Key Takeaways
- Hot air ballooning is great for families – A family hot air balloon ride brings everyone together for a shared adventure, giving visiting friends and relatives a breathtaking perspective of the destination they meet at.
- Making the most of the experience – After the hot air balloon ride and your celebratory toast, continue the fun by going out for a meal, sightseeing, or hiking while reminiscing about the experience.
- Hot air balloon family deals – Rainbow Ryders offers savings through promo codes like LOCALRYDER for Arizona and New Mexico residents and REPEATRYDER20 for returning guests on eligible shared flights.
Choose One Experience They’ll Never Forget
Family visits often revolve around familiar traditions like visiting certain restaurants or catching up at home. While those moments can be meaningful, they tend to blend together as time goes on, making them hard to remember. On the other hand, choosing an extraordinary experience can transform an average visit into something your family talks about for decades—a family hot air balloon ride does just that!
Whether relatives are visiting from across the country or you’re planning a reunion with people nearby, a hot air balloon ride provides an adventure everyone will remember forever by swapping out the same old sights for a view of the landscape from thousands of feet above the ground.Â
Plus, the bonding opportunity is unmatched. Rather than splitting up to pursue different interests, every passenger experiences the same incredible views, the same excitement during takeoff, and the same sense of wonder while floating quietly through the sky.
The guide below can help you enhance your family hot air balloon experience with a wide range of tips and even a couple of hot air balloon family deals.
How Hot Air Balloon Rides Bring Families Together
Most people would agree that the best family activities create shared memories instead of separate experiences. A hot air balloon ride is a great way to bring everyone closer, both literally and figuratively. Taking a shared ride together means traveling in the same basket with a common destination and an unforgettable view—it is hard to forget the view from a hot air balloon.
How It Differs from Other Activities
Some attractions encourage certain family members to rush ahead while others fall behind, but that isn’t what happens when you choose hot air balloon rides for family gatherings. This unique activity actually encourages everyone to slow down and stick together.
There are no long lines to navigate after takeoff or competing schedules once you’re in the air. Everyone can just take a step back and enjoy the same panoramic scenery while pointing out landmarks, spotting wildlife, and sharing reactions as the landscape unfolds below.
Because the experience is so unique, conversations continue long after the balloon lands. Many families find themselves comparing favorite views and laughing about memorable moments to relive the experience throughout the rest of the visit.
Who Will Enjoy Hot Air Ballooning?
A family hot air balloon ride appeals to multiple generations because it focuses less on adrenaline and more on the appreciation of nature and the history of hot air ballooning.
Some examples of family members it works especially well for:
- Parents and adult children
- Grandparents and grandchildrenÂ
- Multi-generational family reunions
- Couples traveling with extended family
- Close family friends celebrating together
Make Sure Each Family Member Meets the Flight Requirements
Keep in mind that every rider has to meet flight requirements, meaning children have to be over the age of five and have a parent’s permission to ride. Additionally, anyone pregnant or possibly pregnant cannot fly, and passengers must be able to meet these three requirements:
- Swing their legs up and over the side of the basket to get in, which is comparable to mounting a horse
- Stand for one hour unassisted, as walkers and wheelchairs cannot come on board
- Jump from roughly the height of a standard dining room chair to the ground to exit the basket
If you have any questions or concerns as you or your family members prepare for your first hot air balloon ride, you can always count on Rainbow Ryders to give you the answers you are looking for—just give us a call!
See Your Destination From a New Perspective
Every location that Rainbow Ryders flies in offers scenery that’s impressive from the ground, but seeing it from above provides an entirely different appreciation for the landscape. Instead of staring up at distant mountains, you’ll be approaching their height. Some other things you may see, depending on where you fly, are:
- Rivers
- Valleys
- Forests
- Rock formations
The balloon’s gentle pace also allows everyone plenty of time to absorb details that might otherwise be missed while driving or hiking. As a result, the experience delivers views that most visitors never have had the opportunity to enjoy, even if they have been to that destination before.
How Destinations Differ
The table below features all four Rainbow Ryders locations and their corresponding views and landscape highlights that you and your family may notice when flying with us.
| Destination | Signature Views | Landscape Highlights |
| Albuquerque | Rio Grande Valley, Sandia Mountains |
|
| Phoenix | Sonoran Desert |
|
| Colorado Springs | Rocky Mountains |
|
| Park City | Alpine valleys |
|
Because hot air balloons drift with the wind rather than racing through the sky, there’s time to appreciate subtle changes in light, color, and perspective throughout the flight, no matter where you fly. Every few hundred feet of altitude, you can expect to see something in a new way, making the journey feel immersive rather than rushed.
Make the Flight Part of a Memorable Day
One of the easiest ways to maximize a family hot air balloon experience is to build the day’s itinerary around the flight, but keeping the energy going during the other parts of the day.
For sunrise hot air balloon flights, many families continue the fun post-landing. After touching down, celebrating with a time-honored post-flight, and shuttling back to your meeting point, many continue the celebration by doing more activities like:
- Going to brunch
- Sightseeing
- Shopping
- Hiking
Leaving space between activities helps the experience feel like the centerpiece of the day instead of another item on a crowded itinerary.
Be Present for the Experience
It’s natural to want plenty of pictures during such a memorable adventure because hot air balloon photos are the best—they become treasured keepsakes, especially when paired with the memories everyone experienced together. Some families even create photo books or frame a favorite group picture to commemorate the bucket-list-worthy occasion.Â
Nevertheless, temporarily putting your phone away and devoting a portion of the ride to being present with your family can enhance the experience and facilitate bonding. Afterward, you’ll have a chance to gather more photos to commemorate your hot air balloon family ride. Standing near the fully inflated balloon or clinking your glasses during the champagne toast and orange juice toast can make for especially unique images.
While the ground crew packs up the hot air balloon, this is also a good time to ask your pilot about more hot air balloon fun facts and appreciate everything you’ve just experienced with your loved ones; it can make the excitement last longer.Â
Plan Ahead for the Best Experience
Coordinating several family schedules can take time, especially when also navigating hot air balloon availability, so booking your balloon ride well in advance is recommended, particularly during times like:
- Holidays
- School breaks
- Peak travel seasons
- Hot air balloon festivals
Early planning provides several advantages, such as greater flexibility when selecting dates, better availability for larger groups, and more time to coordinate travel plans and incorporate other family activities.
Since hot air ballooning is dependent on suitable weather conditions, it’s also helpful to keep your itinerary flexible. Flights occasionally need to be rescheduled due to wind or other environmental factors because safety always comes first. This makes it important to plan your hot air balloon ride early in a trip, to ensure mutual availability for rescheduling if the need arises.Â
Save with Rainbow Ryders Promotions
With the right planning, families can also take advantage of available promotions when booking a Rainbow Ryders flight in one of the four corners of the Southwestern United States.
Two of the most special offers we have for residents and returning customers who want to bring family are:
- LOCALRYDER – Tickets are reduced to $175 per person for Arizona and New Mexico residents booking qualifying shared basket sunrise flights where they live. This promotion is available year-round, but it excludes event flights.
- REPEATRYDER20 – Returning guests receive $20 off qualifying shared baskets for non-event flights year-round.
These coupon codes can make hot air balloon rides for family gatherings even more accessible while encouraging loved ones to return for another unforgettable adventure. If you have questions about eligibility or booking multiple passengers, contact the Rainbow Ryders team to get help determining the best option for your group.
Create Stories That Last Beyond the Visit
Years from now, most families won’t remember every restaurant they visited or every souvenir they purchased. They’ll remember the experiences that made everyone stop and smile, as it caused them to share something extraordinary together.
A family hot air balloon experience creates exactly those kinds of memories. From watching the balloon inflate before sunrise to celebrating after landing, every stage of the journey becomes part of a story that’s retold at future holidays, reunions, and family gatherings, whether they are in the sky or on the ground.
If you’re looking for something beyond another meal or sightseeing stop, consider making your next gathering truly unforgettable with Rainbow Ryders. Our ride operating services have been helping families create lifelong memories and celebrate special occasions for decades through safe, scenic balloon flights across Albuquerque, Phoenix, Colorado Springs, and Park City.
Book your next family hot air balloon ride with Rainbow Ryders today and turn your next family visit into something magical.
