Since we chartered the Dubai desert in 2005, we have flown thousands of people from all over the world, but in 2019 we flew a guest with a unique story to tell. Hein Wagner, a motivational speaker who describes himself as a blind man with a vision was the first blind Hot Air Balloon passenger in Dubai. We asked him a few questions about his first Hot Air Balloon flight to get a different perspective on the experience:

WHAT MADE YOU WANT TO EXPERIENCE A HOT AIR BALLOON FLIGHT?

Being blind, I rely heavily on my remaining senses, and I’m always fascinated by the sounds when I’m on a mountain or high up on a skyscraper. There is a feeling of the kind of view from above that comes to me through my sense of hearing. I could not wait to find out what this would sound/look like from a Hot Air Balloon.

HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE THE FEELING OF HOT AIR BALLOONING?

It is sensational! I was amazed by the stability of the ride and being up in the sky, hearing the faint sounds from below. At 4,000 ft, everything went quiet, and I could only occasionally hear the other balloons around us firing up for a few seconds. As we came lower down, I could clearly hear the normal morning sounds from below such as the birds. However, we were above them; what an interesting perspective. I got a sense of freedom and deep calmness floating in the sky above the desert

WHAT WAS YOUR FAVOURITE PART OF THE EXPERIENCE?

The part where we were above the morning sounds, such as the birds and just drifting along through the sky wondering where we would land. I also loved the landing!

YOU HAVE EXPERIENCED A LOT OF AMAZING THINGS IN YOUR LIFE, DID HOT AIR BALLOONING REMIND YOU OF ANYTHING ELSE?

It sure did remind me of the adventures where I get to spend time in nature to recharge and revitalise my soul. The perspective from the balloon for me as a blind person was just so incredible. I can just imagine how special it would be if you could actually see it!

Hot Air Ballooning is a unique travel experience, often associated with feelings of freedom, adventure and happiness. For fourteen years we have been making this once-in-a-lifetime experience accessible to people from around the world. Our mission is quite simply to make people happy, to inspire them and to give them the chance to experience floating in the sky!

We were delighted to make Hein Wagner’s dream of flying in a Hot Air Balloon come true and agree with his life motto of “anything you believe is not possible, is possible; you just have to change how you look at things. If you do that, the things you look at will change.” Find out more about Hein and his adventures.