Let's travel by hot air balloons!
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Hot air balloons take on various shapes nowadays. [Photo: CRIENGLISH.com/Sohu.com] |
Hot air balloon travel is flying higher on the list of choices for travelers because of its environmentally-friendly practices and aristocratic origin.
It is said that if people were given three wishes, nine out of ten would choose the ability to fly, have eternal life and foresee the future. While neither the prospect of living forever or predicting the future seems within modern science's reach, what we can practically do is fly — not by ourselves, of course, but with the assistance of airplanes or balloons.
Now that airplanes have become the target of public blame for carbon emissions, hot air balloon travel is flying higher on the list of choices for travelers because of its environmentally-friendly practices and aristocratic origin.
Since French brothers Joseph and Jacques Montgolfier invented the world's first hot air balloon in 1782, the sport of ballooning has seen many changes. The carriers are no longer plain inflatable rubber bags; they take on various shapes, some as cartoon characters, and some as outlandish aliens.
Although hot air balloons are still popular in festive parades, they're also a favorite with businesses and advertisers. So it's no surprise we spot huge hot air balloons shaped like Coca Cola bottles or Ronald McDonald floating in the sky during a ballooning competition or parade.
Even though we have the technology that allows us to float off in a hot air balloon, one question remains: how do you learn to fly a balloon and get a license? Due to the high cost of training fees, only about 200 people in China are qualified to fly a hot air balloon.
In Western countries, especially in Europe, the birthplace of hot air balloons, the practice of balloon travel is more common. Major airline companies like Virgin offer hot air balloon rides regularly. And in Australia, hot air balloon flights are considered the best way to take in the grand landscape of its vast outback.
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