Had a conversation with friends recently and it came down to a guidebook of sorts that I've learned to stick to for enjoyment;
Pack Light; At bare minimum I go into a park with just my phone and wallet. If it's not difficult that will include a small bag, phone charger, hat, and snacks. Having a bag also helps if there's a strict metal detection and forced paid lockers, in which case it's easy to hide in a place where the paying masses aren't interested in searching for things to steal. There's positives to either scenario, but in both cases I move efficiently through parks.
Pack a Lunch; There's lots of good locations and times for theme park food, but my home park is a place that'll price gouge for less and subpar meals. I have never been to a park that will find and/or confiscate a packed lunch and/or snacks.
Rope Drop Matters; Arrive very early. Beat out the masses and put yourself in a good spot to hit up first whatever coaster has the lowest capacity-to-demand ratio. Therefore, more time to enjoy the park if you know that you're going to need it.
Do Your Research; Go on forums, scroll though social media, check websites. Get a feel for the park layout and recommendations from others. This is how you can pick up and plan around factors like ride availability, openings, rope drop strategies, operations, hours, stuff NOT to ride/eat, etc ahead of time. Zeroing on coaster availability I've even called up smaller venues before my visit to confirm that a coaster will be open.
No POV's Before A Planned Visit; Hey what can I say, I like being surprised as well.
Buy Online In Advance; Gate prices are always higher and take more time. It's also easier to pick up on possible deals or discounts ahead of time. Then there's finicky scenarios like me riding a mountain coaster in the States last summer, where I bought my ticket from home in Canada but my father decided to try and buy his but couldn't, as they would only take cashless payment from local credit/debit cards. After a half hour of faffing about he resorted to an emergency American credit card... could have all been avoided? At smaller venues and fairs however it isn't usually necessary when you're just buying enough points for a preferred ride or two.
Group vs Solo Trips; I have more fun at parks riding with friends and have done trips this year either with another person or a much larger group. When it comes to long traveling I prefer the smaller group approach, as its easier to coordinate and make decisions, especially when everyone has a shared vision of what they'd like to do. I go solo however when I have really stupid ideas that require a loose itinerary, such as random credit hunting adventures across a city.
It's About The Adventure, Not The Rides; Yes I have more fun on larger rides at actual parks. The way I justify morally bankrupt credit hunting and extreme amounts of effort with little reward is because of the adventure I can have in the process, and the dinner table stories that come out of them. I tell people that I've gotten an epic back row ride on Steel Vengeance, and there's nods of approval. But if I tell people that I backpacked across a third world country to tick off a few kiddy coasters for completion, or how I used Tampa public transit to get to a suburban church where a coaster happened to be set up, then there's more interest. It's just a good way to go places, get out of the mainstream, maybe see a few sights along the way. It's not for everyone and everywhere, but there's some rewards to it.
Front of the car for me; Doesn't matter whether it's front car or back car, the first rows in each have the most leg room. And yeah it's easier to see what's in front of you usually.
Always Stop & Smell The Roses; Hey there's nice flat rides sometimes that are unique from those at other parks. Maybe walkthroughs or open air shows to peek your head into. Perhaps a highly-recommended restaurant or attraction that you might get something from. Or even just a nice area and/or seasonal event to enjoy the vibes of that isn't just anywhere else.
Loose Schedule; Don't plan down to the minute, obviously. Over-plan time to accommodate delays, it's always going to happen.
If You Think You Need a FastPass as a First-Timer, Get It; Contentious topic but if you can budget it and crowding/operations are known to be bad then go for it. This Fall I refused to buy it for the incredibly frustrating La Ronde, purely because multiple factors out of our control had ballooned the budget to an insane amount. That wasn't a great call. On the other hand I had a hunch and put down $20 CAD on a single shot BGT line skip. That was an invaluable lifesaver.
