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More than a quarter of festival-goers risk losing valuables by leaving gadgets unattended

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Written by: Noora Ismail
05/06/2023
More than 25% of festival-goers would leave their gadgets in their tents and 23% plan to visit without any travel insurance, a comparison site survey reveals.

According to research from Go.Compare, festival-goers heading to likes of Glastonbury and Reading not only risk losing their mobile phones by leaving them unwatched in their tents but the majority have no insurance cover, so won’t be reimbursed should the worst happen.

On average, those visiting festivals travel with three gadgets, however only 28% have said they would take out travel insurance. Just under a quarter (24%) have annual travel insurance that would cover festivals and 13% haven’t considered taking insurance out. Almost a quarter (23%) have said they have no intention to take out any insurance.

Almost half (44%) plan to use venue lockers with 39% planning to carry their tech on their person. More than a quarter (27%) have revealed that they would leave their gadgets in their tent and a fifth (22%) would hide them in their car.

How to protect your valuables

However, there are ways to protect valuables at a festival. The most important is to never leave gadgets unattended. Keep them zipped up and in inner pockets when outside. Go-Compare recommends using venue lock-ups if available, and storing valuables at the bottom of sleeping bags at night. The majority of festivals are now cashless, so avoid taking large sums.

Check your policy for exclusions

Ceri McMillan, travel insurance expert at Go.Compare, said: “Many people take expensive gadgets which could easily be lost or stolen during the weekend, going to show that paying a few pounds for a UK travel policy is well worth it.

“One thing to consider carefully though is that theft claims are likely to be declined if your gadgets were left unattended, for example if you left your iPad in your tent while you went out for the day. That’s why it’s important to think about how many gadgets and valuables you really need to take to a festival, or any weekend away in a tent for that matter.”

Meanwhile, in a separate survey from fellow comparison Uswitch.com, over one-in-ten (11%) festival-goers said their smartphone had fallen victim to festival season over the years. That equates to around two million (2.15m) devices pinched, damaged or lost to the mud.

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