If you speak to anyone who has actually taken a hot air balloon trip, the word that most often comes up to describe it is 'weightlessness. ' In that sense, it is the closest a human can get to being a bird gliding through the air on the currents of the breeze.

Riding in a hot air balloon is often described as a serene and surreal sensation that differs significantly from flying in an airplane. Because the balloon moves with the wind, there is no "breeze" or feeling of movement once you are airborne; it feels as though the ground is simply dropping away while you remain perfectly still. The most high-fidelity aspect of the experience is the profound silence, interrupted only by the occasional "roar" of the propane burner. You don't experience the stomach-dropping sensation of a roller coaster or even the vibration of an engine. It is a slow, panoramic drift that provides a 360-degree view of the landscape, feeling more like standing on a floating balcony than traveling in a vehicle.