Having rested well throughout winter, our minds keep wandering towards the approaching festival season. If you were caught off guard on a few occasions last year and don't intend to repeat the same mistakes again, here are several things to make a priority when prepping for your season of fun ahead.

Buy a Decent Tent and a Warm Sleeping Bag

Last year, while marooned in a borrowed, tiny, leaking pop-up tent in the middle of a thunderstorm, we made a mental note, as raindrops literally landed on our heads – to invest in a decent tent. You can get some great quality tents that won't leak on you via sites like eBay and Gumtree for relatively cheap. And then there's that low-grade sleeping bag you borrowed from a friend all last summer...you may enjoy the sun's beams during the daylight hours, but always remember that it gets cold in that tent of yours at night. A good sleeping bag and a warm blanket can make a world of difference when you finally tear yourself away from the fun for some sleep. Ear plugs are also a bonus!

Build Up Your Immune System

There's nothing worse than feeling run down at a festival, especially after you've convinced yourself you'll have an unlimited amount of energy for all the festival shenanigans you had planned. Adopt healthy living strategies to build up your immune system: quit cigarettes, exercise regularly, wash your hands, and get enough sleep. Load your body with lots of garlic, lemon and ginger (they're all natural immune system helpers), not to mention lots of fruit, veggies and plenty of water.

Purchase a Cheap Backup Phone

We can't count how many times we've lost phones at festivals. This year we are buying two cheap phones that we don't mind losing on the dance floor or between stages, so that when we eventually lose one we have that trusty backup with all our numbers in it. Crisis averted.

Stretch and Prepare Your Body

Your body goes through a hell of a workout during festival season, making long journeys from stage to stage, many hours of dancing, with a few hours of sleep caught when possible. The key to lasting out the season is to prepare your muscles for action by stretching daily and building up cardiovascular stamina. – remember, dancing counts! Yoga and pilates both stretch and strengthen your muscles, while activities such as jogging and hula-hooping are great for raising your heart rate. Whatever works for you! Just remember to keep hydrated – another habit to get into now, before festival season goes into full swing.

Plan Your Festival Wardrobe 

On top of packing all your favorite and most colorful festie wardrobe items, you can't forget all the survival essentials. Invest in a good pair of comfortable boots, because blisters are not anyone's festival friend. Make sure you have a trusty fanny pack, or other hands-free place to put your money, sunscreen and phone. It rains a lot in the UK, so a waterproof coat is pretty much mandatory. Bring day and night socks as well; I attended a particularly soggy festival last year with not enough socks and got trench foot...a very painful mistake to make! If you start gathering your festival wardrobe together now you'll have more time to hunt out the bargains and fill in the gaps.

Meditate and Create an Inner Peace

Festivals can be hectic places; with so many people around it's hard to find time to slow down and maintain inner space. Sometimes getting into the habit of meditating before you board the festival train lets you easily access that space with less effort when you really need it. Even something as simple as meditating for 30 minutes in the morning every day can set you up for the day ahead, making you more mindful and centered as a result.

Do Your Nutrient Research 

When you're in full festival flow, ailments like hangovers, coughs and colds are common play. Instead of grabbing the painkillers or coffee to push through your fatigue, there are natural remedies you can adopt right away. Ginger is great for an upset stomach and turmeric is a wonderful anti-inflammatory. Arnica is a natural pain reliever. Magnets can help with sciatic problems. Valerian root is an amazing sleep aid, but can be quite strong. If you just need a simple energy kick, stock up on nuts, bananas and apples – they're natural energy boosters. Think of the ailments that normally bother you the most and research natural remedies. You'll be surprised what's available once you start looking into it.

Buy Your Tickets and Gather Your Festival Buddies!

Most festivals offer discounted prices on their early bird tickets so it's worth planning your season early. Group prices are not uncommon either, so if you round up your festival family and book together you could get them even cheaper. With so much planning ahead, you'll have to focus on relaxing, dancing and having fun when the time comes!