PICNIC
Ever felt that you are sick of urban areas, crazy traffic and lack of open space? Sure you did, and so did we. Every now and then we need to get off the grid, go to nature and relax. There are many ways and options to experience wonders of nature, you can go hiking and climb the mountains, you can go scuba diving or do a day trip to one of the Unesco protected locations, such a Blue Cave tour from Split. More detailes, including photos and full itinerary can be found in this adventures and sunsets in depth guide. Or, if you are just looking to chill and relax you can do a picnic.
Picnic is everyone’s favorite outdoor activity, you can lay down and chill, eat nice food, and enjoy wine. It can be a solo activity, family gathering, romantic date, friendly BBQ or even a team building. Most important thing is to choose a nice location, select a picnic gear, make a list of people, and off you go.
We will cover the next topics:
• Type of picnic and what to bring
• Picnic basket or BBQ
• Best food ideas for a picnic (our selection)
Type of picnic and what to bring
Family picnic
Doing a picnic is a great way to spend time with your family. You can prepare foods before or you can do a BBQ, and it doesn’t have to be even complicated; few burgers or hot dogs will satisfy every belly. Make sure to bring a big blanket so everyone can fit, enough water to keep everyone hydrated, charcoal for BBQ, mosquito repellent (just in case), and if it’s hot don’t forget to bring sunscreen. Good board game or some sports and you have an activity for the entire family. If you find yourself near the river stream you can maybe go fishing.
Romantic date
Not a typical date but definitely a great one. Choosing a picnic for a date is a good idea, you can relax and connect better with your partner. Make them a romantic meal and bring a bottle of wine, put your favorite music on the portable speaker and just lay down. You cannot go wrong with this one!
Team building
Team buildings in nature can be fun, but it does require better logistics. You need to bring a lot of food, a lot of water/beer/wine, and you need to have good entertainment prepared. Doing sports is definitely a great idea for team building. You can pull the rope, play flag football or soccer. If it’s possible, doing BBQ is the best way to prepare the food for a large group. You just need to do solid prep before you head to nature. I often see people carrying their gadgets on company team buildings. Probably some of them left unfinished tasks :). It’s important for laptop to be lightweight, portable, with a good battery life.. all that can be found in new HP laptops.
How to choose a picnic basket
Talking about the picnic, everyone would picture a basket that is made of wicker with a simple handle on top and red and white checkered lining. That used to be an only picnic basket style a few decades ago, but through the time everything evolved in some way, and so did the picnic baskets. Now you have a huge selection of picnic basket styles that are offering many features. They can be for multipurpose and you can store many ingredients and accessories.
If we need to group different styled picnic baskets there are traditional picnic baskets, picnic basket with a cooler, specialty picnic basket, and picnic backpack.
Traditional picnic basket
This was the first picnic baskets and the first one that we will think of when talking about a picnic. It is a simple, empty basket with no separate departments or special features. Basket is empty even tho some of them have decorative material as protection for the basket material. The simple handle is on top of the basket, and there is actually not much to say about this type of basket. It is bulky but durable, harder to clean but overall it highlights the essence of the classic picnic.
Picnic basket with a cooler
There are two types of picnic baskets with a cooler. The first one is made of wicker with woven exterior and cooler inside the basket. It has the traditional style and looks, with a handle on top of it. The second type of basket has a more modern look and is made of durable polyester and it comes in many fashions and designs. It can be used as a multipurpose basket.
Specialty picnic basket
These specialty picnic baskets are special for their purpose, so they are adapted to keep either wine or tea/coffee. Wine and cheese basket is practical to carry delicate bottles of wine along with a pair of glass. They have a special department just for cheese, it can keep the temperature so if its hot outside cheese would not turn bad. Usually, these baskets are smaller, they are great when it comes for specific purposes but they are not so versatile.
Picnic backpack
This is not a picnic basket by the definition but it serves the same purpose. This backpack is tailored to fit the food, beverages, and accessories for the picnic. Definitely an item for those adventurous ones, especially hikers or amateur climbers. This is a multipurpose item and not only that it can store food, silverware, and dishes, but it can also store climbing gear, first aid kit, and foldable quadcopter under $500. It is easier to travel with it, you can carry it without the hands, but it is harder to clean. Not a typical picnic basket but it definitely has advantages.
Picnic basket or BBQ
When it comes to choosing whether you should prepare food at home and bring a basket to the picnic or to do a BBQ there are several things you should consider.
First of all, you need to think of nature and be sure that if you are selecting BBQ you need to make sure that you wouldn’t take any risk and possibly start a fire. If you are doing in the old fashioned way make sure to circle fire with the big rocks and that there are no big grasses around it. Definitely bring a fire distinguisher with you on the picnic and keep your eye on the fire. BBQ is more of a family and friends activity and it is usually up to dads to make it, BBQ is fun, every generation loves it and it is easy to make. We are coming to the conclusion that BBQ is great for family, friends, and team buildings.
On the other hand, the picnic basket is kinda romantic so we would say that it is the perfect choice for couples or even for a first date. Make a light dish at your home, maybe a nice salad, and select a basket with the wine cooler and you are ready to go. Nice blanket, a little music, and you have everything needed for a perfect picnic. In general, if you don’t want to bother with food that much, just make everything at home (on example sandwiches) and fill your basket. It leaves you minimum work to do on a picnic and you have fewer things to worry about and more time to relax.
Top 7 Picnic Food Ideas
1. Fruit Salad:
Simple but refreshing and healthy: it’s a must-have! You can take a large bowl and mix all kinds of fruit together, such as apple, banana, orange, strawberry, kiwi or make it simpler but not less refreshing, like watermelon or grapes.
2. Simple Salad:
You can get creative with a simple salad; from tomato, potato, veggie, and avocado or chicken. It will surely fill you up, and if u want to be more creative, make sure u bring some delicious dipping sauce.
3. Mini sandwiches:
Mini sandwiches with tomato, basil, salami, and cheese are just a yummy classic.
4. Cheese:
If you are a cheese lover, get the best assortment of soft, hard and exotic cheese, along with some olive oil, olives, and peppers.
5. Crispy French sticks, rolls or biscuits:
These yummy little bites are really easy to make, and a great way to start your picnic date.
6. Something sweet:
Dessert is a must. Cookies, brownies, cupcakes…the list goes on. Anything with chocolate!
7. A pizza wrap sandwich is a win!
All you need is tortillas, spaghetti sauce, some cheese, and your favorite pizza toppings. They’re great to eat, both hot or cold.