I paid £350 for fast passes at Thorpe Park... was it worth it?

👋 Hey guys - Noah here,

Last month, I dropped £350 on fast passes at Thorpe Park.

My mates thought I'd lost it.

But the thing is, I actually saved money. Let me explain…

The Real Cost of "Free" Time

Imagine you're at Thorpe Park on a Saturday.

The queue for Swarm is 120 minutes. Hyperia is 150 minutes, and SAW is 90 minutes.

Without a fast pass, you'd spend roughly 6 hours queuing to ride just 3-4 attractions.

That's 6 hours of your life.

So What's Your Time Actually Worth?

Let's break this down properly:

Scenario 1: No Fast Pass

• Entry ticket: £39

• Rides experienced: 3-4

• Time spent queuing: 6 hours

• Cost per ride: £10-13

Scenario 2: With Fast Pass

• Entry + Ultimate Fast Pass: £164

• Rides experienced: 15+

• Time spent queuing: 30 minutes total

• Cost per ride: £9

Ask yourself, what could you do with those extra 5.5 hours?

The Hidden Value Nobody Talks About

If you earn £15 per hour at your job, those 5.5 hours are worth £82.50.

If you could use that time for a side hustle earning £25 per hour, that's £137.50.

Suddenly, that £125 fast pass doesn't seem so expensive.

But it goes deeper than just money...

The Energy Equation

After 6 hours of queuing, you're knackered. Your feet hurt. You're grumpy. The day feels wasted.

With a fast pass, you're energised, you've had an epic day and you've created proper memories.

I hadn't been to Thorpe Park in ages. When I do go, I want it to be memorable, instead of spending 75% of my day in queues.

When This Strategy Makes Sense

It's about being strategic. The "fast pass principle" works when:

• You visit rarely (once a year or less)

• The time saved is significant (4+ hours)

• You can afford it without stress

• The experience matters more than the expense

You can also apply this thinking elsewhere:

• Airport fast track when you're on a tight connection

• Grocery delivery to save 2 hours of shopping

• Express passport renewal when you need it urgently

The Real Lesson Here

We often think saving money means never spending it.

But sometimes, spending strategically gives you something more valuable - your time back.

The question isn't "can I afford this?"

It's "what's the true value of what I'm getting?"

Speaking of being strategic with money... I've been using Snoop to track exactly where my money goes each month. Last month it spotted I was paying for 3 streaming services I'd forgotten about - saved me £28 instantly.

It's free to use and shows you exactly where you might be wasting cash without realising. Worth a look if you want to be more intentional with your spending: Check out Snoop here

Let me know - would you pay extra to skip the queues? Or am I completely mad? 😅

Noah