By Corrine Webb, Marketing Manager at Protect Your Bubble

It’s been a long three years, but UK festivals have returned to brighten our summer, with Glastonbury and Wireless last month and Reading & Leeds Festival kicking off next month.

So, whether this is your first one and you have no idea what to expect or are a festival veteran, you want to make the most of your time there, and this requires being as prepared as possible to protect your health and possessions to ensure you have the best time possible.

Lucky for you, Corinne Webb, Marketing Manager at phone and gadget insurance company Protect Your Bubble, shares her top tips to protect your phone and gadgets at a festival.

What to pack

Whether you’re there for a day or all weekend, there are certain items that you have to bring to survive a festival.

For starters, packs of tissues – festival toilets don’t stay stocked up for long – flushable wet wipes, a few bag-size hand sanitisers, toothbrush, miniature toothpaste, pain killers, a refillable water bottle and ear plugs.

When it comes to protecting your phone and gadgets, open bags are a no-no at festivals. Super dense crowds are, unfortunately, a pick-pocket’s playground. So, make sure all your bags have zips and keep your most valuable items (money, phone and cards) in the innermost pocket.

Alternatively, consider taking a phone case that allows you to carry your phone around your neck, ensures you have eyes on your device at all times and could also double as a storage solution for emergency money.

Download maps and plan your day

If the festival has an app or programme available, ensure you have access to one, as it should give you a detailed list of who is playing when and where.

For festivals that cover a large area, you might have to walk some distance when travelling between different tents, so downloading a map and prepping your route or which locations you’d like to be in at set times will make your life (and your legs) a little easier.

Plus, working out your priorities and anchoring your days around what you want to see will help you get a feel for which parts of the site are near each other. The last thing you want to do is miss one of your favourite acts.

In case of emergencies

While you might want your top-of-the-range phone with you for its camera, taking it to a festival might not be the best option.

Instead, consider taking an old school phone, such as a Nokia brick, which holds less sentimental value and can last for five full days on a full charge.

And if you do take the risk, remember that coverage is limited around festival sites and modern smartphones have notoriously short battery life. Switch yours to battery-saving mode each morning, use it as little as possible and bring as many (fully charged) portable battery chargers as possible.

And, in case the worst happens, and your phone gets lost or stolen, make sure you’ve got insurance and back it up before leaving, so you’re not without a phone for too long when you get back.