TOP 10 FESTIVAL HACKS

Festival season is upon us. Epic music festivals will be happening all over the World. In the spirit of that we decided to share with you our Top 10 Festival Hacks. See below. Enjoy! :-)

(1) Make your tent stand out

Make a huge flag to attach right next to your tent (it could be a huge beach towel attached to a nearby pole). Alternatively you can attach really bright balloons to your tent so you will be easily able to find your tent.  If you can’t be bothered with the extras, try and get a really colourful tent that helps you stand out from the crowd.

(2) Pick a spot

Try to get to the festival as early as you can so you can claim your spot. Make sure it is a spot that is on higher ground. This is to protect your tent and other stuff from getting flooded if it rains heavily. In addition, pick a spot close to something that is memorable so you and your friends can use that spot as a checkpoint just in case you lose each other in the crowds.

(3) Keep some emergency cash

Not all the shops and food stores in the festival grounds will accept credit cards, so just in case have some cash hidden in your phone case. This hack will also help you to avoid waiting for hours in a queue to use the cash machine.

(4) Bring a reusable water bottle

Bring a reusable water bottle. Bottled water can be so expensive at festivals and you are going to need water to stay hydrated. So to save some money bring a reusable water bottle so you can fill it up at the taps that will be available.  Also, remember that you will be on your feet a lot of the time so there will be times you will be hungry. As a quick solution, bring snack bars, nuts and bananas.

(5) Carry your Anti-Theft Backpack

Having your anti-theft backpack will always help in keeping your stuff safe from theft and loss while you are out and about enjoying the music and getting lost in the crowds.  This will be very useful for those that don’t want to leave certain important things behind in their tent.

(6) Toilets

The queues for festival toilets can be really long, so locate the nearest restaurants and cafes near to the festival and go there instead. Some of the local businesses nearby will have toilets. Due to the fact that you will have your festival wristband, you will be able to come and go as you please. This will give you the opportunity to use the toilet in a less crowded and cleaner environment.

(7) Use Airplane Mode

Setting your smartphone to airplane mode will help your battery save more energy, especially while you are using Snapchat and taking pictures. You will still be able to upload all your snaps and images to social media once you are connected to the Internet. Remember to save that battery energy.

Please Note: Don’t forget to bring a battery pack for your phone.

 (8) Carry a pillowcase

Carrying a pillow will take up too much space in your luggage.  You can simply make a pillow by stuffing a lot of your clothes into your pillowcase and…voila! You have a pillow.

(9) Carry a rubbish phone

By having a non-smartphone (that only calls and texts) you can use that phone as a back-up/emergency phone just in case your smartphone runs out of battery and you need to call your friends or home.

(10) Leave Early

Make sure you wake up really early so you can pack all your stuff and leave the location before it gets extremely crowded with everyone trying to leave. Try and make a swift escape.

TOP 5 SAFETY TRAVEL APPS

Travelling to another part of the World is exciting. However, it is always important to stay safe and keep in mind your personal security while you are having fun. While you are travelling, situations may arise unexpectedly that may be out of your control and it doesn’t hurt to be prepared just in case. As we all know, summer is fast approaching and we know that a lot of you guys will be travelling this summer. To help you get prepared, we wanted to give you some useful tools to help you stay safe so we listed our top 5 safety travel apps to help you on your journey.  See below. Enjoy! :-)

(1)    ICE

While on vacation a medical situation may arise. They can be unexpected and it is best to be prepared as much as you can. The ICE app is a very useful tool if such situations arise. The app keeps details about your medical conditions, your insurance information and your doctor's direct contact details. It can also be accessed even if your phone is locked. Everyone should have this app all the time. The app also comes in a number of different languages.

(2)   Tripit

This app enables you to track your itinerary. You can also share your itinerary with your family and friends so they are also aware of your plans and be reassured of your safety. This is useful for just in case you forget or can’t pronounce the name of your destination. 

(3)   iTranslate

This is a dictionary and translation app. It can easily translate texts in over 90 languages. It can also translate your voice phrases. Absolutely genius! Not being able to speak the local language can make you very vulnerable so this app is a powerful tool in empowering you as a tourist and gives you a lot more confidence in navigating the country that you are visiting. Also, if you are in a risky situation and cannot speak the local language the app will help a lot in assisting you in the situation.

(4)   Companion

This app acts like a guardian angel. The app lets your friends and family know that you are on your journey. All you have to do is enter your destination and select your contacts to be your Companions. They don’t even have to have the app installed.  These companions anywhere in the World will see a live map of your progress. It alerts your friends and family and lets them know if something happens to you so they can take action. It’s a great app that puts you at ease and also puts your friends and family at ease wherever you are in the World.

(5) Safeture

The app provides real-time status on warnings, alerts and security. The app automatically filters warnings and information to you based on your location or your travel destination. The Safeture app has for a number of years provided international businesses and Government organisations with travel security. The app also provides you with emergency information and updates quickly on events that may affect your travel plans and well-being.