By Alana Maiello 

Bonjour mon amour, spring is here and it’s time for your favorite leisure activities – napping and snacking. After everyone’s 5 month winter Netflix binge, hibernation period is over and we can finally go outside! We’ll help you keep it light and easy with our modern picnic tips. Bon appetit and enjoy!

The Spot

You want your picnic to feel like a “mini-vacation” from the stress of life and work. 

1. Find a grassy knoll in the park with a view of nature and a shady tree! Or a premium seat next to the walk way for people watching

2. There’s always the secret meadow just outside of town. This girl’s really happy to be outside.

3. You can take a weekend camping trip and picnic three times a day!

4. If you’re feeling adventurous, you can make your picnic happen anywhere. 

5. Like on this cliff in Portugal.

6. Or on the top of a mountain in Chile – an adventure picnic!

7. Oh la la, a picnic in Paris. Pastries, baguettes, French men, fancy cheese…

8. Pawnee, Indiana. Because we miss Parks and Recreation.

The Feast

The modern woman does not have 2 weeks to plan an extensive picnic gala or a French butler to carry everything. Although the 500 Pinterest picnic recipes look amazing, the reality is that you only have a few hours to prepare the food and you actually need to carry all your picnic goods with you. Sometimes on the subway. Or up a mountain. Follow these tips for your light and healthy picnic feast.

9. Use your Trader Joe’s totes to store all your nom noms. They are only ninety-nine cents and can be used for so many things after the picnic (grocery shopping, beach bag, storage, just to name a few).

10. Our red and black checkered blanket from REI has a water resistant bottom! You can always stick a shower curtain liner under your blanket too.

11. If it’s not going to be wet out, just bring a blanket and don’t worry about the liner. I always keep a blanket in the trunk of my car for spontaneous park napping sessions  

12. Venture to the Whole Foods bar to customize the veggies for your picnic meal. They provide paper containers to make it that much easier to transport everything!

13. We also love Trader Joe’s lunch salads – a large variety of on-the-go salads to choose from.

14. 

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Strawberries are in season and are a picnic must-have. Go get some. Like, now.

15. Bring a cut watermelon, a few spoons, and dig in!

16. Fruit on a STICK!

17. Meet the Muffin Pan – saving picnics all over the world this upcoming spring and summer. It’s the perfect tray for your picnic hummus, carrots, and other veggies.

18. Thirsty? Pop open the bubbly.

19. Still thirsty? Turn all of this…

20. …into this….Sangria Heaven

21. Sometimes it’s just a burrito day. Thank you Chipotle.

*Picnic Tip: Tinfoil is an excellent picnic accessory! You can use it to wrap your sandwiches and fruit. You can also use it as a cover up for the muffin pan.*

22. The burrito bowl … Can life get any better? 

23. Burrito in a Jar!

24. Or pasta in a jar.

25. You can even make a protein shake on your picnic (no blender required with this Trimr bottle!)

The Company

Who will be lucky enough to be invited to your picnic?

26. Le Boyfriend

27. The Happiest Puppy

28. Zac Efron.

Why not? He’s an expert at being hot and getting things done on the grill in The Neighbors.

29. Ron and Leslie.

The Outfit

30. Get your favorite tanks out of storage – or treat yo self to a spring shopping spree!

31. Seriously, treat yo self

32. And these Nike picnic kicks?!

The Activities

32. Siesta, naptime, food coma.

33. Again, the boyfriend.

34. Yoga and meditation. Some of our favorite ways to recharge

“Gratitude unlocks the fulness of life” -Melody Beattie 

35. Picnic reading list: #GIRLBOSS by Sofia Amoruso and The Woman I Wanted to Be by Diane Von Furstenberg

“Character. Intelligence. Strength. Style. That makes beauty.”

-Diane von Furstenberg in The Woman I Wanted to Be

We wish you many classy picnics this spring and summer! With everything that life throws at us, we have the power to create beauty and happiness in our lives.

You are beautiful, go have a picnic!

Until next time, XoXo and Au Revoir

Alana is our Swoob writer and editor. A lover of the outdoors, you can find her swimming in pools and oceans or practicing her yoga at sunset. Whether she’s planning her next picnic or exploring the coast of California, she likes to bring a little sass and spunk to the table. Her favorite saying is “La Vie es Belle,” which means, Life is beautiful