Whether you're heading to one of the big 'uns or a smaller affair in your nearest muddy field, here are our top 6 tips for making sure don't lose anything but a few hours sleep!
While festivals are great places to experience new music and meet up with friends, they can also be a minefield when it comes to keeping your belongings safe.
Searching for a lost mobile phone, lamenting your trashed tent or worse, filing a police report after having some of your 'prized possessions' taken are the last things you'll want to be doing. So here are some quick, simple ways to make sure the only thing you have to worry about is which stage you need to be at next:
1. Take only the essentials
One of the first mistakes festival-goers make is taking their 'can't live without' technology with them, such as iPods & their docks or even laptops. Though it might be difficult to part yourself from your favourite gadgets for a few days the wisest thing to do is to simply leave them at home, particularly if they don't fit securely in your pockets and will need to be left unguarded in your tent. The same applies to expensive jewellery, designer handbags or trainers and pretty much anything else that came at a significant cost.
A few essential valuables will need to be taken, of course, but these should be kept on your person at all times; these include your cash, a debit or credit card for emergencies, a form of ID, and a mobile phone.
Some festivals offer free locker facilities that may be CCTV monitored so check the festival’s website before you go to see if this is provided.
2. Check you're covered
It’s worth spending a few minutes checking the finer points of your home insurance policy before you head off. It may extend cover to your personal possessions and cash that’s carried away from home, giving you reassurance that should anything untoward happen to the things you take, you won't be left forking out for replacements.
There should be a section on your contents policy that specifies a limit for ‘personal possessions cover’. It will also specify whether it will only pay out if your possessions are lost or stolen, rather than simply damaged underfoot or water-logged. You’ll have to check your policy really carefully to see what is actually covered and under what circumstances.
Money carried whilst you are away from home may also be covered up to a certain limit so try to avoid taking any more than this. Again, it's worth checking whether the insurance extends to items that are lost as well as stolen.
Remember, however, that there will be an excess to pay on any claim you make. Check how much this is so you know you would be able to afford it should the worst happen while you are off enjoying yourself.
3. Keep your cash safe
It goes without saying that you will need to take some cash with you; how else will you pay for drinks, food and the like. While there are often cash machines available on site these will invariably charge you a hefty fee for the privilege of accessing cash, plus they expose you to the risk of opportunists seeing your PIN. So, the best thing to do is to take a supply of cash to last you throughout the festival and only bring a debit card as an emergency measure.
Plan in advance and think about how much cash you will need to see you through, then withdraw that amount. Don’t take huge wads of cash – just take what you need. It’s then a good idea to split your cash into two lots so that you have a back-up in place if one stash is stolen.
If you are taking a wallet or purse with you make sure to empty it of everything you don’t need for the next few days such as your library card, organ donor card, and any credit or debit cards you don’t need.
4. Protect your ID
It’s a good idea to only take one form of ID, such as a driver’s licence that can be easily carried on your person, and keep it with you at all times. That means carrying it on you, preferably in a zipped pocket where it can’t easily be nabbed by pickpocketers – the same goes for your cash and debit card.
A bum bag, zipped pocket on your clothing or money belt are good ways to keep all your essentials attached to you at the same time. If you’re carrying something on a lanyard, i.e. a mobile phone or a camera, make sure it isn’t visible and keep it tucked in your pocket or under your shirt.
It’s good sense to make a note of the emergency numbers for your bank and the issuer of your ID so that if these are stolen, you can ring up and inform the necessary people right away.
5. Be careful what you leave where
As well as making sure you don’t take anything you don’t need, make sure too that you don’t leave any valuables in your car if you are driving to the festival. You could even leave the glove box open and empty as this is often the first place a thief will look.
You should also go and check on your car once or twice during the festival to make sure it hasn’t been tampered with. If you’re camping at the festival, don’t leave anything in the tent you don’t want to lose when you’re not in it – either carry it with you or if you can’t do that, leave it at home.
It’s also a good idea to make sure all your belongings are safe while you’re sleeping. Don’t leave your money, card and ID in an obvious place such as a wallet next to your sleeping bag that a thief could easily grab without waking you.
6. Mark your stuff
As a final measure to protect your property you should mark your things to make them less attractive to thieves and also more likely to be returned to you by kindly festival-goers or security staff if you do mislay them.
Some festivals offer UV pens on arrival for you to mark your stuff with your postcode and if this is available, it’s definitely something you should take advantage of.
It’s also worth tagging your keys with a phone number (but not an address!), in case they get found by clean-up staff after the festival. This way you can be contacted and the keys returned to you.
