A family picnic is one of the best recreational activities you can jointly do. It allows the families to bond, relaxes, and break from the monotony and the rat race of everyday life. It is also a good way to give your lawn some tender loving care by allowing the grass to grow back undisturbed, especially after spending good money on commercial lawn services for that perfect outdoor environment in your home. Furthermore, going for a picnic away from home may allow you to spread that organic or inorganic mulch on the grass in your compound in tough weather to protect it from drying up. This way, you provide sustainable home lawn care without incurring costs.
If you want to have a great picnic, ensure you do adequate preparation and know where to set up your picnic. It makes all the difference. The trick is to pack what is necessary and less bulky. It is why you need to know what to pack on a picnic.
6 Key Things to Consider When Deciding What to Pack on a Picnic
1.Weather
The weather is key when deciding what to pack for a picnic. Picnics are outdoors by nature. The perfect experience; is guaranteed by the right items in your picnic kit for the conditions. The weather will determine whether you need warm or light clothing and how heavy and warm the blankets you need to carry should be. An umbrella is always a good idea to include because even the most perfect weather can turn around without warning.
2.Location
The location determines what you need to carry. Some picnic locations will offer you part of the required items for a shelter or even cooking. It is especially true for establishments that provide picnic venues at a fee. A beach picnic will require you to carry very different items from a nature trail or mountain climbing picnic. Before you pack anything, consider where you are going for a picnic. You may need to find a tent for hire if you are going for a camping experience at a bush picnic and you don’t have one to keep the family sheltered at night. Shop for a reliable canopy rental service provider to have this sorted.
3.Activities
The activities you want on the big day will determine what to pack on a picnic. The clothes, type of shoes, and even other gaming accessories like balls, a book, or a chess board are determined to a greater degree by the fun activities you have planned to engage in during the picnic. Parking without considering the activities will end up with unnecessary items that add no value to the picnic experience while straining you with unnecessary baggage for no reason.
4. Traveling arrangements
You need to carefully consider if your picnic will require you to travel, how long you have to travel and the means which can be either by road, air or water. Consider if you are paying for travel or using your means. The idea is to be as light as possible for you to move around easily. In cases where you are paying commuter costs to get to your picnic venue or within the venue, you will pay for a certain amount of extra luggage. Others may specify that you are not allowed to come along with your pet or certain items. Consider your mode of transportation to help you determine what to pack on a picnic.
5.Picnic basket or bag
A picnic bag or basket is the first thing you must consider when planning the items to carry on your family picnic. It must be availed before anything else to make your work easier and the decision process defined. The size will determine how much you can carry and help eliminate items you cannot carry. It holds everything in place to ensure you can have a quick setup at the site. With this basket, you know exactly where to find what when looking.
6.Budget
The budget is important when deciding what to pack on a picnic. It is important to stay within a reasonable budget to have fun without much stress. Your budget will guide you on the quantities, the alternatives, and the limit on what you can pack when going out for a picnic. The budget provides for renting items you don’t necessarily need to carry. You may ignore a portable toilet if you can hire it on your way to the site so that you move about fast and conveniently.
Vital Items You Must Pack When Going on a Family Picnic
Are you considering going out for a family picnic? Do you find it difficult to choose what to carry with you for the picnic? Here is a list of 13 important things that will guide you on what to pack for a successful outing:
1. Pack some easy-to-carry healthy food for the picnic.
Food must be on top of the list of what to pack on a picnic. It brings people together to bond so they can have fun while living healthy. Picnics are not military training camps where you starve yourself. Food will give you the much-needed calories and the energy to enjoy the activities at the picnic.
Pack fresh vegetables and fruits for the perfect picnic with a healthy twist. Sandwiches and cheese add the extra quick snack as you chill out. Store your food in an insulated bag if you will spend more than an hour or two outdoors at the park or in a picnic cooler to preserve the freshness. If that is too much work, you can buy already packed food from Mexican food distributors along the way, and it will serve you just fine, though at an extra cost.
2. Pack some good food covers
You will suffer shooing away bugs from your food outdoors. They secure your food from bugs as you comfortably eat or leave it to attend to something else without worrying. Consider using kitchen towels if you don’t have a mesh food cover to save money, which is another plus.
3. Pack in some refreshing drinks
Drinks are a perfect complement to food. Drinking water is among the essential drinks on a picnic. Make your picnic extraordinary by including banana smoothies or apple and strawberry juice. Drinks keep you well hydrated and add the extra nutrients beneficial to your health as you have fun. Pack drinks in individual containers if you can, for easy serving, or carry cups and bottles for the same. Using disposable cups may be the best idea so that you don’t have a lot of things to carry back after the picnic.
4. Pack in insulated or plastic top seal bags or a picnic cooler
Going for a picnic is not an excuse to waste food. Insulated bags help to preserve food and drinks by keeping out unwanted micro-organisms. A picnic cooler keeps your drinks well-cooled and refreshing. Leftover sandwiches are ever present when you take your kids to the pack. A top-sealed plastic bag prevents food waste because you can pack that leftover sandwich inside for later. These bags also allow your kids to carry memorable souvenirs they collect from the park at the end of the picnic.
5. Pack in some plates and utensils
You need plates and other utensils to eat your food comfortably at the picnic. They are an essential part of what to pack on a picnic to avoid inconveniences. Paper plates and plastic folks will save your day because they are light, but you can also use shatterproof picnic utensils if you have some already. Provide for cleaning dirty dishes afterward. Ensure everything is carefully packed back after the meal.
6. Don’t forget to pack in a trash bag
It is one of the easiest things to forget when planning a picnic. As you have fun outdoors, there will be trash that you must clean up at the end. You will hate to have a picnic next to a trashcan next time, irrespective of who left it there, so clean up. Put away everything in a trash bag and go with it for proper disposal at the end of your adventure.
7. Pack a complete first aid kit
Major and minor accidents can happen at the picnic while you are having fun and without warning. You better be safe than sorry, so ensure you have a complete first aid kit with disinfectants, painkillers, bandages, and everything you need in case emergencies arise that need immediate medical attention. This kit is the insurance of safety you need when things go wrong.
8. Don’t forget to pack a hand sanitizer
A hand sanitizer is as easy to forget as a first aid kit when looking at what to pack on a picnic. It does hand cleaning before eating to maintain hygiene. No one wants to end up in hospital after a good picnic because of avoidable infections caused by contaminated hands. Sanitizers will also save you from using the water you carried or the need to carry a soap-based hand washer that is cumbersome.
9. Pack a disposable table cloth
You don’t want food spilling on your blanket, and you want the clean-up after meals to be easy. A disposable table cloth takes care of that. Fold it into a neat square and place it in the middle of your picnic basket before you leave.
10. Pack a picnic blanket
Having a picnic on the grass is the ultimate thrill. Kids will prefer eating on the ground outdoors than on a park table or any other modified picnic table option. A large blanket for the whole family that can hold the food in the middle is something you must never leave home without when going for a picnic. You can also create an artificial privacy fence around you as you take your meal for an intimate moment with your family without prying eyes from outsiders. There are several easy-to-set-up options to choose from online for picnic lovers.
11. Don’t forget to pack paper towels and baby wipes.
You need hand sanitizers to clean your hands before eating, but paper towels will sort you out after the meal. They are versatile and work both for cleaning up and as napkins. Pack them compactly in a roll so that they don’t fly away when there is a breeze like napkins do.
Baby wipes are unavoidable for a mother even if the child no longer uses diapers. They will come in handy when you need to wipe the tiny sticky hands and faces or an unwanted drop on your blouse.
12. Don’t forget to pack a bug repellent and sunscreen
Bugs can be a nuisance when you want to enjoy your food because they also turn you into food. Find a natural repellant without a strong harsh smell and include it in your basket before you head out. The repellant provides a perfect fence between you and the bugs you want to keep out.
Sunscreen is as important at the picnic park as when you go to the beach on a summer day. Protect yourself and the kids from harmful UV rays as they bask long hours in the sun with sunscreen. Remember to reapply sunscreen if you spend more than 2 hours in the sun after the initial application. You can’t ignore a repellant and sunscreen when considering what to pack on a picnic.
13. Carry some extra clothes for the baby and toys for games
You may think it is unnecessary, but an extra pair of clothes for your little child is one of the best things you can consider when you want what to pack on a picnic. It will save you when spilling accidents happen during the picnic. As you add extra clothes, include toys like a ball that can be used by all ages so that none of you misses out on the fun.
You can pack many other things not mentioned in this list for the perfect picnic. For instance, you can include a lightweight tray for holding drinks on uneven surfaces or carry a camera to capture those special moments for the future, though even a smartphone can get the job done. Pack up, get out and have yourself a nice family picnic now that you know what to pack on a picnic.
