The true cost of going to Coachella Festival from Manila

Coachella Crew

Sunday Service

Here's my Coachella experience: My phone got stolen on the first day, lost my friends while I was phoneless, and eventually found them by meeting new friends.

I got to see my favorite artists like Kanye West, Ariana Grande, Justin Beiber, John Mayer, Kid Cudi, DJ Snake and Whiz Khalifa.

I also learned to appreciate artists I never thought I would love like Black Pink, J Balvin, Tame Impala, Khalid, and The 1975. Once I saw them perform live, I immediately loved all of them.

I would totally recommend that you would do it at least once in your life. Even though my phone got stolen the experience was worth it. I never knew being off the grid would be that much fun. 

Coachella 2019 was definitely one for the books.

Joshua Tree National Park

Coachella Tips

1. Plan your outfits in advance. One of the most fun parts of Coachella was planning our outfits with my best friend, 3 months before and stressing out what we will wear on the 3 days.
2. Bring a Bandana or buy a disposable surgical mask from Wallmart. The festival grounds can be dusty. Make sure to wear it while walking so that you will not get sick the weekend after.
3. Bring a portable charger / power bank.
4. Coachella Weekend 2 is better than weekend 1 since the people who go to weekend 2 are more chill and it is actually easier to get tickets.
5. If you plan to drive from your nearby Airbnb/ hotel to Coachella, do not purchase anymore the any line shuttle pass. It’s a waste of money.
6. If you parked your car far away and are lazy to walk there are a lot of pedicabs which cost 10USD per person. One way. I spent about 30USD a day for pedicabs because my friends were too lazy to walk. You must bring cash because these drivers don’t accept credit card.
7. Bring cash because some establishments don’t accept  credit card. You can also bring your American Express credit card if you want to get discount on merchandise.
8. Bring a water bottle. There are a lot of water refilling stations on the festival grounds. If you are lazy to bring one you can buy water which will cost you 2USd per bottle.
9. If you are planning of going to weekend 2, you can just buy your tickets at stub hub it’s cheaper by 100usd.
10. Book your hotel / Airbnb 3 months ahead of time.
11. Bring shades.
12. Wear sunscreen
13. Have your friends contact number printed in case you get lost.
14. Bring a light jacket or a kimono. It really gets colder at night time.
15. If it’s your first time to go to Coachella, you have to try car camping. If you’re too old for camping then you can just rent an Airbnb nearby with your pals.
16. Drink at least 1 bottle of pedialite or hydrite before you go to the event.
17. Take some vitamin C/ Berocca  before the event.
18. Wear comfortable shoes like sneakers.
19. I don’t advise you to stalk and look for celebrities. There are so many people walking to different stages. It’s just a waste of time. Don’t stress yourself out and just enjoy your weekend.
20. Bring small snacks. Lines can take up to 30 minutes just to get some food and drinks.
21. Book your plane tickets from Manila in Advance, you alert your apps like sky scanner or Momondo for the desired dates that you want. You can also save a lot if you like to earn miles from your credit card. I got my roundtrip tickets from Manila to LA for just 300 USD because of my miles. You can also book via, China Airlines, Hongkong Airlines, JAL and EVA Airlines. It’s usually cheaper than Philippine Airlines.
22. Coachella has 6 stages. Plan ahead of time on which stages you will go to. Have a buddy system.
23. Bring at least 100USD a day and your credit card.  
24. Bring wet wipes.
25. Make a side trip to Joshua Tree National Park after your Coachella Weekend. It’s only a 30 minute drive from Indio, California.
26. You can easily rent a car from the airport. Our PH Driver’s License can be valid to use in the United States 30 days upon entry. Make sure to purchase insurance. You can book cheaper rates via price line. 
27. If you have extra vacation days, you  can spare a day or 2 for shopping in outlet malls in  LA. You can also find stores like Nordstrom Rack, TJ Maxx, Burlington, Ross and Marshalls for cheaper deals of branded clothing. 

Day	Details	Price in USD
Day 1
	US Visa	142
	Travel Tax	31
	Depart Manila to Los Angeles	500
Day 2
	Arrive Los Angeles
	Sleep in Los Angeles (airbnb)	50
Day 3
13:00	Drive to Coachella Rent a car for 5 days (400USD/ 3 persons)	133
	Buy groceries at Wallmart (180/6)	30
	Rent an Airbnb (400USD/ Night x 4 Nights) / 7 persons	228
	Rest and Relax
Day 4
	Coachella Tickets General Admission	400
12:00	Lunch at your Airbnb (groceries)
	Dinner in Coachella Grounds	20
	Water and Alcoholic Beverages	50
	Miscellaneous Cost ( Merchandise and Pedicab Rides)	30
Day 5
	Lunch at IN and Out	10
	Dinner in Coachella Grounds	20
	Water and Alcoholic Beverages	50
	Miscellaneous Cost ( Merchandise and Pedicab Rides)	30
Day 6
	Dinner in Coachella Grounds	20
	Water and Alcoholic Beverages	50
	Miscellaneous Cost ( Merchandise and Pedicab Rides)	30
Day 7
10:00	Breakfast
12:00	Checkout from your Airbnb
	Drive up to Joshua Tree National Park
14:00	Check in at Harmony Motel (120 per night x 2 nights / 3 pax)	80
	Dinner somewhere near Joshua Tree	15
Day 8
	Joshua Tree Park Entrance Fee	10
	Hiking in Joshua Tree
12:00	Lunch	10
19:00	Dinner
Day  9
3:00	Wake up early in the morning to watch the Milky way galaxy
	Lunch	10
12:00	Check out the hotel
	Drive Back to LA
	Dinner at the Airport	30
17:00	Arrive LOS Angeles Airport
19:00	Depart LAX
Day 10
14:00	Arrive Manila
	Total Cost	1979