Wondering what to wear on a hot air balloon ride? Dress for three things: a cold start before sunrise, about an hour standing in a basket with a burner above your head, and a landing in a field. Get those right and you can spend the flight looking down instead of thinking about your feet.
This guide is for balloons only. If you are flying in a helicopter, read What to Wear on a Sightseeing Helicopter Flight instead.
What to wear on a hot air balloon ride at dawn: layers
Most balloon flights launch around sunrise, when the air is calmest. You are up in the dark, then standing in a field while the crew inflates the balloon. Early mornings are usually cooler than you expect, even in places that are hot by lunchtime.
Wear layers you can take off: a T-shirt or thin base layer, a warm mid layer such as a fleece or jumper, and a light jacket that blocks the wind. The Wadi Rum listing tells you to bring warm layers for the desert morning. Once you are flying, the balloon moves with the wind, so you feel little breeze in the basket. As the sun rises you will probably shed a layer, so choose ones that are easy to tie round your waist or stuff in a small bag.
A hat, for the cold and for the burner
The burner sits right above the basket and fires in short, loud bursts that you feel as heat on the top of your head. A cap or beanie keeps you warm before take-off and shields your head from that heat. Choose one that fits snugly, because a wide-brimmed sun hat can blow off.
Shoes for a field landing
Balloons do not land at an airport. The pilot picks a suitable field or open ground, and you climb out and walk across it, sometimes through wet grass, dust or mud. Wear closed, flat shoes you do not mind getting dirty, such as trainers or walking shoes. The Annecy Alps Hot Air Balloon Ride asks for closed-toe shoes and does not allow high heels. On the Napa Valley flight there are no doors, so you climb in and out of the basket. Skip sandals and anything with a slippery sole.
Nothing loose that can blow away or snag
You stand shoulder to shoulder with other passengers and the crew briefs you on a landing position. Leave long scarves, dangling straps and floppy hats behind, and tie back long hair. Keep your hands free for holding on when the crew asks.
Gloves and sunglasses
Thin gloves help on cold mornings and while you hold the basket handles for landing. Sunglasses are worth bringing too: at sunrise the sun is low and you will often face it.
Desert, alpine, vineyard and safari mornings
Each place has its own kind of morning, so check the listing for the flight you book:
- Wadi Rum: a sunrise flight of about an hour over the Wadi Rum Desert, year-round. Bring warm layers, comfortable shoes and a camera, as the listing says.
- Annecy: you may see Lake Annecy and, when visibility allows, Mont Blanc. Allow about three hours for the full experience, with roughly an hour in the air.
- Napa Valley: vineyards, Yountville and Mount St. Helena. Meeting times are typically 5:30–7:00, and on foggy mornings the group is driven about 45 minutes to a launch in the northern valley, so dress for waiting outdoors.
- Cappadocia: hotel pickup is about an hour before sunrise for the flight over the Göreme Valley and the fairy chimneys.
- Provence: a sunrise flight near Forcalquier, with a glass of champagne after landing. Allow about three and a half hours.
- Serengeti: pickup from your camp or lodge before dawn, tea and coffee at the launch site, and breakfast after you land. Allow about five hours from camp to drop-off.
Bags and cameras: carry little, strap everything
Space in the basket is shared, and the shared baskets in Mallorca hold up to 15 people. Bring a small bag or none, and put your phone and camera on a strap or wrist cord so nothing can drop over the side. Pockets that close are better than open ones.
Quick checklist
- Layers: base layer, warm mid layer and a windproof jacket.
- A snug cap or beanie.
- Closed, flat shoes you do not mind getting muddy.
- Thin gloves and sunglasses.
- No loose scarves or wide-brimmed hats; long hair tied back.
- A small bag at most, with your camera and phone on a strap.
Questions about your balloon flight? Email us at hello@flyovertheworld.com and we’ll help.