RedBalloon

RedBalloon, Australian experiences and gifts platform

RedBalloon is an e-commerce site specialising in the sale of original experiences and gifts. Its catalogue is organised around categories such as things to do, food and drink, driving, flying, getaways and retreats, cruises, spa and wellness, classes and courses, animals, days out and tours, water sports, attractions and theme parks, and adventure and outdoor experiences. The platform also sells gift vouchers and gift cards, and offers a dedicated section for businesses.

A broad catalogue of activities and getaways

The experiences on offer cover a wide range of options. In the food and drink section there are picnics, dinners for two, high tea, food tasting tours, restaurant experiences and wine tastings and winery tours. Cooking classes include Italian, Japanese, pasta, dumplings, chocolate, cheese, bread and pastry baking, cake decorating, vegetarian and vegan, Mexican and Asian, among others. In drinks, there are cocktail making classes, home brewing courses, beer tasting and brewery tours, whiskey and gin tasting and distillery tours, and barista and coffee courses.

The driving section brings together classic and vintage car hire, defensive and stunt driving courses, drifting, exotic supercar experiences, F1 style racing, go karting, motorbike rides, off road and buggy driving, quad biking, rally driving, simulators, sports and luxury car hire, trike tours and scenic rides, and V8 experiences. Flying includes hot air ballooning, skydiving, seaplanes, aerobatic flights, fixed wing scenic flights, flight simulators, flying lessons, helicopter flights, indoor skydiving, jet fighters, vintage and warbird flights, and gliding.

Getaways, cruises and wellness

Getaways and retreats include city escapes, coastal getaways, country getaways, farm stays, glamping, golf retreats, luxury escapes, mystery flights, pet friendly getaways, romantic getaways, tiny homes and cabins, tours and expeditions, and weekend getaways. Cruises offer boat hire, dining cruises, reef and snorkelling cruises, river cruises, sailing, scenic cruises, sunset cruises, tall ship, whale watching and harbour and city sightseeing cruises.

The spa and wellness area includes spa and pamper, spa for two, day spa packages, massages and body treatments, beauty treatments, spa and wellness retreats, head spa, wellness bathing, bathhouses, sauna, hot springs, float tanks, mindfulness and wellness, fitness and yoga, and sound and breathwork.

Classes, courses and creative experiences

Classes and courses are divided into creative arts, beauty and movement. In creative arts there is pottery and ceramics, paint & sip, photography workshops, drawing and art classes, maker and crafts, glass and mosaic workshops, jewellery making, candle making, woodworking and blacksmithing, textile and fibre crafts, and flowers and plants classes. In beauty, there are makeup lessons and beauty and fragrance classes. In movement, there is pole dancing, aerial silks and acrobatics, hula hoop classes, dance lessons, surfing lessons, sailing lessons and music lessons.

Animals, days out and theme parks

Animal experiences include animal encounters, aquariums, camel riding, experiences for pets, farm experiences, horse riding, shark diving, whale watching, zoos and wildlife parks, and swimming with whale sharks and dolphins. In days out and tours, there are cycling tours, day tours, evening and night tours, island day trips with ferry transfers, scenic railways and cable cars, segway, steam trains, ghost tours, and more.

The water sports section includes canyoning and caving, fishing charters, freediving, jet boating, jet skiing, jetpack and flyboarding, kayaking and canoeing, kitesurfing, windsurfing, parasailing, sailing lessons, scuba diving and snorkelling, stand up paddle boarding, surfing lessons, wakeboarding and water skiing, and white water rafting. In attractions and theme parks, there are theme parks, aquariums, zoos and wildlife parks, scenic railways and cable cars, arcades and gaming centres, axe throwing, botanical gardens, escape rooms, flying fox and treetop adventures, immersive experiences, indoor golf, inflatable parks, observation decks and towers, splatter & smash rooms, virtual reality experiences and water parks.

Adventure, culture and geographic coverage

Adventure and outdoor experiences cover canyoning and caving, paintball and laser skirmish, flying fox and treetop adventures, skiing and snow, skating, bungee jumping, clay target shooting, mountain biking, bushwalking and hiking, climbing, bridge climbing, rock climbing, abseiling, golf, golf lessons, golf experiences and golf retreats. In music, theatre and culture, there are art galleries and museums, cabaret and burlesque, cinema and theatre, comedy nights, live music, magic and illusion shows, and Aboriginal and Indigenous experiences.

The geographic coverage of the catalogue extends across Australia and New Zealand. In Australia, it is organised by states and territories: New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, Western Australia, South Australia, Tasmania, ACT and Northern Territory. Destinations listed include Sydney and surrounds, Hunter Valley, Blue Mountains, Central Coast, Byron Bay, Newcastle, North Coast, Port Stephens, Wollongong and South Coast; Melbourne and surrounds, Mornington Peninsula, Phillip Island, Great Ocean Road, Gippsland, Yarra Valley, Daylesford and Hepburn Springs, Geelong and The Bellarine, and The Grampians; Gold Coast, Brisbane and surrounds, Sunshine Coast, Whitsundays, Cairns, Tropical North Queensland, Great Barrier Reef, K'gari (Fraser Island), Noosa and Port Douglas; Perth and surrounds, Rottnest Island, Broome, Exmouth, Mandurah and Margaret River; Adelaide Hills, Kangaroo Island, Adelaide and surrounds, Barossa Valley, McLaren Vale and Fleurieu Peninsula, and Flinders Ranges; Hobart, Launceston, Freycinet and East Coast, Bruny Island, and Cradle Mountain and West Coast; Canberra; and Alice Springs and surrounds, Darwin and Top End, and Uluru and surrounds. In New Zealand, Queenstown, Milford Sound and Auckland are mentioned.

Gifts, occasions and corporate sales

The platform also organises its products by occasions and interests. Occasions include birthdays, anniversaries, date ideas, engagements and proposals, celebrations and parties, family fun, team building activities, girls' day out and guys' day out. Birthday gifts can be filtered by price, recipient, occasion and interest, with categories such as gifts for couples, for kids, for women, for families, for men and for pets, as well as milestone birthday gifts (18th, 21st, 30th, 40th, 50th, 60th and 70th) and luxury experiences. There are also ideas for anniversaries, baby shower, Christmas, engagement, farewell & retirement, Father's Day, graduation, Mother's Day, thank you, Valentine's Day and weddings. The business section includes team building activities.

How the shop works and customer service

The site allows you to search for experiences by keyword, location, occasion or category, and has help sections, frequently asked questions, support, user account, login, create account, supplier access, favourites and shopping cart. The platform operates with separate sites for Australia and New Zealand, and warns that Australian vouchers are only valid on the Australian site. At the time of scanning, the website was showing a spring promotion with 10% off sitewide using the code SPRING10.