Sally McMullen
Hey chicks, I'm Sal.
Alex Hourigan
And I'm Al.
Sally McMullen
And this is Two Broke Chicks, the show that shares life lessons for the gals, from the gals. And in today's episode we're talking about festival do's and don'ts because Splendour in the Grass is coming up at the end of July, Lost Paradise and Falls are coming up at the end of the year as well. It's all happening. Al and I have both been to our fair share of festivals, both one day and camping situations. So we thought that we would share some of the life lessons we've picked up along the way.
Alex Hourigan
Trauma!
Sally McMullen
Before we get into the festival fun, what's your life lesson of the week?
Alex Hourigan
My life lesson of the week is a little bit of a saying that if it works out, great. If not, it's for the plot. If you break up with your boyfriend, get fired from work, not so great, but it's for the plot. No good movies, story, book, whatever, has all highs, we've got to have some peaks and valleys. Also, if you're wondering whether or not to do something, because it sounds a bit crazy, do it. It's for the plot. It's for the plot.
Sally McMullen
I love that! You need conflict to have a resolution.
Alex Hourigan
Legit. If you're like, "Should I dance on this table?". Yes. For the plot.
Sally McMullen
I love that. So my life lesson of the week is we've been sleeping very, very badly. So Alex and I both sleep.
Alex Hourigan
No, no, no, no, no, I hate this!
Sally McMullen
I know. Okay, so,
Alex Hourigan
I know what this is gonna be!
Sally McMullen
Context, Alex and I both sleep on our stomach, one leg up had turned to the side and then kind of like cuddling each other slash a pillow. And I've been loving it.
Alex Hourigan
It feels good.
Sally McMullen
It feels good. It sends me to sleep every time.
Alex Hourigan
It's a superior sleeping position.
Sally McMullen
It is. But recently I've been waking up with um, some neck pain, and a little bit of shoulder pain. And I know Al has been as well. I was just trying to deny it being like, "Oh no, I slept funny. It's just something out of the ordinary". And then I keep seeing TikToks being like, 'This is why lying on your stomach is so bad for you".
Alex Hourigan
It feels good.
Sally McMullen
So basically, when you're lying on your stomach when you're sleeping, your spine, your neck, and if you also have your leg up as well, like we do, all of those things are strained and tense for the entire time that you're sleeping. So they are like actively working to be in that position all night long. And that's really bad for your neck and really bad for your spine. So apparently, you should be sleeping on your back, which is really hard. But I've been like trying to train myself to sleep on my back and I think I'm slowly getting there.
Alex Hourigan
Ah, I hate it.
Sally McMullen
I know.
Alex Hourigan
It feels so good. Like I won't go to sleep in that position to start. I'll like, be on my back or just be on my side or something. And I will like kind of be wrestling around and as soon as I go on my tummy, put my leg up and like get my like arms under the pillow. I'm like, oh yeah, like that's the good stuff.
Sally McMullen
As soon as you get into that REM sleep, it's over. I'm on my tummy, leg's up.
Alex Hourigan
Oh my god, I'm like, nah I'll just keep paying like $50 a week for acupuncture. Just so I can continue to just sleep in that position. Okay, I'll try.
Sally McMullen
Yes. Now that we've got our life lessons out of the way let's get into the meat of the episode, shall we? As we mentioned up top, today's episode is all about festival do's and don'ts. So we're going to run through a bunch of our hot tips for your next fezzy. Whether or not it's a camping festival or a one day-er, like you'll be able to pick up heaps of tips from this episode. So, we've got you. Gonna kick us off with an easy but effective one, which is to screenshot the set times of the festival and set it as your lock screen on your phone.
Alex Hourigan
Lifesaver.
Sally McMullen
You can go a step further and like underline or highlight the artist that you really want to see. So that's like easier so you're not you know having to search in especially if it's like smaller on your phone screen. Such an easy way to make sure that you're not missing your fave artists, see which stage you need to go to and then also you're saving your phone battery by not having to open up your phone.
Alex Hourigan
Also like, my camera roll is a scary place to be. There are some things in there that I don't even know what that is. Like, what is that? So to like have to try and scroll through that to find it, especially when I've probably got two eyeballs rolling separate ways,
Sally McMullen
Exactly.
Alex Hourigan
From multiple bevvies.
Sally McMullen
And you've taken like 600 festival photos.
Alex Hourigan
Oh yeah, keep it simple, stupid. So our next tip is to save the on site emergency numbers in your phone. Also with these festivals, you can lose reception really easily, your internet's like mm, you know, so having these saved to your phone is just going to one, give you peace of mind and two, save your ass if you need it.
Sally McMullen
There's usually different numbers as well if you're camping, so for your specific area or for the different stages. That's another good thing as well, because say if you've got an emergency number for your, where you're camping but then you're at the main stage and you need help, it's going to be a different number a lot of the time. And I have experience with this because when I went to Splendour in the Grass, one of my best friends Nikita, she and I went there, we're having the best time, it was like the first day of the festival and two guys just bowled her over. Long story short, she broke her leg, and we were stuck in the middle of the crowd at Splendour in the Grass in the mud, the nights really kicking off, it's just madness around. And it took us a long time to find the little sign post that had the number and call the emergency. Between the time that she fell over and the emergency came, it was like almost two hours. Whereas if we'd already had that number, it would have fast tracked that process, especially if, you know, somebody is in serious danger.
Alex Hourigan
That's a hard bone to break.
Sally McMullen
So, next one is another one that I have from experience. And that is check your air mattress and your tent before you go. I don't know about you, but I'm not camping every other weekend. Usually I'm borrowing this stuff from someone, or it's from Kmart, or something that I haven't used in years. And then you get to the festival, you blow up your air mattress, and then halfway through the night you're literally on like a dirt floor with the worst back pain and hangover of your life.
Alex Hourigan
Do you know what the worst part of that is, is when you blow it up, you're done, you're sorted and then you just hear, shhhh. And you're like, f*ck.
Sally McMullen
Exactly, or you go to set up your tent and then you realise you don't have all the poles. Like, just have a little test run before you go because there's nothing worse than being stuck like in the middle of a field in Byron Bay with not a Kmart in sight. And you're there for three days.
I also think you can get there and just be like bing, bang, bong, done, let's go get pissed.
Exactly.
Alex Hourigan
And drink responsibly, obviously. Okay, I don't know if this is a do or don't but basically when we were doing research for this episode, we came across a cursed TikTok tip for festivals. The TikToker was @__mull, their name is Molly. And she was really hyping up her tip and she was like this is my number one tip for festivals, literally changed the game. It was so great as soon as I started doing it and it was to wear a diaper. No.
Sally McMullen
Molly. No.
Alex Hourigan
No, no, no. She continues to be like, "There's nothing worse than when your favourite artist is playing and you need to pee", and she was literally saying wear a diaper so that when you're in the mosh, you can just let loose. No thank you. I respect the choice and dedication. But there's no musician on this world that I would pee into a diaper for.
Sally McMullen
Literally. You don't want to be peeing your pants while like Harry Styles is in plain view. Instead just go to the bathroom before you head into the mosh.
Alex Hourigan
Yeah, but another tip that we saw was to put Vicks VapoRub under your nostrils before you go into the toilet so you're not assaulted by the stench of the public bathrooms.
Sally McMullen
Oh my god. Yeah, because those porta potties at festivals are vile.
Alex Hourigan
Don't, I can't even think about it.
Sally McMullen
So the Vicks VapoRub and then also bring some toilet paper with you as well.
Alex Hourigan
Yeah.
Sally McMullen
For your campsite. Next one is another tent tip.
Alex Hourigan
Tent tip.
Sally McMullen
Decorate your tent with something that will make it recognisable in the sea of black tents when you're stumbling back to your tent after one too many double blacks, because I've been there. And you're like, "Yep, cool. We're in section blah, blah", in the light of day, and then you come back at the end of the night and you're like, "I just want to go to bed!". So just bring like a little flag or something or even one time I used like a bandana, like just something that simple and it will make it so much easier. You will thank yourself.
Alex Hourigan
One time I crawled into the wrong tent.
Sally McMullen
Oh my god, Alex!
Alex Hourigan
In my defense, it was the same tent. And I was like, "Whoa, I got here quicker than I thought I would. Speed walker over here!".
Sally McMullen
Oh my god.
Alex Hourigan
Literally got in and was like, "Oh my god this stuff is such a mess". I was like, "I really need to clean all this stuff, I swear it wasn't that messy". And they're just like, "I think you have the wrong tent". And I didn't say anything.
Sally McMullen
Oh my god, you just ran out.
Alex Hourigan
I just left. I just looked at them. I was like, I will exit stage left. Goodbye. Thank you. So yeah, make sure you know it's your tent.
Sally McMullen
Mhmm, if you tied a little scarf to your tent, that wouldn't have happened.
Alex Hourigan
Okay, I really liked this tip. It's to not go too crazy on an outfit. Don't spend heaps of money on an outfit and don't go too out there because you're going to be uncomfortable all day. Like wear something that you don't have to spend hundreds of dollars on for this outfit that you're probably only going to wear once, let's be honest, because you're gonna have 5000 pictures in it and if it's too crazy, you can't really wear it to go get an iced coffee the next morning, can ya?
Sally McMullen
Yeah.
Alex Hourigan
Especially now I feel like we're transitioning from that wild-rave-festival-aesthetic of harnesses and fringe. Look at Coachella this year, there were all these influences in these like crazy outfits. It's not crazy and I don't mean that in a bad way. It's more like
Sally McMullen
Loud and outlandish.
Alex Hourigan
Yeah!
Sally McMullen
Almost a costume.
Alex Hourigan
Yeah
Sally McMullen
I think that's the thing. It's not something that you would wear anywhere else.
Alex Hourigan
Very loud. And then you looked at Hailey, Kendall, Kylie all showed up in like jeans and a tank top. I love that.
Sally McMullen
Me too.
Alex Hourigan
Let's make that the standard because I've been to festivals, and I was wearing something for the look. And I was like, I'm so uncomfortable and I always, always end up getting changed.
Sally McMullen
Yeah.
Alex Hourigan
I always end up getting changed out of what I was wearing at the start of the day and putting on a pair of cowboy boots or gum boots and shorts and a T-shirt, because I'm like, I just want to be comfy.
Sally McMullen
Yeah, exactly. The other thing is, is that nobody cares what you're wearing. You think you're like, "Oh my god, what am I going to wear to Splendour?", like, "Everybody's looking at me". No one cares what you're wearing so you may as well be comfortable and wear something that you can wear again.
Alex Hourigan
And you feel good in, as well. Because like, there's nothing that like puts you in a better God Complex mood than when you're comfortable. And be like, "I look like f*cking hot". But if you have to be stressed about whether your straps gonna break or anything like that,
Sally McMullen
Yeah
Alex Hourigan
Just don't do it.
Sally McMullen
And also something that works in the day but then as soon as the sun goes down, you're freezing your tits off.
Alex Hourigan
Oh! I hate being cold.
Sally McMullen
Yeah
Alex Hourigan
Bonus tip, if you are going to a festival this season, do not wear a brand new pair of Doc Martens. Oh my gosh, I think I could see the bone, those blisters were so deep. It was one of the most painful experiences of my life. If you wanna wear Docs to a festival, you need to buy them at least six months beforehand and break those suckers in. Because they are the most comfortable shoe once they're broken in but before then get ready for the pain, no pain, no gain, no Doc Martens.
Sally McMullen
Yeah, that is a solid tip. Another one on the fashion front, organise your outfits beforehand, and put them in separate little packing bags or plastic bags, whatever you have. And then label them day one, day two, day three. So then you've got everything in there that you need. At the end of the day, you can just chuck it back in the bag, you don't have to worry about it mingling with the rest of your suitcase. And then when you're camping, or if in the back of your car, you're not having to rifle through, waste time, it's just so much easier. And then you make sure that you have everything.
Alex Hourigan
Maybe try everything on before you go as well. Because nothing in the world hurts your feelings more than when you plan an outfit in your head and you put it on, and it looks like garbage.
Sally McMullen
I always do a practice run to make sure that it's comfortable. Because you're not near your wardrobe, babe. Nobody's going to help you.
Alex Hourigan
So our second last tip is to have a designated meet spot. Again, this is kind of similar to saving the emergency numbers that you might not need it, but if you do, it will save the day. Because if your phone dies, if you get separated from your friend and they had your phone in their bag, things like that, and you can't get in contact with people. It's just good to be like, "Okay, we get separated? We meet here". That way, you're not going to the bathroom, going to the drink stands, going wherever you went last and you just know where to go.
Sally McMullen
Yeah, at festivals, they're always in remote areas and there are so many people there that there's never any reception. So even if you have 100%, it's going to be really hard to find your friends. So that is a solid tip.
Alex Hourigan
Yeah, I know that happens to me all the time, because I get excited. And I'm like, "WOOO!". I'm that friend that gets a bit drunk and am like, "Time to go on an adventure!".
Sally McMullen
Yeah, I'm that person that's on a mission to get to the barrier and I will leave my friends for dead. If you're not coming with me, like sorry.
Alex Hourigan
It's true.
Sally McMullen
So that's why we need the meeting spots.
Alex Hourigan
I'm not sure how you haven't had your head kicked in at this point. Because the way that you like weasel your way to the front, I'm terrified. I'm just behind I'm like, "So sorry, I'm with her".
Sally McMullen
It's because I'm so cute! Anyway, moving on before you have time to debate that, our last tip is a quick festival shopping list of things that you might not have thought that you need. But you absolutely do need when you're going to a festival. First one portable phone charger.
Alex Hourigan
Lifesaver.
Sally McMullen
Absolute lifesaver. Because you are going to be spending so much time taking photos, opening your lockscreen to see what set times are, trying to call your friends. You're out all day your phone is going to die.
Alex Hourigan
Yeah.
Sally McMullen
Quick smart.
Alex Hourigan
There's nothing worse than doing that like switch to aeroplane mode and off aeroplane mode trying to reserve your battery. It's horrendous.
Sally McMullen
Oh my god.
Alex Hourigan
Just get a portable charger please.
Sally McMullen
Yeah, get a portable charger. So easy. Next one toilet paper, as we mentioned.
Alex Hourigan
Speaks for itself.
Sally McMullen
Yeah, very easy. The other one, always pack double the amount of socks and undies that you think you'll need.
Alex Hourigan
I feel like people always do the double the amount of undies, it's like four days I'll pack 15 undies, but they always underestimate the socks.
Sally McMullen
Yeah and at a festival all day and night, better to be safe than sorry. Especially if it's at Splendour in the Grass where you end up like neck deep in mud, you know? Next one a disposable camera.
Alex Hourigan
Yeah, this is just a good vibe and you're probably going to take more quality pictures with a disposable camera than you are on your phone. Like on your phone, you're gonna be like snip, snop snap, and you're not really going to look back on them. Whereas when you take a disposable camera, you value the photos that you're taking more.
Sally McMullen
Yeah
Alex Hourigan
Make sure that they're good ones and they're just really nice memories to have.
Sally McMullen
Yeah, I always take my Polaroid camera, but a disposable camera is so much smaller and easier to carry around. But I cherish those photos and there's so many f*cking funny photos that at the end of the night, you pull them out and you're like, "The hell is that?". So it's a fun little surprise.
Alex Hourigan
Or getting them developed like a week later, and you can really have like a throwback Thursday moment.
Sally McMullen
Yeah, exactly. It's very cute. And then last but not least, a tent lock. We saw someone on TikTok saying don't put a lock on your tent because then it encourages people to like, be like, "Oh, what are they hiding? There must be something valuable in there". But I think that's bullshit. Just put a lock in your tent.
Alex Hourigan
If you don't put a lock on your tent, you might have me crawling in there at the middle of the night thinking it's my tent being like, "Ooh, this looks like a nice place to rustle up some crap".
Sally McMullen
Oh my god. Well, that's a wrap for our hot fezzy tips.
Alex Hourigan
Hot fezzy tips!
Sally McMullen
Yeah! That's right, I went there. Of course, drink responsibly. Drink lots of water. Wear sunscreen.
Alex Hourigan
Yeah bing, bang, bong. You're an adult, make your own decisions.
Sally McMullen
Just rock out and have a f*cking good time.
Alex Hourigan
Rock out with your c*ck out!
Sally McMullen
Yeah! That's tip number 10. Rock out with your c*ck out, baby! It's time for our product recommendations of the week. So every episode we love to highlight some of our bargains.
Alex Hourigan
Bargains or like just great buys because we both have crippling shopping addictions.
Sally McMullen
Exactly
Alex Hourigan
Multiple parcels coming a month because it's the only way I feel any sort of joy and emotion in this world. Anyway!
Sally McMullen
No hashtag ad, no hashtag spon, we just genuinely love these products. But this week we actually both have picks from the same brand and that is STAX. If you're not aware, STAX is this amazing Australian activewear brand and we recently got a bunch of goodies from there because they were having a massive sale on.
Alex Hourigan
It's like 50% off site wide and I was like, say less.
Sally McMullen
Literally, what else were we to do? And I got a few things but my favourite thing that I got was the Run Club Limited Edition hoodie. I got it in like the forest green colour and it's a unisex design and I got it in the size small so it's really oversized. It's 100% cotton and it's fleecy, it's so comfortable. I've been chucking it on when I go to the gym but also it's nice enough that I can wear it with jeans and like out to brunch.
Alex Hourigan
Sal got it a week ago and I think I've seen her in it five times.
Sally McMullen
It was 100 bucks but I definitely got my cost per wear out of it.
Alex Hourigan
Oh my god, yeah, worth it. Jumpers like that, 100% worth the cost as well because as well when they're lining is cheap, it's just shit.
Sally McMullen
Yeah.
Alex Hourigan
I hate that like rough kind of lining that like sweaters and jumpers can have.
Sally McMullen
Me too, that isn't fleecy and comfy. So an absolute essential for winter. What's yours?
Alex Hourigan
Good tip. Mine is, and you've probably heard about these if you've heard of STAX, but it is the best black leggings. And let me tell you, they have earned that name and then some. I have leggings from Nike, GymShark, Lilybod, Lorna Jane and these are without a doubt the best black leggings I've ever tried. Not only does my bum look phenomenal in them, but they just feel like a second skin. They're not kind of that like smooth, lycra-y material, they're like an elastic. I can't even describe it. But they're so comfortable, they like really snatch you in at the waist, hug and like lift your bum and then just so so comfy. I wear the extra small because they've got like some good stretch to it. But as well, they have not stretched. I've worn them wash them so many times, I've got four pairs, and they have not lost their shape at all. Whereas I've had Nike ones that I washed them like three times and they were gone with the wind.
Sally McMullen
Yeah, there's nothing more unflattering than a saggy pair of leggings.
Alex Hourigan
They're $79.95 but there's like a bunch of promo codes that you can use from like every influencer. I'm pretty sure FlexMami has one, It's Flex10.
Sally McMullen
Oh yeah, I saw her wearing that like almost limoncello coloured set.
Alex Hourigan
Gorgeous
Sally McMullen
I was like
Alex Hourigan
They have really nice like colourful sets as well. I'm definitely more of a basic bitch and just wear like all black active wear with maybe like a white button shirt and white sneakers. But they've got a lot of really fun colours. I got a brown set actually.
Sally McMullen
Yeah!
Alex Hourigan
Still neutral, but we're branching out. We're growing!
Sally McMullen
I love that. Yep. So STAX, check them out.
Alex Hourigan
STAX!
Sally McMullen
STAX!
Alex Hourigan
STAX, STAX.
Sally McMullen
Well, that's another episode of Two Broke Chicks wrapped up. Enjoy your festival season everyone. I can't believe that we're back, so exciting.
Alex Hourigan
And better than ever, baby!
Sally McMullen
Feel free to hit us off and share some of your festival do's and don'ts because I'm sure the chicks have lots of gems of wisdom to share.
Alex Hourigan
Yeah, drop them in the comments. Drop your festival tips in the comments. We'd love to hear them and we probably need them.
Sally McMullen
Yeah, seriously, we need help.
Alex Hourigan
We do. We need help.
Sally McMullen
But as always all of the resources and product recs that we mentioned in today's episode are in the show notes. For a transcript head to finder.com.au/twobrokechicks. Thank you to our executive producer Pariya Taherzadeh, Bamby Media for editing this episode and also Made in Katana for having us. And to you, chicks. Thanks for having us in your ear holes, we love to be here.
Alex Hourigan
Love it.
Sally McMullen
See you in the mosh pit!
Alex Hourigan
Yeah! See ya in the mosh, chicks! Bye!
Sally McMullen
Bye!
Transcribed by https://otter.ai
