Motion sickness at Futuroscope: what's rough and how to cope

Photo: Denis laming, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Resized and converted.

Chasseneuil-du-Poitou, Vienne, France · Compagnie des Alpes · ~2.05M visitors (2024, published figure)

Yes, and it is the park type that catches motion-sensitive visitors hardest. Futuroscope is built on screens rather than coasters, and a screen that moves while your body stays still is a stronger trigger than most real rides. Tornado Chasers is the clearest case: a platform that rises, tilts and rotates inside a giant wraparound screen, so you get the image and the movement at once. The Extraordinary Journey is a flying theater with your feet dangling in front of a huge screen. Dances with Robots is the opposite problem, industrial robot arms that flip and spin your seat to music with no screen involved. If simulators are your weakness, this is a park to ration rather than to wander, and the good news is that the calm options are properly calm.

The rides most likely to set you off

• Tornado Chasers: a platform that rises, tilts and rotates inside a giant wraparound screen, so screen motion and real motion arrive together.

• The Extraordinary Journey: flying theater with your feet dangling in front of a giant screen.

• Dances with Robots: industrial robot arms that flip and spin the seats to music, pure physical motion with no screen at all.

Tornado Chasers is the hardest attraction here. Most simulators either move you or show you movement; this one does both, with a screen wrapping your whole field of view while the platform underneath you rises, tilts and turns. There is no edge of the picture to anchor your eyes on, and no still floor to trust either, so both of the senses that normally correct each other are compromised at the same time.

Where to reset between rides

When your stomach needs a break, head for The Gyrotour (slow rotating panoramic tower), Fun Boats (small slow boats), The Aerobar (gently rising tethered platform) or The Time Machine (slow 3D dark ride train). Slow visuals, a fixed horizon and a seat that is not spinning give your inner ear time to settle before the next big ride.

Feeling queasy at Futuroscope right now?

Stop the nausea

Open Dizzout, plug in any headphones, tap play. Drug-free sound therapy, and most people feel better in about 90 seconds. No pills, no drowsiness, no waiting for a tablet to kick in.

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On a computer? Dizzout installs on your phone. Scan the code, or open dizzout.com/get on your phone and it'll take you straight to the right store.

Your survival plan for Futuroscope

1. 1

   Set a screen budget before you arrive. Two big screen attractions in a day is a reasonable ceiling for most sensitive visitors, and Futuroscope makes it very easy to do five.

2. 2

   Ride Tornado Chasers first if you are going to ride it at all. It is the heaviest hit of the day and the one you least want to take on a full stomach.

3. 3

   Leave a proper gap after The Extraordinary Journey. Flying theaters often catch up with people after they walk out, not during the show.

4. 4

   Judge Dances with Robots separately from the screen rides. It is pure physical motion, so it catches a different group of people, and choosing a gentler programme helps.

5. 5

   Use the Gyrotour and the Aerobar to reset. Both rise slowly and give you a real horizon over the park, which is the fastest way to settle your eyes.

6. 6

   Keep headphones on you and start Dizzout at the first hint of queasiness. Drug-free sound therapy that works with any headphones, and most people feel better in about 90 seconds.

Going with kids

The gentle list is genuinely gentle, but it is short, and the headline attractions are the screen rides. For a child who gets car sick, this is a park to plan carefully rather than wander.

Common questions