Riding a Hot Air Balloon with a fear of heights – my experience, and what to expect

I am not a fan of heights, which probably didn’t need to be said given the title of the post, but I feel it’s important to reiterate. I can manage if I feel safe, so planes are usually fine (I’m actually writing this from a plane at the moment), and tall buildings where you’re enclosed in etc, no problem.

It’s when I don’t feel safe that issues arise. I’ve mentioned it a few times on this website, where there have been incidences I’ve been up high and I don’t feel safe, and of course panic ensues, knees get weak, palms sweaty (this is beginning to sound like an Eminem song) and I need to get back to ground level quickly.

A big part of my anxiety and mental health struggles over the years has been dealing with intrusive thoughts. If you’ve ever experienced them, you know how horrible and sometimes debilitating they can be, and this absolutely plays a big part in why I don’t feel safe.

The French have a strangely beautiful term for that urge of wanting to jump from a cliff, or swerve into oncoming traffic… L'Appel du vide (roughly translates to 'Call of the void'). Lord knows I experience these thoughts, despite being in a good place at the moment, so the thought of being trapped in a hot air balloon, with no way out, and the ability to chuck myself off, yikes.

It was the combination of heights, and intrusive thoughts, that left me with no urge to ride a hot air balloon. Again, given the title of this blog post, it’s not a spoiler to announce that I did ultimately ride a hot air balloon, and I made it down to tell this story.

Anxious Travel Guy, how did you end up in a hot air balloon?

I was in Antalya, Turkiye, for a few months at the end of 2025, and for two of those, I was joined by one of my wonderful best friends. She was particularly keen on a trip to the Turkish hot air balloon mecca, Cappadocia, and I had also heard great things about the town in general, so off we went.

One of her bucket list items was to ride the aforementioned hot air balloon, so I knew she was set, but I was still unsure on whether I would join her in flight. I did some research, including looking if there were harnesses, straps, or anything you could grab on to alleviate anxiety thousands of feet in the air. I also looked at safety rates, the mechanics of how everything works, and ultimately, decided to book.

We signed up via AirBnb experiences, and our host was incredible with making me feel reassured before the flight, as best believe I was blowing up those DM’s.

If you’re ever in Cappadocia, and want to use the same company we did, here is their link (I don’t make any money from this, just wanted to promote the same company we used).

Here’s what I was told by the AirBnB experience host regarding safety and a fear of heights:

'Hello

In hot air balloons, there are no seat belts because the basket is designed for safe standing and provides full stability during the flight.

However, please don’t worry — balloon flights are extremely safe.

• You will be flying with licensed pilots,

• The basket has high protective sides,

• And the landing position is clearly explained before the flight.'

The experience group also pick you up and drop you off from where you’re staying as well, which is most welcome as you have to wake up obscenely early take one of these flights.

I kept telling myself that these people are professionals, thousands of people take these flights daily, and you know, I wouldn’t throw myself off the edge. Hopefully.

Let’s talk about the actual flight, and what to expect.

Getting into the basket:

Even driving to the place where you take off is epic. It's almost like it sets the tone for what's to come. Here are a couple of photos of the balloons on the ground pre take-off, and even being massively sleep deprived/terrified of what lay ahead, I felt a tinge of excitement.

We were one of the last groups to get into the basket, and I think that massively helped with any anxiety, as I didn’t have time to really think and dwell. What I would suggest is, if you’re one of the earlier groups, then ask the operator if you can wait to get in near the end. I am sure they have helped people with a fear of heights previously, and hopefully they’re understanding.

Being late on to the balloon really helped me.

You’re helped on, and the first thing I think I looked for, was what the hell I could grab hold of. Success! I found rope I could grab, tightly, and what I also appreciated was being able to place myself as close to the centre of the balloon as possible.

I may have lost feeling in my hand but it was worth it to be able to grab on to something.

I had NO interest in being near the edge, as I knew this would exacerbate any of the feelings I mentioned earlier, so I kept myself packed in, and this really helped as well.

The basket itself is big, and I think there were four separate compartments in ours, with the middle section occupied by the operator and camera guy. Here is what it looked like from my vantage point:

As you can see, I was a decent distance from the edge, and that helped me feel safer. If I was feeling a bit braver, I would get a bit closer to get a better vantage point, but honestly, I was much more comfortable here, the views were still amazing, and so my method worked for me.

We were given a super brief landing demonstration (we actually didn’t have to adopt the position), and then, without warning, we were airborne. Again, I think not being told we were taking off helped me, so I couldn’t work myself up, and get extra anxious. One second we were on the ground, the next, we weren’t.

Taking off is surreal, especially as we were one of the first to do so, but honestly, it wasn’t too bad. I had packed myself in as mentioned, and I think having the view in front of me, and not being in a position to really look down, certainly helped me, and would certainly help my ‘I don’t fuck with heights’ brothers and sisters.  

In the Air:

We’re now in the air, and at this point, I let my brave bestie, and our super happy compartment mates get close to the edge to do their thing. I still had an incredible view, as this photo will attest, and honestly, it wasn’t as bad as I had thought it might be. Being able to look straight, and not down, huge gamechanger.

We did our hot air balloon ride in December, and it was pretty cold, so be sure to wear those layers.

There were moments we were super high, where I struggled a little bit, but holding on was very helpful, and honestly, if you need a distraction, don’t be ashamed to use it. I had my bestie with me who was great for a conversation, or a hand hold, and at one point, I even looked up my fantasy football result as I was having a slight moment.

On our flight as least, you’re not super high all of the time, and whispering, there were times when I actually, and actively, enjoyed myself. We were dropped into a beautiful valley, where I even managed to let go of my trusty rope sidekick, and snap this majestic video:

Genuinely, one of the best videos I might have ever taken.

There are times it feels you’re maybe a little close to the ground, or the canyon walls etc, but these pilots are professionals, and they are able to navigate to within literal feet of objects, so trust the process.

We even saw balloons flying in unison, being in contact with each other in the air etc, so that also made me feel a bit better… these things are sturdier than they look.

As mentioned, my biggest points of struggle were when we were really high, and I could see a load of other hot air balloons beneath us.

For some reason, knowing that we were higher than nearly everyone else freaked me out, but you’re not at this height for long, as you’re constantly changing altitude, and if you are struggling like I did at times, just get your phone out and focus on that.

I know, we probably should be in the present during such epic moments, but even having this as an option was a huge gamechanger for me.

Can you sit down in a hot air balloon?

I actually googled this before flying. And sent an additional DM to my lovely AirBnB experience contact. Both said that this isn’t a possibility. Did I actually sit down during my flight? No.

Could I have sat down? Possibly.

I took this photo, which kinda shows the room at my feet, and I think I could have if I absolutely had to.

I am not sure if the pilot would have shouted at me to get my backside up if I had tried, and of course don’t take this as actual knowledgeable information, but on my flight at least, I think I could have at least squatted down, so I wouldn’t have to look out at the view.

I realise is a backwards thing to say on a hot air balloon flight, but if you’ve googled this like I have, hopefully you’ll appreciate the explainer.

Landing:

I’d seen what I needed to see, and at this point, I was pretty excited to be back on the ground. So it may sound a bit strange, but descending was a highlight. That’s not to say I didn’t enjoy the experience, I did, but I was also ready to get off the balloon.

Plus, I randomly love the photo below, with the people waving and hot air balloons everywhere. It was a nice moment, especially as we were mere feet from the ground.

This photo as we were landing is one of my favourites from the experience.

And also, I knew this experience would fall more into the ‘Type 2’ kinda fun, where you’re not loving it at the moment, but afterwards you’re like, “Okay, that was cool.”.

Anyway, and as mentioned, these pilots are seriously skilled, so they land pretty much where they want to. Our preferred place of landing? On the back of a trailer of course.

We didn’t have to adopt the landing position, and it was all pretty smooth, and also super impressive that he could land it on this trailer that was barely bigger than the hot air balloon.

After landing, you have to wait in the basket for a few minutes as you’re helped out, and before you know it, you’re back on solid ground!

Our experience had a nice little celebration at the end, where the tour guides open a bottle of non-alcoholic fizz, and share with the group. Best believe I was happy to toast to getting back on the Earth. At this point, they also ask you for tips, just so you’re aware. We tipped, but not everyone did, so it’s at your discretion.

Finally, you are taken back into the mini-bus you came in on, and dropped off at your accommodation.

Price:

As mentioned, my best friend and I went in December, so peak off-season, and our rates were a lot lower. There was actually only one day in the five or six we were there we were able to take off, so we got lucky.

The AirBnB link to the experience we were part of is essentially a deposit to secure your place (You get refunded if you’re unable to take off or reschedule), and then you pay the rest to whoever is leading your tour on the day.

We paid the deposit, and then 30 Euros extra on the day, but prices can go up a LOT depending on what time of year it is, so be aware of that.

In April for instance, pretty much peak time, the total cost of the experience is €210, so just be aware that the price you see on the website is not the total cost, that is just the deposit.

Conclusion:

If you have any doubts about experiencing a hot air balloon with a fear of heights, and/or intrusive thoughts, my advice would be to just go for it. Did I absolutely have some moments where I struggled, yes, but looking back some time later, I am really glad I did it.

Having someone with me helped me massively, as I don’t think I would have had the confidence on my own. If this isn’t possible, then speak to the hot air balloon lead, or someone else in your group, and hopefully they can help. Sometimes even having a distraction like talking can help.

The Airbnb experience host was really nice In taking the time to comfort and reassure me before the flight, and that also helped a lot.

I can’t pretend it was all smooth sailing either. As detailed above, I had a couple of moments where I was really struggling and had to use my phone to distract me. There were a lot more incredible parts of the experience though, and watching the sun rise from that vantage point, wow.

Am I in a rush to do it again, no, but I’ve done it, and that’s the most important thing.

I can’t express how unsure I was about it all, but follow my advice, and hopefully you’ll enjoy your ride on a hot air balloon.

Try and be one of the last people on so you don’t have to wait too long in the basket, get as close to the centre as you can, and grab hold of the rope! I didn’t want to be at the edge too much, so if you do, then props, you’re a braver person than me!

Have a look at the photos on this post, and that will hopefully be the final push you need. It is a breathtaking experience, and I hope you enjoy it. 5 or so months later, I am very happy I faced my fears and rode a hot air balloon with a fear of heights coming along with me.

Any questions you need answered, or any advice I can help with, feel free to send me a message 😊