Okay so now that your festival tickets are fresh through the recorded post section of Royal Mail and are on their way through your letterbox, it's time to wrap up the tent, grab the alcohol and prepare for one of the maddest and probably wettest camping trip of 2012.

After the debacle that I had at T in the Park 2011, here's some handy hints for first time festival goers to help you stay in the best piece you can be over the weekend.

1. Sort Out Your Travel!!!

We've all missed a bus before - try missing the only one leaving your festival at 5am and having to run on no sleep for 38 hours whilst trying to get home. It's not easy and it's not nice. Make sure you're not on your own and know exactly how you're getting to and from the festival. Arrange a meeting point with your folks or know your coach stop, because getting stuck when you've spent all of your money on alcohol and hot dogs from Tesco isn't the best of ideas.

2. Check You've Got A Decent Tent!

It's pointless taking a cute, findable Hawaiian "festival" tent if the poles are sapped, the ropes don't stay in the ground, you're missing tent pegs and you can't put it down properly. On top of that the damn thing is bound to leak. So make sure you practise with your tent, make sure you know how to put it up and take it down, there's enough room in there for everything you're taking and everyone you're going with.

3. Like the folk you're going with!

Seriously, liking the person/people you're going with. There are bound to be arguments over something so try and make friends with the people you're camping near? You're all there for the music at the end of it all so maybe you'll find something in common with the people near you. If you don't and you do argue with your friends, don't take it to heart, just nod and apologise. Falling out in a festival with thousands of people and possibly being on your own isn't the best of ideas.

4. Get into it and get out

Don't go into the pit and then hate on everything because you get knocked about or covered in beer or, possibly something worse. There's equally as good, if not better, sound quality at the back. You've paid a lot of money to be there, have a good time.

5. Plan who you want to see

Sure there's those moments where you just walk into a tent and just happen to catch a really good band on stage but if there are loads of bands/artists that you want to catch, be sure you plan beforehand. There are plenty of online clash programs where you can pick all the people you want to see and check out their stage times and see which bands clash with each other. If you forget before hand, invest in one of the programmes that the vendors are handing out left right and center, they're worth the cash. Get to know the site, if you're on main stage and you want to be at the NME/Radio 1 stage, they're usually right near each other but if you walk the wrong way you could end up circling the entire site before you actually get there. Trust me, it happens.

6. Smell nice

It sounds obvious but seriously there's nothing worse than meeting musicians smelling like a wheelie bin. Grab yourself some deodorant and some dry shampoo, you don't even need to think about getting into those scary communal showers. Feeling dirty is one of the worst feelings ever so be sure to keep as clean as you can, baby wipes work wonders on those armpits ;)

7. Chose your camp site wisely

If you're not a festival veteran wanting to stay awake for the entire weekend camping in the sites closest to the area is not recommended. The green area may be almost 20 minutes walk from the arena entrance but you're almost guaranteed a good kip at the end of a long day. However, if you're wanting a good night getting loud at the DJ parties getting your groove on with your mates and whatnot then the red site on the hill is a really good area to be ļ

8. WELLIES!

Even if it doesn't rain, do you really want your brand new converse pitting in God only knows what that covers the floor? No. So invest in some good wellies, take some carrier bags and wrap your feet in loads of socks. Actually prepare for rain, this is England and really, poncho's aren't really all that reliable.

9. Take advantage of the free stuff

You see someone handing out ponchos at the signing tent. Get yourself in there. Grabbing free stuff can become one of the best ways to make new friends, you gain something out of it but also others can also. You grab 20 or so ponchos from a really happy dude giving them away outside the signing tent and stuff them in your bag, two or three hours later it's pissing it down with rain and you see two girls soaking wet watching Foo Fighters clearly not enjoying themselves because they're so wet. You hand them some ponchos and BOOM! You've got yourself two new friends who love the Foo. What could possibly go wrong?!

10. Enjoy your weekend

Let's be truthful. Reading and Leeds 2012 is only going to happen the once. Enjoy yourself and grab all opportunities you can. Get yourself on the radio, walk into a random tent and watch a band you never thought you'd ever see. Just don't get so smashed that you don't even remember it, you'd paid a lot of money for it you want to remember it from more than the wristband.