Transportation and Medical Tourism

Posted on: 27 July 2017

It's a big world out there, and Australia alone can be too large for even the most dedicated traveller to see all of its sights at ground level. Consequently, aerial tours are an enormously popular way to see the most magnificent of Australia's natural wonders, especially when it comes to visiting isolated areas of the outback that are practically impossible to traverse by road.

However, aerial tours are conducted with a variety of airborne vehicles, and some are far more suited to some types of tours than others. Planes, helicopters and hot air balloons are all used for aerial tours of the outback, and you should decide which type of flying machine best suits your sightseeing needs before you invest in booking a tour.

Plane tours

A wide variety of plane models are used by different companies to give aerial tours of the outback, and no two are ever quite the same. However, you can usually rely on an aeroplane tour to be significantly more comfortable and salubrious than other kinds of aerial tours. Even the smallest, single-engine touring planes are capable of carrying multiple passengers in smooth and relatively quiet comfort, while larger planes may be fitted with lavatories, bars and other creature comforts.

Crucially, aeroplane tours are often significantly cheaper than tours in helicopters or balloons, and can be particularly economical if you are touring in a group of several. Unfortunately, the pay-off of this luxury and convenience is a decided limited view of the world below. The small windows of the average touring plane provide less panoramic views than the cockpits of helicopters or the open baskets of balloons, and the wings can obstruct views from the centre of the plane.

Helicopter tours

Helicopter tours are for the aerial tourist who wants to get as close to the action as possible -- with their unique hovering capabilities and the ability to travel at low altitudes for extended periods, touring helicopters can travel where other flying vehicles can't to give you a truly unique view of the outback. They are particularly useful for touring mountains and crevasses, and your position in the cockpit gives you an excellent view of whatever wondrous sights you may come across. Combined with the ability to stop in place, this makes helicopter tours particularly attractive to the keen photographer.

However, helicopter tours are significantly more expensive than most plane tours due to their higher running and piloting costs, and you will probably have to shell out a significant amount for a tour lasting more than a couple of hours. Helicopters also have very limited passenger and cargo space, and may not be able to accommodate larger touring parties in a single trip.

Hot air balloon tours

Ideal for the tourist who wants absolutely nothing to get between them and a good view, hot air balloon tours of the outback have been operating for decades, yet still have advantages over more modern touring vehicles. With no windows or walls and only a small wicker basket between you and the ground below, hot air balloons offer unparalleled views of the most beautiful parts of Australia's outback. The open air nature of hot air balloon tours can make them particularly thrilling, and provides photographers with unmatched freedom for getting beautiful shots of landscapes and wildlife.

Unfortunately, the hardest part of booking a hot air balloon is predicting the weather, and high winds, heavy rains and generally inclement weather can delay your tour by days or even weeks. You should also bear in mind that these tours aren't for everyone; the balloon baskets have very limited capacities, and are generally very difficult for disabled people to use comfortably.