Thursday 24 August 2017

Tips for UK PonyCon-goers 5: Drink for the thirst to come

Time for another one of these little tips. As usual, they're mostly aimed at first-time con-goers who don't really know what to expect, but if they help anyone else then I'll be happy!

Tip 5: Stay hydrated

This one is really important. In all the excitement and adrenalin of UK PonyCon, you may not feel thirsty or realise how little you've had to drink – but that could come back to bite you hard later on. You're likely to be using more energy than usual, as well as being active for two pretty long days, so keeping those H0 levels topped up is absolutely imperative.

UK PonyCon allows you to take your own water/soft drinks in, which helps – though water is heavy, you need it. The cafĂ© and bar are open for most of each day, and there should be free tap water available somewhere; ask one of the staff if you can't find any. Don't make all your liquid intake alcoholic, caffeinated or fizzy, as your body won't thank you for it later.

2018 update: this year, you cannot take your own drinks in. I think this is a backwards step, but unfortunately it's very common at venues so we have to live with it.

It's hard to say exactly how much water you'll need in the day, as there are many variables – not least how hot the venue is – but I usually take a 500ml bottle of plain water and add a few more drinks with meals. You'll also need to have something to keep your throat moist if you're doing karaoke/singalong sessions. But seriously, this tip matters.

2 comments:

  1. Yeah, not drinking enough water normally results in me having an unpleasant headache that's hard to shift.

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    Replies
    1. Yup, exactly. Not what you want during a very busy and active weekend!

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