons we first took to the skies in April 1985, at this time passenger Ballooning was a relatively new thing and so there weren’t many of us around! However as demand grew, so did we and it seems our reputation exceeded us! It wasn’t long before our name stood for quality ballooning, excellent customer service and a drive to please. And how true this is, we love ballooning today as much as we ever have and it’d be fair to say that we gain a lot of our appreciation of what we do from giving our customers a good time!

Now, as the largest company in the country offering UK balloon flights, we operate seven hot air balloons with capacities which range from four to sixteen people and even boast our very own HAPPY BIRTHDAY balloons!

So what do our customers say about us? You can take a look for yourself by viewing our ‘customer comment’ section on the site. We’ve taken a few of the best ones below to give you an idea.

It is easy to forget that you are suspended from a large piece of nylon held up with a few canisters of gas. Travelling across the town you can almost imagine you are in a cinema watching a film.” – Reading Chronicle

“Having promised myself a flight in a balloon by the time I reached 40, I was thrilled with the realisation of this dream. It was such a peaceful, surreal experience, made all the more fulfilling by all the people involved, the friends helping to inflate the balloon. – PK – Herts

“Hot air ballooning has to be one of the most romantic ways to fly. Few can resist the attractions, and whether you choose a morning or evening flight, the experience will be remembered for years to come!” - Surrey Advertiser

And one last thing; you have one week to go until the big day! Valentine’s Day falls on Tuesday 14^th February this year giving you just 6 full days to organise that special gift. Are you thinking a box of chocolates just won’t cut it this year? Well imagine the look on their face if you presented them with hot air ballooning vouchers! Although you’ve only a week left, you can leave this one right to the very last minute if you have a printer. You can simply book online and we’ll email you your printable vouchers immediately, or if you’d rather we gift boxed your surprise vouchers (along with a few little extras), get in touch now! You’ve just enough time to order your vouchers and your £15 gift box in time for 14^th!

At Adventure Balloons we specialise in hot air ballooning but what makes us stand out above the rest is that we don’t hand out rides like a conveyer belt. Our passion for ballooning drives us to enjoy providing our customers with unique experiences every time. Making you happy really does make us happy and so we always strive to tailor each flight to the individual. After 27 years of running passenger hot air balloon rides, we’re more in love with the ‘sport’ than we ever have been! There’s nothing as wonderful to us, than seeing the expressions and reactions from our passengers when we take them up on their first hot air balloon ride; it’s magic!

However it’s not just our dedication to customer satisfaction that makes us so popular; we have looked at every corner of our business so that we can bring you the very best in every area of your experience, from your researching, your choice of location and date to the booking process itself. Take a look at the features we have available for you.

Running Out Of Time? – Simply choose a voucher design from our range to arrive at the email of your choice in seconds! When you have selected your voucher type and design complete with your personal message. This facility is available 24 hours a day!

Birthday Surprise? – We have just the thing; take a look at our specialist HAPPY BIRTHDAY Balloons available for 2-4 people and for parties of 16! They’re over 100 feet high and we’re the only ballooning company to have them in the country!

Buy & Fly Now! – If you have a voucher, all you have to do is enter your location and the amount of spaces you require and we’ll give you available dates over the next 30 days! However if you do not have an Adventure Balloons Voucher you can find out available dates before you book too! Again, just select the location that you wish to fly from and the number of passenger spaces you require and you will then see all flights matching your requirements over the next 30 plus days.

Easy peasy! If you’d like to discuss the flight, book over the phone, ask questions and generally have some human contact, do feel free to call us, we’re always happy to help – 01252 844222.