(ARA) - As Valentine's Day approaches, many of us will be looking for the perfect gift. Instead of the usual flowers or chocolates, why not surprise your loved one with a hot-air balloon, soaring glider or tandem skydiving ride.

Hot Air Balloon Rides

Soaring Adventures of America, Inc., www.800soaring.com, with more than 22 years of experience and a 100 percent safety record, offers hot-air balloon rides for those tired of giving forgettable gifts. They feature hour-long balloon rides beneath clouds, through mountains and valleys, over treetops, winding rivers and waterfalls -- wherever the wind goes.

The crew chief will take your friends to the launch site, where they can watch the balloon being inflated. Each ride ascends between 500 to 1,000 feet and covers five to 10 miles, soaring through nature and offering breathtaking views. Rides end with a celebration toast of champagne or fruit juice upon landing, an old French tradition. Since each ride is led by a commercially certified, FAA-trained pilot, you can rest assured your loved ones will be secure and safe. Your gift will provide an experience they'll talk about for years to come.

Soaring Glider Rides

How about a thrilling gift for that hard-to-please special person? Send them soaring quietly and peacefully above the highest peaks in a silent glider that seats the pilot and one or two passengers.

We've all experienced the remorse of buying gifts for ourselves while shopping for others. Get rid of that guilt by giving a gift that you can enjoy, too. The soaring glider ride for two lets you and your loved one experience the ride together, and you can even take the controls to fly the glider.

Skydiving

Perhaps your loved one would enjoy the exhilarating feeling of skydiving. With tandem skydiving, you don't have to be an expert skydiver. After training, your gift recipient will be jumping out of a plane two miles above ground attached to an expert skydiver, freefalling for several minutes before landing safely with a parachute.

Throw away the boring gifts and choose an exciting adventure instead. Soaring Adventures of America, Inc. offers gift certificates you can use for up to two years at any of their 200 locations in the United States. For more information, visit www.800soaring.com or call (800) SOARING or (800) 762-7464.

Courtesy of ARA Content