Strategies for maximizing a Coachella (or any other music festival) trip

Break out your commemorative bandanas and fill up those CamelBaks, because it is music festival season, and this one is shaping up to be a scorcher.

From Bruno Mars and The Weeknd headlining Lollapalooza to Beyoncé and Eminem topping Coachella, there is no shortage of great acts and wild experiences waiting for you. Maybe you'll spring for a one-day pass, or maybe you'll travel time zones to spend a weekend getting lost in the sounds, but make no mistake: true festival goers know how to maximize their experiences.

So before you see Jack White and Travis Scott at the Governor's Ball or Future and Muse at Bonnaroo, learn from years of advice of concert veterans and follow these easy tips and tricks to make sure your concert experience is as fun and frugal as humanly possible:

• Carb load (beforehand): No matter which festival you're going to, those food booths (and drinks) are going to be overpriced. You're going to have to go to them at some point or another, so it's better you make it one stop instead of two (or several). The solution? Get with your concert buddies and have a breakfast of champions. Get all the carbs (and maybe "extracurricular consumables") in you before you even show up to the day's festivities. Don’t worry, those extracurriculars will kick in just in time for that pedal distortion to sound amazing. 

• Plan the meetup: 6 p.m. at the Gobi stage. 8 p.m. at the Yuma tent. If you’re going with a group – and especially if someone in that group is your ride to and from – make sure that as you break up and explore the grounds, you have a definite place to swing by should cell service be jammed or your phone is gonna die – and it will be on life support by the end of the day: we know how you film things (shakily).

• What’s in fashion? Comfy + disposable!: You are going to be on your feet for a majority of the day (or weekend), so don't even kid yourself into thinking flip-flops are gonna cut it. You need to wear shoes that you're basically going to throw in the trash when you get home (and no matter the festival – they will get dirty). Plan for the fest in question as well: Coachella nights are biting cold, but those heat waves are brutal for those with extra layers. Check the weather before you get checked by the weather. 

• Skipping shows: So you know that one act you absolutely have to be near the front for otherwise your life has no meaning? Well if you're new to the festival circuit, don't kid yourself into thinking you're going to get anywhere near the lip of the stage by showing up at the start of their set. Clear out the hour beforehand to camp out and commune with your fellow hardcore aficionados. This is also a great place to point out the importance of planning: make sure you and your crew are on the same page about who you’re seeing and, most importantly, where you’re meeting before you hit that “Must See” act. (Don’t lie to us: we know you’re there for Muse.)

• Leaving early: You're reading this because you're a music fan, and we get that. However, if your headliner is playing Sunday night and you got work or a flight to catch the next day, there's a big difference between going to bed at 11:00 p.m. and 1:30 a.m. Depending on the venue, leaving a bit early will help you beat traffic, but only if that's your bag. Case in point: last year Arcade Fire closed out Lollapalooza with "Wake Up" (of course) and then a fairly rambling cover of John Lennon's "Mind Games." It's during the latter that some people escaped off to the Chicago subway lines before they became sweltering and sardine-like.

• Essentials vs. venue requirements: For the love of all that is holy, check the venue and festival websites to see what is allowed to bring inside. You may think your collapsible folding chair worked at a venue around the corner, but it could be forbidden here. (And then what? You just leave it outside? Schlep it home? This is on you, Brenda.) With that in mind, make sure it's OK to bring a portable phone charger or water bottle – these are essentials that will keep you at ease and focused on the show, instead of worrying about recording the first time your favorite act has ever performed this song live while your phone is at four percent battery life.

And most of all, just roll with the day. If an act you love cancels last-minute or rain hits you, move on to the next venue or wait it out. Give yourself some room to wander and discover new sounds. Sure, one of the acts might be Beady Eye, but another year you could be on that Chance the Rapper or The 1975 tip before everyone else. These weekends are often once-in-a-lifetime events, so make the most of them.