How did we get to Glastonbury-ticket-buying time of year already? It seems like only yesterday I was stumbling off-site, exhausted but with the biggest grin on my face after five days spent at my most favourite place.
If you haven't tried to get tickets before, you should know that it is not the most simple of processes. That's an understatement - it is horrible. You have to get up early and battle against every other sane human in the UK, and God knows where else, who knows the importance of securing their tickets to Worthy Farm next June no matter what the cost.
You may be lucky, you may not be - but here are a few tips to hopefully help you to secure that beautiful golden ticket...
1 - REGISTER
You can't attend if you aren't registered. For this you need to submit a photograph and your details and you will be given an all-important registration number. It is this number, along with your name and your postcode that will allow you to buy tickets on the day. You still have time - you can register up until midnight on Tuesday 30th September. Register here.
2 - HEDGE YOUR BETS
You might not really want to get there on a coach but these tickets go on sale on Wednesday 1st October at 7pm and I highly recommend trying to get these as well. Last year I managed to secure six tickets for me and my mates during the mid-week coach ticket sale. This was a relief because come that Sunday morning when trying to get tickets for more of my friends, sadly I was just another in a long line of people trying and failing. It's a competitive process - give yourself as much chance of success as possible.
3 - BE ORGANISED
Have a chat to your mates who also want to go and make sure that you all have access to each others details. Unless the process has changed this year, the only details that you need to enter once you get through to the page are name, registration number and post code. Put these in a document and circulate it to all of those trying to get tickets so that should you be one of the lucky few that gets through, you aren't having to frantically call your mates to gather their details. In the time it takes for your friend to answer, the page could have timed out and your glorious tickets could be lost forever.
4 - DON'T MAKE MISTAKES
Check and double check that all of the details that you have are right. If you enter in an incorrect post code or registration number - your order wont go through and the whole group of people entered into that batch will lose their chance for a ticket too. Don't be that guy...double and triple check that everything is correct well before sales open.
5 - TRY MULTIPLE METHODS AND MULTIPLE LOCATIONS
Although company is always lovely, this isn't a time for small talk. You need to be focused and utilising all methods of buying tickets. Get your mobile ready, your house phone and your computer at the ready. I have absolutely no clue how the Internet works but having people in different locations is definitely another good idea. Imagine if you all cram into one persons house only for the Internet to go down. Spread yourselves out across homes and offices (where connection could be faster).
This article originally appeared on No Fixed Plans Traveller.