Travel John's Travel Essentials : May 2017

Glastonbury is set to kick off on the 21st of June 2017 with artists Radiohead, Foo Fighters and Ed Sheeran headlining the event in Worthy Farm, Somerset.

The Glastonbury 2017 lineup:

The headlining acts are Radiohead, Foo Fighters and Ed Sheeran, with supporting acts such as Katy Perry, Stormzy and The Jacksons...

For the full lineup, click this link to the Glastonbury lineup page.

TravelJohn's tips and tricks on surviving Glastonbury 2017:

Don't bring your expensive smartphone.

Although it might be temping to bring your flashy new Iphone to the festival, it will run out off battery in a few hours and there is always the chance you could drop it down the long-drop and never see it again. So its time to dig up that old Nokia out of you bottom draw and charge it up, it should last the whole festival while still doing basic calls and texts. If you really insist of risking your phone it could be wise to invest in a USB power bank to keep your phone juiced up.

At TravelJohn, we thought of this, we sell one time use mobile quick charge kits that offer up to 4 hour battery life in a lightweight package. You can purchase them here

Pack some duct-tape!

This crazy simple item is so useful it's unbelievable so make sure you pack a roll.

Tent is ripped or got a hole it in? Put some tape on it.

Airbed got a hole in it? Put some tape on it.

Tent pole snapped? Put some tape on it.

Sorted.

Pack a bigger tent than you need

The number one advise is to add "1 extra person" to your tent, we don't mean pack a random dude in your suitcase, we mean buy a tent that can hold 1 extra person. This will come in handy when you have piles of soggy, muddy clothes and wellies and not to mention all the food and drinks you stick on your tent.

Make sure you eat a solid meal.

Raving all day and night takes a lot of energy, so make sure you eat properly. Try and eat a meal with lots of carbs before going on the all nighter. If you need a quick snack we recommend a cereal bar, they are quick and easy and milk is not needed.

Pack some spare dry clothes and leave them in your car.

After the festivals over and all your clothes are a smelly damp pile, you will at least have clean and fresh clothes to travel home in.

Pack only the most essential toiletries.

There is no need for fancy gels, creams and shampoos, just take a bar of soap! After all, showers are limited in Glastonbury. Remember, anything you pack means more weight being dragged from your home to the site.

Sandwich bags are your saviour.

Make sure to put all valuables such as you phone and wallet in these bags are they will save them if the camping field turns into a river.

Pack a extra layer of clothes.

Never underestimate the British weather, the nights can be really chilly so make sure to pack a extra jumper for the night

Put your tent in a suitable location.

If you want to be the camping king in the field, then you might want to follow these tips...

Our number one tip is too get to the festival and camping field as early as possible if you want any chance of getting a good spot.

Don't pitch up too close to the toilets but also don't pitch too far away that you need to walk a mile to the nearest toilet at 4am in the dark.

Never pitch up at the bottom of the hill, unless you want you tent underwater if it rains for 4 days.

Know where you are.

Now that you have (hopefully) found the perfect place to pitch your tent, it's time to get to know where you will be living for the next 4 days. Try and look for landmarks such as toilets or paths so when you are staggering back in the early hours in the morning, you can at least find you tent.

Take some emergency cash.

Although most bars and food vans will accept contactless payment it is never safe to assume so we recommend that you take some notes and keep them safe, in a wallet or stick it behind you phone case. It's also a good idea to keep you spending on track and don't buy useless things that you will only use for one day and throw it out.

Know where the toilets are.

Nothing is worse than wondering around at 4 am, still drunk and trying to look for a toilet. So we at TravelJohn have developed a reuseable, portable and disposable urinals and solid waste bags. We recommend the 18 pack so you can avoid the festival hell holes that are the toilets. We also have Vomit bags and Solid Waste bags so you can avoid the toilets for good.

And no, we didn't forget about all you lady's out their, we have TravelJane portable urinals dedicated for you, check them out here.

Wet wipes are the new toilet roll...

Forget the long wait for the shower and just use wet wipes, make sure you pack LOADS because they will become so useful in tricky situations.

If you are lucky enough to get a shower spot, you might want to try TravelJohn's all in one Shower, Shampoo and shaving bottle, and it's on offer for only £1.09. Buy it here

Setup a meeting point.

If you get lost in Glastonbury, which you might because it's huge, it's best to setup a emergency meeting point to walk too in case you or your friends get lost.

Use a headlamps.

They are much easier to use than messing around with normal torches and it give you extra hand space to carry stuff. You will also look cool so that's a bonus i guess.

Don't go playing in the mud.

You might become internet famous for a few days but is it really worth it? You will be covered in smelly mud for days and have no real way of getting it off unless you want to queue for the showers..

Try and plan to watch one band and not half and half

Don't try and watch one half of a headliner and then go and try and watch the second half of another in a different stage, you will only get trapped in the crowds trying to leave as well and you will be losing time

Bring a bag of Doritos but don't eat it, hmm.

This might seem strange but really it is a brilliant idea, you see, Doritos can be used as great kindling for a small fire. They are cheap and burn for quite a bit. We won't tell if you take one for your self though.

If you want to get to the front, don't push from the back.

If you really really want to get to the front of the pyramid stage, well first, you should probably get there early but if you have arrived a bit late and want to get to the front, it's best to remember the pincer movement. If you want to get to the front, go in from the side, it will save you from barging pad thousands of people. We advise you don't go to the very front fence as the sound quality of the sound is reduced and you will no room and space to get out.

Leave the festival early or leave very late..

When the time comes and you have got to leave, it's great advise to leave the festival very early or have the chance of leaving very late with lots of traffic. It's best to leave in the night before everyone wakes up.

You will be very popular on Monday morning if you pack...

Jump leads! This item is quite often overlooked but it will become a lifesaver for you or someone else if you stick a pair in your car.

And last of all..

ENJOY YOURSELF!! We are sure that if you follow these tips, your trip to the Glastonbury festival will be a cracking one. Just don't get too drunk and forget it all.

How to get to the Glastonbury festival:

There are a lot of different ways of travelling to the Glastonbury festival, the most common being by car and rail.

By Car:

From south London: M3 then A303 and A37. (Sat Nav TA11 7DP)

From Swindon: M4 then A350 onto the A361. (Sat Nav BA4 4LY).

From the North East: A1 or M1, M25 to M3 (Junction 12), then A303 and A37. (Sat Nav TA11 7DP)

From the Midlands: Preferably M40 and A34 to A303 and A37. (Sat Nav TA11 7DP)

From the North West: M6, M5 to A39 (Junction 23) then A361. (Sat Nav BA6 9XE)

From Wales: M4, M5 to A39 (as above) (Sat Nav BA6 9XE)

Car parks will open at 9pm on the Tuesday night before Glastonbury 2017, allowing Festival-goers to arrive throughout the night, when traffic volumes are low.

By Train:

The best railway station to reach the Festival is Castle Cary
For train times, information and tickets visit GWR.com

It is advised to book early to get the best available prices and if you are using a rail card don't forget to bring it with you.

By Air:

If you are travelling from overseas or domestic flights, the closest airport to the festival is Bristol International Airport.

What accommodation is available throughout Glastonbury?

Most people chose to camp throughout the festival by making use of the numerous camping fields, all of which are included in the festivals entry ticket. There is also camper-van/touring caravan fields and Glastonburys own tipis.

If you don't want to bring your own tent, you can use one of the festivals pre-pitched tents on a new camping area called Worthy View.

What is your favourite tip or trick? Please comment it down below!

Do you have any tips that you would like to share? Please post them in the comments below. We would love to know!

Green Glastonbury

Take your tent with you once the festival is over, otherwise it will just end up in landfill.

For more information on how you can help, please visit the green Glastonbury page

https://www.traveljohn.co.uk/

Blog written by Connor L @ TravelJohn

Friday 26 May 2017