Setting up a ride is very easy and less expensive than the average person may think. Open up the yellow pages in your area and look under ballooning, hot-air balloon rides, or look for companies on the web like PuffinAir or AirLimited.
Most rides go up for a good amount of time.
Many rides can be between 45 minutes and an hour and a half. Outside of the flying time, watching the setup of the balloon and the breakdown of the equipment after the ride is also exciting. The moment when the balloon moves from lying on the ground to an upright position is very breathtaking to watch as well. Taking off in a hot-air balloon is a smooth, quick process and passes so quickly that you hardly realize how high you get so quickly. Floating in the balloon is very peaceful and quiet.