Sam
TS Member
We've all had it. That nauseating feeling of sickliness that descends like a black cloud even after the best days at a theme park. It has many individual symptoms and cures but we know it as one illness: Theme Park Body (TPB).
Symptoms include: Indigestion, headache, windburn, exhaustion, soar throat, 'theme park face', blisters, muscle ache, nausea, chapped lips, stitch, heartburn and hayfever.
Causes include: walking all day, lack of sleep, physical exertion of rides, outside all day, drinking fizzy pop constantly, fatty fast food, exposure to the elements, snacking, poor bathroom facilities and unclean cold water from wet rides.
What can you do about it?
What can the parks do about it?
I'd like to see the parks play a much more active role in preventing the onset of TPB, which must affect the general public just as much as enthusiasts. Here are my recommendations:
So what are your top-tips for avoiding the onset of TPB? What do you think the parks could do better to help you have a healthier and more comfortable day's rollercoaster riding?
Symptoms include: Indigestion, headache, windburn, exhaustion, soar throat, 'theme park face', blisters, muscle ache, nausea, chapped lips, stitch, heartburn and hayfever.
Causes include: walking all day, lack of sleep, physical exertion of rides, outside all day, drinking fizzy pop constantly, fatty fast food, exposure to the elements, snacking, poor bathroom facilities and unclean cold water from wet rides.
What can you do about it?
- Be prepared with medicine. Bring allergy tablets, indigestion tablets, paracetamol and aspirin. Don't forget suntan lotion if it's summer!
- Avoid fizzy drinks. Try and buy fruit juice or coffee when on park, or take a bottle and refill it with water wherever possible.
- Ensure you get at least eight hours sleep the night before a trip.
- Plan a sensible route around the park to minimize pointless criss-crossing.
- Look up the weather forecast and bring a sensible number of layers, but try and keep your carry-around bag as light as possible.
What can the parks do about it?
I'd like to see the parks play a much more active role in preventing the onset of TPB, which must affect the general public just as much as enthusiasts. Here are my recommendations:
- Make sure all bathrooms are modern and warm inside.
- Water fountains with clean drinking water available park-wide.
- Increase healthiness of food on offer, always include fruit or salad.
- Clean water system for all wet rides.
- Build more indoor rides. Make as much of the queue for outdoor rides indoor as possible.
- Build smoother rides.
- More benches and better seating areas. More seated indoor shows to allow people to rest and relax.
- Increase size of medical/first-aid centres, catering to more minor ailments.
- Smoking banned in queuelines.
- Disney style 'misting areas' on very hot days.
So what are your top-tips for avoiding the onset of TPB? What do you think the parks could do better to help you have a healthier and more comfortable day's rollercoaster riding?