In case you haven’t noticed, Team Ridejoy is really, really, really into helping people share rides all along the West Coast. One of those places is Coachella Valley in California, home to such notable events as the Palm Springs International Film Festival and the National Date Festival (unofficial tagline: “Save the date!“)

Coachella Valley also happens to be home to an obscure two-weekend music festival every April (you may have heard of it?)  Since the first weekend kicks off today, we’ve gathered up some tried-and-true tips from the most grizzled of Coachella veterans to make your experience the best possible:

• Bring a balloon (or several) to tie to your car’s side view mirror. Why? So you can find it again amidst the sea of thousands of cars. I know your mom says you have a good sense of direction, but after spending several hours in a musical coma, you’ll be glad to find your car’s balloons waving to you amidst the dust.
• Don’t forget your water bottle. Your body is approximately 75% water. There are a ton of water fountains where you can refill for free. (No outside water allowed, though.) It’s hotter than you can even imagine. If you die for lack of water, as opposed to suffering a heart attack from seeing Radiohead or something, it will be a supremely uncool way to die or at the very least, pass out. (Protip: Dying is so not cool right now.)
• Wear sunscreen. We know the weather’s currently dubious for Coachella (rain? maybe. shine? maybe. moonshine? most definitely.) – but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t slather yourself in sunscreen anyhow. This is actually just good advice for life.
• Wear comfortable shoes. You’ll be standing around a lot. Standing while eating, while watching the bands, while waiting for the bands, while checking your smartphone every five minutes and texting about how lame waiting for bands is. Your feet will hurt, especially if you’re not wearing good shoes. When your feet hurt, you’re continually reminded of your own mortality and fading youth, something which doesn’t help your self-esteem when there are so many attractive, young festival-goers around you, oblivious to your mounting insecurities. Do their feet hurt? Of course not, they’re all wearing comfy shoes. This is also just good advice for life.
• Figure out a meeting place. If you and your mates decide to split up for different shows, set up a place to meet afterwards. Yes, we’re in the 21st century and all that, but cell coverage is infamously awful at Coachella, so just tear yourself away for a few minutes and figure it out. (No battery left? No problem! Good ol’ fashioned talking and planning will solve your problem! See next tip just in case.)
• Bring a car charger for your cell phone. Or make friends with someone who has one. Phones have an uncanny and disturbing way of sucking up all the juice when you need them the most.
• Make new friends, dammit. Coachella-ers are known to be super friendly, so get out of your comfort zone and make some memories. Hint: you can make friends even before the festival starts by ridesharing there! Which is why you’re doing, so bravo! Tell your friends so they can make friends too!

We hope these tips help you make the most out of your trip over to Coachella. Find some friendly people to share rides there at CoachellaRides.com!