Keeping in touch

[excitedfirsttimer]

We have just found out that some friends of us are also coming to Glastonbury. We are staying just off site and they will be staying on site. We would like to be able to meet up with them over the weekend, but have heard horror stories about texts taking hours/days to be received... Is this still the case? Is it better to arrange times and places to meet in advance to avoid this problem, or is there no hope of us being able to find each other except by fortunate accident?

Thanks

[coma girl]

In my experience texts can take an age to come through and sometimes networks get jammed to the point that making a call isn't possible but its still worth trying a phone. We usually try and have a pre planned meeting place but it is very easy to become distracted or delayed making your way to a spot.

Only other advice I could give is to have quite specific meeting points, i.e. standing touching distance from something rather than just "I'll meet you by the Brothers Bar"

I've heard of some people taking walkie talkies but not tried that myself.

[whisty]

Make 2 meet times/points, that way if anybody misses the 1st one for any reason, there's another chance.

[glasto-worker]

sorry but why don't you speak to each other by mobile ? and have a back up plan .

sure a text can take ages { if you are not with Orange/EE and possibly Virgin } and even if you are there is times when its very unpredictable but there was many years when I and my mates did not have a mobile { as it was before mobiles } we would just pick a sensible spot { not right hand side of stage } and we would just pick a pre arranged time and we would just meet up . { we would have a second time just in case } - it worked for years.

[eFestivals]

I'm on the Orange network, and I've never had any problem with texts or calls for all the years that Orange have been involved with the festival - they put in temporary transmitters nearby, to ensure that there's enough coverage for the number of people.

[mr gumby]

Definitely agree with the idea of specific meet points. Some people say to each other 'I'll see you at West Holts just before the headliners' and are then surprised and disappointed that they can't find each other. Pick somewhere very specific. I've found the Water Aid tent next to the Pyramid stage, the 'Drop the Debt' bus in the Other stage field, The peace garden in King's meadow, and the Bandstand to be good options. I'm sure there are some in the dance village and southeast corner others could suggest, but I don't know these too well. If you pick somewhere like these for your firrst meet, maybe they could show you where they're camped, as another possibility for other days.

[scmusic]

Would agree with the specific descriptions of meeting places - the more specific the better. I remember one year (every year) there was a milk place on the right side (I think) of the Pyramid where there was a giant cow on top. We'd just say "meet at the Cow at 8pm" or whatever and that seemed to work.

If you ARE going to text people, make sure to put a timestamp into the actual text e.g. "Heading to West Holts. Now 15:30" - that way if the text gets delayed at least they will know when you sent it.

Generally though by the Saturday or Sunday most people's phones will have died, and the network will still be dodgy, so you're better off just making the meetup plans.

[whateverman]

Remember the days before mobiles? When if you lost your mates - you truly lost your mates. Some of my best times were had when, after the initial horror and upset dies down, a new sense of freedom and adventure takes over and you fly solo, make some new friends, and party on!

eta: EE (Orange) reception is perfect on site as others have mentioned.

Edited May 21, 2013 by whateverman

[clarkete]

Remember the days before mobiles? When if you lost your mates - you truly lost your mates. Some of my best times were had when, after the initial horror and upset dies down, a new sense of freedom and adventure takes over and you fly solo, make some new friends, and party on!

eta: EE (Orange) reception is perfect on site as others have mentioned.

[funkyuk]

use the meeting points / and make arrangements to meet at a place and time

people relying on mobiles / txts frustrates me more than anythingat Glasto, cos they can be so unreliable. remarkably, in the early 90's, we used to manage the festival far better without mobiles.

[scmusic]

Remember the days before mobiles? When if you lost your mates - you truly lost your mates. Some of my best times were had when, after the initial horror and upset dies down, a new sense of freedom and adventure takes over and you fly solo, make some new friends, and party on!

[whateverman]

It's one thing to lose your mates.

It's quite another to lose your (first timer) fiancée.

We are going to have a system in place

[scmusic]

You never know you might fall in love with someone else - always keep an open mind about these things.

[beermonster_c]

The method we use for our group of 16 is to meet at a certain place, like the water aid tent bu the Pyramid, between 5 to and 5 past the hour at 3 or 4 times ( 12, 3, 6 & 9pm).

If you don't meet anyone from our group in that 10minute window it means we are off having fun doing something else and we'll see each other later, so don't waste anymore time waiting around and go head off to do something as well.

[dessie rascal]

We took walkie talkies one year and we were so proud of ourselves for even thinking of the idea let alone actually buying them.. safe to say they didn't work for their intended purpose

as every frequency was busy. We did listen into some random chat though.

Ever since we have taken mobile phones and the only problem faced is charging them , which is fixed by a portable charger. The only other problem is not hearing it ring in your pocket but you can't do much about that!

[Ben Ahmed]

Just remember that you have to switch to "Glastonbury" time! It takes longer to get everywhere bear this in mind w hen waiting or travelling to people. I'd always plan to meet first thing, then head off perhaps meet for dinner later, but not being hemmed in is part of the fun!

It takes done getting used to!

Don't pick places that you've not been to before to meet!

A great friend always finishes his texts with, now now and the time!

[jeffie]

The ice cream vans in front of the Pyramid have always done us proud. In fact we often use the ice cream vans around the site to rendezvous. Strange that...

[jeffie]

Double post

Edited May 21, 2013 by jeffie

[jeffie]

Just remember that you have to switch to "Glastonbury" time! It takes longer to get everywhere bear this in mind w hen waiting or travelling to people. I'd always plan to meet first thing, then head off perhaps meet for dinner later, but not being hemmed in is part of the fun!

It takes done getting used to!

Don't pick places that you've not been to before to meet!

A great friend always finishes his texts with, now now and the time![/quote

Good idea actually putting the time on manually!

[Thearg]

Take a massive flag where ever you go.

[excitedfirsttimer]

If I take a massive flag and a few camper chairs surely they won't be a able to miss us? ;-) I am a quick leaner!