As is often the case for when I go to a theme park, I forgot to pack at least one or two essential items for our trip! It is never been a spontaneous day trip and yet I am not packing the essentials to make the most of my day worry free! Hence I am writing this blog to remind myself in future and also to share my tips with my readers on what to pack for theme parks!
Waterproof Clothing
You can never predict the UK weather! The air temperature throughout the day can vary so much especially as it can be extremely cold to extremely warm in a matter of minutes! This is why I am so enamoured with my Millets’ 3-in-1 waterproof jacket! I can wear the fleece on its own when it is cool dry weather or vice versa with the waterproof jacket on its own when I am on a wet ride or wear them both together when the weather really takes a turn for the worse. This year-round jacket offers the ultimate versatility for any weather condition on any outing in the great outdoors.
Big & Comfortable Backpack for everything you need
Get a good size backpack that fits plenty of things! First, get an extra set of clothing and a small towel, in case you go on a wet ride and need a change of clothing! A towel is always handy to wipe the ride seat or yourself! Maybe take a disposable poncho for those rainy days or wet rides. Also, a pair of flip flops or sandals to change into if your shoes get wet from the ride! It is not very nice to get feet that resemble prunes at the end of the day!
Theme park food might be delicious but sometimes the queues can become quite long and they might not sell the food you like, especially if you are gluten free or nut free! Pack plenty of snacks for a quick boost of energy or to keep children from being restless while queuing. Or pack your own lunch to avoid hefty restaurant prices. Also not forgetting to throw in a few bananas or apples for your five a day!
Pack a good quality plastic zip-lock bag to keep your gadgets like phone, camera and wallets from getting wet and plenty of coins for arcades or the car park. Power banks to keep your gadgets topped up and to keep in touch with your party if you decide to split into groups. Wet wipes if you have young children or messy adults like myself!
Take a small bottle of sunscreen to avoid burning up – spending hours in the summer sun waiting in queues is sure to sting later. Also, sunglasses are a must too! Don’t forget to remove them before you go on a ride though, otherwise, you might lose it!
Next, I always like to pack a bottle of water as it is easy to get dehydrated when spending hours in the heat. A lot of the theme parks have a great deal where you get a refillable Theme Pack bottle which allows you to get unlimited soft drinks on the go.
A plastic bag is useful to collect your own rubbish or wet clothing. Some theme parks don’t have many bins to hand, for example, if you are in a long queue for a ride, so I like to place any rubbish in a small bag to avoid littering.
We chose to get both our jackets and backpacks from Millets as their range is great value for the quality.
Download a mobile game that doesn’t need access to data
One of the things that annoy me with my children is they are less patient and tolerant in the queue. When I want a bit of peace for myself, I will hand them the gadget for a bit while I have a bit of respite for myself. Mobile games that do not need data are great especially as not every part of the park will have good network coverage.
Download Theme Park App on your phone
Most of the UK theme parks have their own apps where you can pinpoint the location of a ride on a map and keep yourself updated with the queue times! To save your mobile data, download the app before you go!
So there you have it, all the essentials and things to throw in your backpack before you head to the theme park! I would love to hear your packing essentials, too. Please add some of yours in the comments.
Disclosure: Please see disclosure on Stargazing Pods.
