Need help when Balloons start?
#1
Original Poster
Joined: Jul 2020
Posts: 1
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Need help when Balloons start?
I am fed up with changing dates again and again. I had booked my international flights and a package to Cappadocia for April. Due to Corona virus, i had to postpone everything. Afterwards, changed the dates to September but agency i booked this previously https://www.cappadociaballoontours.n...-days-1-night/ but now they say balloons are not going to fly until October. I asked whether its guaranteed that they will fly or not and they said we have no guarantee and decision is taken by balloon companies. My wife is blaming me that i could not find proper answer(!) Is there anybody out there to me something accurate so i can make better planning and do not want to pay penalty for changing international flights anymore over and over again
#3

Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 12,050
Likes: 0
First, I want your wife to know that even if YOU scheduled everything Perfectly, once you are there, weather and winds may prevent balloon flights and there would be absolutely nothing you could do. High winds make it unsafe, especially landings. Summer can be very difficult because heat can make it Very unsafe. Air in the balloon has to be so much hotter than the air on the ground in order for the balloon to rise. In winter, you freeze.
Now, some advice. The company you are working with is a tour company, not the balloon company. If you have booked a one night tour, you have only one chance to do the balloon flight. If you can just cancel this tour, or make it at least two nights, you are Much better off.
Here is what I recommend.
Wait until next year to do your trip. Check weather averages there for the months you are looking at. Before re-booking international flights, check dates for when the balloons will be flying and which months are most prone to cancellations. Stay at least two nights because that gives you two mornings for balloon flights. You book for the first morning you are there. Then you have a second chance in case the first is cancelled.
Cancel the tour. Get your own flight tickets to Cappadocia. Choose a nice hotel in the area. We like the cave hotels. Ask the hotel to book airport transportation for you. It is easy. There are vans that meet every flight and take people to their hotels. You can book your own balloon flights or let the hotel do it. Check the company’s safety records. We choose Butterly, but others are also good. In the wee hours of the morning the balloon companies send their vans around to hotels to pick up people taking their flights.
Let the hotel book a driver to take you to some of the sights or rent a car. Honestly, this is the easiest trip you will ever take. Leave some or most of the planning to your hotel. We opted for a driver for return to the airport. Higher cost, but easy and no waiting on anyone else. Taxis and drivers are reasonably priced, but roads are good if you want to drive yourself. Turkey was our all time favorite trip and Cappadocia was the highlight, so do not shortchange the time there. Two nights is minimum.
We did Istanbul and all of the flights on our own. It was easy. No need for a tour. If you have more questions, just ask.
Now, some advice. The company you are working with is a tour company, not the balloon company. If you have booked a one night tour, you have only one chance to do the balloon flight. If you can just cancel this tour, or make it at least two nights, you are Much better off.
Here is what I recommend.
Wait until next year to do your trip. Check weather averages there for the months you are looking at. Before re-booking international flights, check dates for when the balloons will be flying and which months are most prone to cancellations. Stay at least two nights because that gives you two mornings for balloon flights. You book for the first morning you are there. Then you have a second chance in case the first is cancelled.
Cancel the tour. Get your own flight tickets to Cappadocia. Choose a nice hotel in the area. We like the cave hotels. Ask the hotel to book airport transportation for you. It is easy. There are vans that meet every flight and take people to their hotels. You can book your own balloon flights or let the hotel do it. Check the company’s safety records. We choose Butterly, but others are also good. In the wee hours of the morning the balloon companies send their vans around to hotels to pick up people taking their flights.
Let the hotel book a driver to take you to some of the sights or rent a car. Honestly, this is the easiest trip you will ever take. Leave some or most of the planning to your hotel. We opted for a driver for return to the airport. Higher cost, but easy and no waiting on anyone else. Taxis and drivers are reasonably priced, but roads are good if you want to drive yourself. Turkey was our all time favorite trip and Cappadocia was the highlight, so do not shortchange the time there. Two nights is minimum.
We did Istanbul and all of the flights on our own. It was easy. No need for a tour. If you have more questions, just ask.
Last edited by Sassafrass; Jul 15th, 2020 at 09:12 AM. Reason: More info
#5

Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 12,050
Likes: 0
Otherchelebi, Thank you. When we were doing the trip, people on here helped me so much, patiently answering all my questions. One recommended what turned out to be a perfect hotel. Another told me all about balloons, how they are made, etc. I looked for the old posts, but did not find them. It was our best trip. It was too short.
I am the trip planner in our family. I am lucky. When I screw up or things go wrong, DH rescues me if possible, and never complains.
I am the trip planner in our family. I am lucky. When I screw up or things go wrong, DH rescues me if possible, and never complains.
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#9

Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 12,050
Likes: 0
The OP has not returned. Maybe he has gone with a travel agent. Anyway, I agree about Cappadocia being amazing, even without a balloon flight, but DH and I both think it was an unforgettable travel experience, especially there. Turkey really was our Trip of a Life Time. It has everything: Culture, history, food, architecture and landscape.
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