Ballooning
Ballooning is a rather extreme hobby when it come to cost at least. Expect to pay quite a lot of money to purchase one. Also you may need some sort of license to be able to pursue it. Governments have this sort of phobia of flying things going around in the air. A cold war reminiscence undoubtedly.
Anyway if you decide that ballooning is the way to go then I must tell you that you chose a very difficult path, but at the same time a very rewarding hobby. The first step is also the most difficult one. There are several options to purchase a balloon and none of them is particularly cheap. Once you have managed to buy one you should make sure that you also have a place where to keep it. A balloon is much smaller when it is not inflated, but you should bear in mind that a garage won’t do. You need to keep it clean and in a place with low humidity..
Ok, now you have your balloon and you have the place to store it. Of course if you really want to start ballooning you must learn to fly the thing. In principle it is rather easy, but in practice it is much harder. Always try to be safe on your first flights. When you get the hang of it and you start “feeling” those air currents you can make longer flights.
Now that you have safely made to this very elite club, maybe it is the time to meet the other enthusiasts in the field. Hot air balloons attract quite a bunch of interesting people and I assure you that you will like them (at least some of them). Ballooning is best experienced in competitions. You will learn new things this way and you will slowly become an expert in using the right air currents. You will slowly start to understand how to use the balloon at its full potential. There are people in this world who managed to surround the world in one of these things. Of course you might want to settle for less, but it will be an enjoyable ride nonetheless.
Altogether ballooning is a very challenging world, but once you get the taste of it you will never want to leave. So if you have the resources, the time and the adventure spirit go ahead and try it. You won’t regret it.
