Neopian Air Travel

Land: Faerieland (formerly)

Method Of Transportation: Hot air balloon

While no longer an issue with Faerieland now on the ground, with Faerieland being one of the most popular lands in Neopia it needed a way to get a massive number of non-flying Neopets to and from it when it was in the sky. This was before the Virtupets Space Station so they needed a method of transportation which could carry a group of Neopets at a time and there needed to be a lot of them to keep up with travel demands. Faeries, specifically Fire and Air Faeries, knew hot air rises and so did whatever was filled with the hot air. It did not take long for a fleet of hot air balloons to be crafted with huge baskets able to seat six (excluding the pilot who most of time is standing in the middle of the basket underneath the torch). Even when the Virtupets Space Station and space ships came, Neopians liked the hot air balloon rides so they remained Faerieland’s main method of transportation. Over time the hot air balloons got more decorative and bigger, the blimp was also created but was mostly used by VIPs if they didn’t have their own air transportation.

So where are the hot air balloons now that Faerieland is on the ground? When the Faeries became petrified during the Faeries’ Ruin they were used to evacuate all Neopets from Faerieland. They were then stored away in the various ferry stations around Neopia. And that is where most of them are now, waiting for Faerieland to lift itself back into the skies to be put back into service. However they are available to be rented, the NP used for maintenance of the hot air balloons and repairing Faerieland.

Land: Darigan Citadel

Method Of Transportation: Uni taxi

On the opposite end of tourism, the Darigan Citadel does not get that many visitors so has no need for a big transportation department (that’s replaced by sentries who keep an eye on anyone entering and leaving, along with their cannons). So for an average Neopian who want to visit the Darigan Citadel for whatever reason would need to hire a Uni taxi. Riding on a Uni is the oldest way non-flying Neopets flew, ancient cave paintings and logograph languages across multiple cultures have depicted the use of Uni; some civilizations even kept blessings of Uni as slaves for their armies to use as steeds. Even today Uni are still used, however, unless you have a Uni friend who’s willing and strong enough to lift you, Uni who provide rides have formed a taxi organization (both to create a stable fair system and for protection). Actually you can hire a Uni taxi to fly you anywhere in Neopia (obviously they can’t fly you to any of the lands or places in space), it’s just that this is the main way to get to the Darigan Citadel. Though do be warned, most Uni taxi for the Darigan Citadel are Darigan Uni so are less easygoing than your basic Uni (a Uni taxi can get in big trouble if they drop their client, but annoy or pull on the hair of a Darigan Uni taxi enough...).

Land: Terror Mountain (peak)

Method Of Transportation: Ski lift

Not all methods of air travel has to be a vehicle, some can be a stationary platform that lifts you. This is the case with Terror Mountain’s ski lift, which takes you from Happy Valley all the way up to Terror Mountain’s peak. Before its construction, to get to the peak you needed to go through the Ice Caves (you could have also climbed Terror Mountain but, unless you’re doing it for the experience or self satisfaction, going through the Ice Caves was much quicker). While this wasn’t that hazardous, it took much time and energy that further limited your time on the peak (even more so if you decided to take a break). The ski lift was made to be a shortcut, drastically cutting down the time it took to get to the peak while also letting those going up sit down and rest. The effects of this didn’t go unnoticed, the peak of the mountain bloomed with activity from all the energetic visitors who were taking the ski lift, causing more businesses to open up there.

Land: Shenkuu

Method Of Transportation: Flying ship

Another mountainous land, but unlike Terror Mountain all of Shenkuu is on the mountain tops, building connected to one another by bridges, ladders, and ropes. Getting to Shenkuu by land is difficult; no matter where you start you’ll have to climb up and down a part of the mountain range which Shenkuu is the middle of. And with it being covered by mist, it explains why Shenkuu wasn’t discovered until the crew of the Cyodrake’s Gaze appeared. While at first their ship looked like a normal boat, when it was time to go home they revealed Shenkuu ships are able to fly. Much about Shenkuu’s culture is kept secret, and this includes how the flying ships came to be. No one is even sure how the ships are even able to fly, recreations of the flying mechanism not working with ships not built with materials and methods from Shenkuu (though other groups, like The Seekers, have made their own methods to create a flying ship). Ancient Shenkuu had reports of early versions of flying ships, starting out row boat sized, but not on how the method of flight was discovered. Whatever the reason is, Shenkuu flying ships is how many arrive to and leave Shenkuu; both passenger and cargo ships picking up and dropping off at ferry stations.

Land: Virtupets Space Station & Kreludor

Method Of Transportation: Space shuttle

So far the lands we’ve covered were within Neopia, even if they were floating in the sky, so aside from the flying or lifting mechanism no additional equipment was required. Not so much for these next two lands, because they’re in space, where there is no air (at least between them and Neopia). Even for flying Neopets, there is no way to get to the Virtupets Space Station or Kreludor without a space shuttle. The space shuttles are not only capable of space flight, which requires powerful rocket boosters or anti-gravity technology, but are enclosed to create a breathable environment. However, just because both use space shuttles doesn’t mean they use the same type (though they all have the same docking equipment). The reason for the different shuttle designs is partly due to the influence Dr. Sloth had on both lands. Virtupets Space Station has space shuttles which Dr. Sloth would approve of (minus weapons), either due to Sloth loyalists wanting to stick to their master’s vision or other groups believing they are taking the technology back from Dr. Sloth. Kreludor space shuttles are designed based on traditional Kreludan Grundo culture, the culture they had before Dr. Sloth enslaved their species, as a rejection of Dr. Sloth’s grand design.

Location: The Coincidence

Method Of Transportation: Teleportation

Our final location isn’t a land but a small spacecraft orbiting Neopia which is the home (and lab) of a single Lutari and his robot Petpet assistant. The spacecraft is called The Coincidence and it houses the confusionator, the machine responsible for creating Random Events. The Lutari is Dr. Landelbrot, the scientist who created the Confusionator in order to balance the chaos on Neopia with Random Events. While the spacecraft was known about for years no one knew who or what was in it, until a strange machine in Moltara activated and a robot Petpet was asking those who came in for help. The machine is a portal which transports those who go through it aboard The Coincidence. It is the only way to get to the The Coincidence, Dr. Landelbrot not wanting the Confusionator to be disturbed by the jostling caused by a space shuttle docking (the Confusionator is a delicate and finely tuned machine, the slightest movement can radically alter its results). There have been other instances of teleporting in Neopian history, but they’re isolated instances only done by one character or group. The portal that teleports aboard The Coincidence is the only method of teleportation known that is available for everyone, especially those who want to help Dr. Landelbrot test out the Confusionator. No other land uses teleportation probably due to the massive energy use, The Coincidence only able to maintain its portal due to the chaos energy the Confusionator generates and it doesn’t keep the portal on all the time.

That is all the methods of air travel you need to know about if you want to reach Neopia’s highest lands and locations. We’ve flown through the skies, gone up mountains, and ventured into space. But just as what goes up must come down, what begins must end and that does it for this article. So next time you’re heading to a land whether it be for business or leisure, think about the ways you could get there and what possible reason or stories are behind it. Be it by land, sea, or sky.