Being outdoors with the people you love, on a pleasant summer day picnic blanket, enjoying a nice meal. Sounds good, doesn’t it? The idea and picture our imagination conjures up when we think of a picnic is usually nice. Why not plan on going on one? If you do you will have to do some planning.
Planning
One of the best ways to insure a good outing is to plan ahead. If you are familiar with the location you will be visiting it can be a lot easier to know what you need to bring and how to prepare.
If you have never been to the place you are going then you need to do some research. Often the answers to some simple questions, which you can find answers to on the phone or online, can make the difference in how your outing goes. Some things I usually try to find out:
- Is there water available in an easily accessible location?
- Is the water potable or only for cleaning?
- Are there picnic tables?
- Are there barbecue grilles available?
- Are there restrooms?
Picnic Checklist
Below is a rudimentary list that you can use to begin to make your own personal checklist. You have different needs than me, very likely, so it is usually better to use a checklist you have personalized.
- Picnic Blanket
- Picnic Set – utensils, napkins, etc.
- Food!
- Desert
- Drinks
- Cups
- Insect repellant
- cleaning supplies, both for yourself and for your food supplies
- garbage bags
Other Considerations
You should also be sure to order up some good weather. Ha. Of course you can’t do that. What you can do is to try to plan for the conditions you expect and potentially even just might encounter. Think about “what if it did rain” to help you make decision about things you may want to bring, even if just to leave in the car as a contingency.
You can though do a lot to be prepared so as to have a good time while you are outside, having fun, sharing food with family or friends. Ask the people you are going with if there are any special foods they might want to eat.
All of these things will go a long way towards helping you to be prepared.