Packed & Ready: Here's What You Need To Keep In Your Picnic Bag

First things first, you're obviously going to need a picnic basket to lug around everything you'll need in. But really, what I realised was that a picnic basket isn't just something to put your stuff in, getting a cute one is a priority (for me and other Instagrammers) because it makes for a really cute prop in pictures, too. This Daisylife picnic basket is decently big enough to store most of what you'll be taking along and it's made with sustainable material. 

Depending on how many friends you're planning on taking along, you might need more than one mat but I recommend getting a dhurrie to park your butts on since they're much more comfortable than just taking bedsheets or mats you have at home. I love this large-sized yellow one by Rimagined because it's cozy and looks great under the sun (and you can nap on it easy peezy.)

One thing you can bet on everyone doing constantly at a picnic is munching on snacks. The best thing to do would be take a few different types of snacks, like chips, cookies, and even some desi namkeen that's easy to transport and eat. This Chip & Dip combo has 5 different flavours, some cheesy and some chocolatey. If you're more healthy-snack inclined, check out these 10 brands for snacks that are healthy but still so, so yummy.

You're bound to get thirsty after all those snacks and while tea and coffee is my go-to, I really want something refreshing like cold iced-tea and this pack by Brewhouse has 9 flavours like classic lemon, peach, blueberry that I've all personally tried and love. If you're lucky enough to have a big backyard to host the picnic, check out these cocktail mixers to make it a very fun, drunk picnic. 

PS- you can also get this 10-pack of steel straws so you're not creating any plastic waste. 

While we'll obviously make an effort to stay socially distanced from other people at the park, I'll still keep hand sanitiser handy for situations where a bathroom sink isn't accessible (or available). This 70% alcohol sanitiser is in a big enough bottle that you're unlikely to run out before your picnic ends. 

Check out some more sanitisers here because, yay, variety. 

It's been a while since I've been out in the sun so I completely forgot about the concept of sunscreen and needing to apply it religiously. Well, if you're trying not to come home sunburned like I did (RIP skin that burns and doesn't tan) check out these sunscreens that'll protect your skin from harmful UV rays.

No party is complete without music, even if it is a picnic party. While I need fun throwback music at most parties, I'm totally against the idea of going broke to play some music so check out this list for bluetooth, portable speakers all under INR 3,000. Pro-tip: you can't go wrong with a JBL.

If you need some music inspiration, too, check out these Spotify playlists you can't go wrong with.

To make your picnic even more comfortable, I recommend taking along a few soft cushions that you could sit on or lay your head on. Plus, they add a certain colourful charm to the set-up that looks super cute in pictures. They don't need to be huge ones, just regular ones will work, too, especially if you're sipping cocktails at the picnic, which is the ultimate comforter. 

Pro-Tip: mismatched cushions look much nicer so you could even ask all your guests to bring one from home. 

It's hard to eat directly from containers so instead of getting plastic plates and cutlery (shudders), get these compostable ones from Ecoware that are less harmful (they are still single-use so if doable, take your own cutlery from home.) 

If you're hosting the picnic in your background, just go for your regular plates and glasses instead since there's much lesser risk of you breaking anything. 

Eventually, you'll want to do something that isn't just sitting around eating and gossiping. For that moment, I love taking classic games I haven't played in ages (enough with online Ludo) like Uno, Monodeal or the more grown up Cards Against Humanity. However, if you're more into desi board games, I've got you covered. 

Now that you've got your essential stuff sorted, I can start filling your head with extras that you don't necessarily need to take but add a certain something to picnics. First up, here is a super fun LBB playlist for summertime we created on Spotify. Also worth getting is a Polaroid camera that one of your friends is bound to have already as a little memento.

That's it, have fun at your picnic!