"Experience is one thing you can’t get for nothing,” Irish playwright Oscar Wilde once said. But Wilde, for all his wit, probably never envisioned the modern practice of giving an experience as a gift.

This year give a present you and your sweetheart will enjoy and talk about for years to come: a memory, an experience to remember, not just an ordinary gift soon to be forgotten. This year, give a ticket for a hot air balloon ride or a soaring glider ride that will surprise and elate your valentine. And, you and your sweetheart can take your ride almost anywhere in the country, near home, or at 200 locations nationwide.

Hot air balloon rides

The crew chief will meet your friends at the launch site, where they can watch the balloon being inflated. They ascend between 500 to 1,000 feet and float, with breathtaking views on every side, above the treetops and beneath the clouds, through valleys, winding rivers and lakes - wherever the wind goes. After landing, the adventure continues with a celebration toast of champagne or fruit, 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. The balloon gondola holds up to six passengers. Your gift will provide an experience never to be forgotten.

Soaring glider rides

Or, how about a thrilling gift for that hard-to-please special person? Send them soaring quietly and peacefully above the clouds in a silent glider that seats the pilot and one or two passengers. The soaring glider ride for two lets you and your loved one experience the ride together. And, on the ride for one, your pilot will let you take the controls to fly the glider if you wish.

Forget about the boring gifts and choose an exciting adventure instead. Soaring Adventures of America, Inc., with more than 30 years of experience and a 100 percent safety record, offers gift tickets for Balloon, Glider and Skydiving rides you can use for up to two years at any of their 200 locations in the United States. Visit www.800soaring.com or call 1-800-SOARING or 1-800-762-7464 for more information, if you want to give an unforgettable gift.

More experiences

More exciting “experience gifts” for you to look for: White water rafting, cooking classes, spa days, helicopter rides, hang gliding, kayak lessons, bike tours, dance lessons, race car driving and flight lessons.