With so many music festivals to choose from nowadays it can be hard deciding which one is for you. There’s a few festivals out there that we strongly recommend you add to the top of your festival bucket list to visit before anywhere else. Here's our top five music festivals you should definitely go to before you die:

1. Glastonbury Festival, Somerset, UK

Glastonbury’s the top dog when it comes to music festivals… in fact, it’s probably the most well-known festival in the world. Unfortunately tickets are like gold dust and usually sell out within the first 30 minutes of release. If you’re planning to get a ticket, you better train your keyboard tapping fingers to refresh as fast as humanly possible!

The festival has an impressive perimeter of eight and a half miles that encloses a utopian community in one of the most spiritual places on earth. There’s a sense of wonder and curiosity at Glastonbury that brings the desire to cover every inch of the festival site. It hosts some of the biggest artists in the world on the main Pyramid Stage right down to almost unknown yet exquisite performers in hidden tents. There’s just too much for the human eye to take in at once with huge, technicolour structures, exotic and exciting performances and a trip away from reality for five wondrous days. Glastonbury is more than just a music festival, it’s an escape from the mundane.

2. Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, California, USA

Let’s talk about Coachella. In fact, for two weeks every April it seems everybody and their mothers are talking about the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. This festival favourite of celebrities is relatively a newbie in comparison to Glastonbury as it only launched in 1999. Originally Coachella only offered one weekend a year, but has expanded across two weekends with artists performing twice to cater for the unbelievable demand. Even though it’s spans across two weekends it still manages to sell out every single year.

It’s one of those music festivals that offers enough variety for everyone with acts across almost every genre. It’s also the perfect festival to celeb spot as it seems everyone in Hollywood manages to wrangle their way onto the guest list. Plus, it’s an excuse for a trip to California, right?!

3. Best Kept Secret Festival, Hilvarenbeek, Netherlands

This is a festival really is what it says in the title: the music world’s best kept secret. Tucked away in the middle of a forest in the Netherlands, this small and intimate festival is a step away from reality into the wilderness for a few days. The line-up is a mishmash of indie and hip-hop that has hosted the likes of The Libertines, Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds and A$AP Rocky. Also, did we mention it’s held in a safari park with a beach? That’s right, between sets you can take a dip in the lake or say ‘hello’ to some giraffes.

4. Tomorrowland, Boom, Belgium

There’s something about Tomorrowland that causes it to sell out in record time every single year. The mecca of electronic festivals is held in Belgium and draws 180, 000 EDM lovers from across the globe! If electronic dance music is your thing, then get yourself to Tomorrowland!

Tomorrowland is big on visuals, known for it’s phantasmagorical stage set-ups and psychedelic aesthetic, the decoration at the festival contributes to the overall festival-goers experience. Expect a neon, dreamlike sequence with an awesome soundtrack to match if you’re headed to Tomorrowland.

5. Sziget Festival, Budapest, Hungray

Consider yourself a hard-going festival fiend? Why not try out Sziget's WEEK LONG festival held on it's own small island (yes, it's OWN island), not too far from Budapest?! It's grown from a relatively low profile festival in the early 90's to one of the biggest and most popular in Europe. Sziget has been labelled as both Eurowoodstock in '94 and been compared to Europe's own answer to Burning Man festival due to it's huge leap away from reality.

Which festivals would you add to the list?

'Top Five Music Festivals You Should Go To Before You Die' is written by Leigh from foxandfeatherblog.com

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Now there's nothing that Urban Hotfooters enjoy more than tying up our laces and heading out into the great outdoors using the old reliable Shanks' Mare.

However, for those camping excursions which require a car journey to get to, look no further. We have compiled our top five road trip songs to get you raring to go as you kick off your camping holiday in style, turning the volume on the in-car stereo up to number  eleven. From 70's rock to modern-day pop, they're all here.

Except there's just one rule...

We've raided our record collection and worked hard to think outside the box; nothing in this list should be readily available in a service station 3CD Driving Rock compilation.
We hope.

5. Band Of Skulls, Light Of The Morning

Just creeping its way into the top five is this rip-roarer from English rockers Band Of Skulls. With its foot-stomping  guitar riff and guttural lyrics, this rock song should be on a mix-CD in any UK car, and is sure to make your hair stand on end as you set off with the sun rising, and your roof rack fixed, ready for a week in the wild.

4. The Verve, Bitter Sweet Symphony

The volume on our car stereo system normally gets cranked up a few notches at the beginning of this nineties Brit-Pop classic. Possibly one of the catchiest chorus's from the nineties, let this record "take you down the only road I've ever been down..."

3. Daft Punk, Get Lucky

If you're on your way to a festival or a trip to the lakes, if you're anything like us you'll be keeping everything crossed for some dry weather. Guaranteed to put a smile on your face, in at number three this record will leave you wanting to get lucky with the weather so that you can stay up all night by the campfire in readiness to watch the sun rise the next day.

2. Canned Heat, Going Up The Country

The title to this one pretty much speaks for itself. This quirky number will put a great big smile on your face, even if you are stuck in traffic somewhere on the M6. And if an upbeat twelve bar blues riff isn't enough to keep you satisfied, there are not one but two flute solos. Yes, you heard us right - two flute solos. Rock on!

1. Rolling Stones, Gimme Shelter

Number one has to be one of our all time favourite records. A brilliant song on many levels, when the rain's beating down outside and you're at a complete standstill, be sure to stick this one on and let the dulcet tones of Mick Jagger carry you through your journey. Go on, spoil yourself.

So there you have it! Just enough to get you as far as the dual carriageway. Drive safely!

'Top Five Road Trip Records' is written by The Urban Hotfooters from urbanhotfooters.wordpress.com / Twitter: @urbanhotfooters

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My little Max isn't just a pet. He's a fully fledged member of my family and I always try to keep him as involved in my day to day life as I can. Restaurants, shops, beaches, hairdressers..even my local bank - I always aim to take him where I can. It's no surprise then that this also includes holidays!

One of the things I'm enjoying doing more than ever is exploring more of the UK. We have such an amazing and vast country, with different terrains, cities, and land to explore, and I believe that we don't make enough of it. Camping is an amazing way to do this and is something that I have been really getting into over the past few years. Of course, this includes taking Max with me. The great news is that camping is an incredibly dog friendly holiday. It's a great feeling being out in the open, with fresh air and campfire cooking, and I guarantee that your dog will love this too. Most campsites will either allow dogs or have a pet friendly zone, meaning that you can take your pooch with you for the occasion.

With this in mind, here are a couple of my camping tips for dog owners:

1.) When selecting a pitch to set up your tent, try and go for an area that's set back from the busier tent areas or possibly near a dog exercising section. This gives you a little more space and will eliminate any issues you may have if your dog was to bark. A little bit of shade from trees is also good for the Summer, as this means your dog can sit outside of the tent without getting too hot.

2.) Keep your dog on a lead whilst in the campsite. Most campsites will enforce this rule, and it's best to follow it too. Many camping areas have wild animals that roam around (eg. The New Forest) and it's a lot safer to have your dog secure so that they don't run off or get hurt by a wild horse. We tie Max onto a spiral stake that goes into the grass, and this means they can sniff around without being completely restricted.

3.) Take plenty of towels for muddy paws. Lets face it, the English weather can sometimes let us down, and there may be the possibility of muddy paws after a long afternoon walk through the fields. The last thing you want is excess mud in the tent, so trust me on this one. Take lots and lots of towels.

4.) Plan your dogs sleeping arrangements. Max is only small so he usually sleeps with me in one of the pods (extra warmth too..like a furry living hot water bottle!) but I always take his collapsible crate so that he can sleep in there safely if he wishes.

5.) Health wise, make sure your dog is up to date with vaccinations and flea and tick treatments. Being out in the open is an amazing feeling, but there are quite a few little creepy crawlies that you can find in campsite areas, and they would love to feed off your animal! I always give Max an updated flea and tick treatment before heading on any camping trip, and I've never had a problem with bugs. I always keep Max's vets certificates in the car in case of an emergency too. It's better to be safe than sorry.

6.) Sounds obvious, but don't forget your dogs food and bowls to feed them from. Some of the best campsites are in the middle of nowhere, and the last thing you want to be doing is driving around late at night trying to find a shop open that sells dog food.

7.) There are tons of dog friendly pubs and cafes near camping areas. I usually look these up in advance so that I have a list of places we can eat. I'd recommend Dog Friendly Britain when looking up good places to eat.

In short, if you organise what your dog will need in advance and camping with them won't be a difficult task. Remember, camping with your dog is meant to be fun. It may take a while for your dog to adapt to the whole 'sleeping in a tent' scenario if they've never done it before, but I guarantee that they will love the holiday as much as you do. Sitting in the great outdoors, watching the sun going down and having your dog fall asleep by your feet - there's nothing much like it.

'Seven Tips On Camping With Dogs' is written by Tamsin from littleglitter.org / Twitter: @titchtamsin

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If you love camping or hiking or just getting out and about into the countryside, then you will no doubt have a pile of stuff in a box or cupboard or garage or attic that is reserved for those occasions and activities. Many of us will get home from our little adventure, clean everything up (perhaps) and put it all away somewhere out of sight and out of mind.

But I say no! Your outdoors bits and bobs shouldn’t be confined to a big plastic box between trips. While you may not be the kind of person who will happily go to Sainsburys in your hiking boots (why not?!), or do the School run in your beanie hat and ski coat (go on…), there are lots of uses for all that stuff every day. You never know, some of it might even encourage you to spend more time outside than you do already.



So here is my list of the things that should never be confined to that camping box in the garage…



Roll Up or Inflatable Bed

Possibly the most obvious thing in this list so I’ll put this one first… a roll up or inflatable bed will mean you can have comfortable guests on sleep overs.

Reusable Water Bottle

I think we’ve all agreed now that water and other drinks in single use plastic bottles is incredibly bad for our planet, so don’t pack away your reusable water bottle at the end of your camping trip, make it an everyday habit. Fill your bottle up from the tap in the morning, refill as you need to, and you’ll save money and the environment at the same time.

Plastic Crockery

Don’t use your good china when you have a barbecue, make use of that pile of plastic crockery you have for camping instead. It doesn’t break when it gets thrown on the floor! Most camping crockery can go in the dishwasher too so you’re not creating yourself any extra work. For that really authentic experience you could also provide only sporks to your guests…

Head Torch

You might not have a dark grey bunny rabbit who likes to hide in the corner just when it’s too dark to spot him, but I reckon everyone needs a head torch in that kitchen drawer of stuff. Handy for finding things in the loft and the cupboard under the stairs, finding your way back from the pub in rural England, and can be ready in case of a power cut. A traditional torch will do, of course, but a head torch leaves both hands free.

Good Socks

Everyone needs decent socks. Technical hiking or running socks make any footwear more comfortable, and keep your feet happy much longer. I’ve given up with rubbish thin cotton socks these days, I choose good quality (not necessarily expensive) socks that will stay put and cushion my feet in all the right places.

'Camping Equipment You Can Use At Home' is written by Zoe from splodzblogz.co.uk / Twitter: @splodz

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Camping is great fun - who doesn’t like spending time outdoors close to nature? Unfortunately if the weather turns bad or you’re stuck on your camp site for whatever reason it can be a little boring. So, what better way to liven up your stay than with a few pranks?! Make sure you choose your ‘victim’ wisely, preferably someone who will be good natured about your pranks! Otherwise you can end up in a pranking war where no one wins. Please make sure you are safe and act responsibly when undertaking any pranks. We don’t want anyone to get hurt!

Demolition
Well…as close as you can get with a tent! This prank involves collapsing someone else’s tent whilst they are in it! Preparation is key here. Either link the tents zips by a paper clip or put a peg through the zips and hammer into the ground. You don’t want them escaping when they suspect foul play! Once you’ve done this quickly remove the poles from any clips and the grommet strip or pin at each end. Always do the front first so it’s harder to react and escape!

Night Time Surprise
Add several pinecones at the bottom of your victim’s sleeping bag. Watch them leap in fright when they think a creature has made themselves at home in their sleeping bag!

Relocate Gear
Always a classic. When someone goes for a shower or away from the campsite for whatever reason take some of their gear and relocate it. Where and what you move depends on how mean you are feeling. From a chair in the nearby bushes to pitching their tent in another field… it’s up to you!

Human Buckaroo
Someone fallen asleep in a camping chair? Opportunity galore! Take turns to pile up and balance various items on the unsuspecting victim. If they wake up…you lose! Be prepared for flying items when they awake, so try not to use anything breakable!

Morning Bath
Perhaps the harshest of the lot. Whilst someone is asleep in their tent dig a fairly large hole directly in front of their tent and fill with icy water. Make sure there’s no way out for them without taking a dip!

Have you played any pranks whilst camping? Got anything you’d add to the list? We’d love to hear from you!

'Five Pranks To Play Whilst Camping' is written by Luke from thisguycan.co.uk

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