Expedia.com


Travel Photo:

Hot Air Balloons Over Temecula


By Marianne Schwab | Best Travel Deals Tips Blog




When you think of hot air ballooning, you usually think of New Mexico and when you think of California Wine Country, you usually think of Napa or Sonoma. But Albuquerque does not hold the monopoly on hot air ballooning any more than the Napa Valley or Sonoma own California wine.



Just a short drive from all the major Southern California destinations, you can find yourself among the vineyards of Southern California Wine Country in the Temecula Valley. Less than 60 miles north of San Diego and 90 miles southeast of Los Angeles, Temecula, California has built a reputation for being the wine country of Southern California. It's proximity to the ocean make it a superb grape growing region. No wonder wines from Temecula received over 100 Gold, Double Gold and Best of Class awards in wine competitions in 2009.

And while you're in Temecula, there's no better way to see the valley than from a hot air balloon. We booked our ride through Sunrise Balloons and got a five star treatment. Our pilot, Dan Glick, was wonderful as well as the entire team.

A few weeks after the tour, Sunrise Balloons posted photos of our entire balloon ride on their Facebook fan page and we were able to download them for free. I thought for sure when they had a photographer follow us on the ride that we'd be able to purchase our photos "for a fee," but was amazed that this was free gift. If you're in Temecula, Sunrise Balloons is the company I'd recommend to use. I actually had purchased a good deal on Groupon for this excursion.

I took the photo above as were starting our initial ascent in the wee hours of a Sunday morning at the end of July.





Back to Best-Travel-Deals-Tips Home Page




Share this page:




twitter-button.net

Book Your Trip

Booking travel online should be quick and easy…not to mention affordable and that's why I like Expedia. Did you know that you can save up to $525 when you book your flight and hotel together at Expedia.com? For the best deals, book 60 days or more before you travel because usually the further out you plan, the better the package rate.
~Marianne Schwab



Top Travel Mistakes to Avoid Now

I have put together a list of the top five travel mistakes people make that translate into paying too much for a vacation no matter where you book your trip (through a travel agent, airline or online).
~Marianne Schwab


Avoid Jet Lag

You're packed and ready to go on vacation, so now comes the most important issue at hand: avoiding jet lag when you arrive at your destination. A survey by Conde Naste said that 93% of travelers get jet lag but you don't have to be one of them if you use my tips.
~Marianne Schwab




About Marianne Schwab
TV Travel Show Producer

For over twenty years, TV Travel Show Producer, Marianne Schwab, has been collecting money saving travel tips as a travel producer for high profile television programs. She has flown all over the world and produced live television productions on location from Caesar's Palace on the Vegas Strip to the beautiful island of Oahu. Read more