After a long summer of romantic dinners in busy sweltering restaurants, there is nothing better than an easy picnic in nature with the one you love. What’s that you say? The weather in this age of global warming is too unpredictable for a picnic? Introducing the car picnic. Transport, the bar, a restaurant, a chill hangout place, air con, your favourite Spotify playlist on tap and a sunset spot all rolled into one. Plus, it’s so much cheaper and you’ll have the cutest picnic set up for years to come. Trust us, you’ll be converted faster than you can say... um... convertible? In this blog post, we’re sharing our ideal car picnic setup and will be giving you tips on how to create your own.
CHOOSE THE LOCATION FOR YOUR CAR PICNIC
First off, let’s choose the spot for your car picnic. As you are in a vehicle protected from the elements, the world is really your oyster as long as you can access the area on four wheels. You could pull up next to a river, a lookout in the mountains or in the middle of a desert. We chose to have our car picnic on 7 Mile Beach in Lennox Head. The beach is accessible by 4WD with a paid permit. A bit more of a pricey option, but completely worth it. The beach is 7 miles long with beautiful cliff edges on either side and epic surf. There are opportunities for swimming, snorkelling, and swimming, all very cool date night activities in our eyes. If you are stuck for options in your local area, you could google ‘top sunset locations near me’ or ‘top picnic locations near me’.
LIST OF THINGS TO BRING TO A CAR PICNIC
With the location down, now let’s get to the more exciting part of planning your picnic. What should you bring? What should you wear? What will you eat? The best thing about a car picnic is that it’s completely and utterly up to you. You can come in your cow onesie if you like, there will be no one around to bat an eyelid – except maybe your date. This is your chance to tailor a date exclusively to you and your partner/date. For your reference, here is a list of some of the things we brought along to ours:
2 throws to cosy up in
A duvet to lay on
A picnic rug
A cooler bag to store treats in
A bottle of wine
Two goblets
Two pizzas from the local takeaway
Some cookies
Some strawberries
Some fairy lights
5-6 cushions
A pack of cards
A tablet to watch movies on
Binoculars (there can be some wildlife in the area around this time)
Some flowers
A surfboard (you can never know, hey)
SETTING UP YOUR CAR PICNIC
The keyword to bear in mind when setting up your picnic is cosy. You want to be comfy, and to feel cocooned in your car. It should feel as good as being in bed. We put all the back seats up and started with two duvet layers on the car boot for some added comfort. The spice forest rug was laid over, and we placed the wandering throw in copper as well as the auburn valley throw on top.
The back of the car was facing the water, so we could watch the waves crash on shore. We set up the cushions against the front car seats so our backs and heads would be supported watching nature do its beautiful thing. For a final touch, we strung up some fairy lights inside the car. Our little nest was complete. When building your ideal setup, remember to layer, mix and match items and to add a little mood lighting. You can’t go wrong!
Click here to look through our range of picnic accessories for more inspo.
THINGS TO DO AT A CAR PICNIC
So you’re on a picnic date to avoid those inevitable awkward silences that pop up when you’re just having a conversation with a stranger over dinner. How can you make this occasion fun, not frightening? Easy, activities can quickly distract you from the whole I’m hanging out with a stranger I fancy feeling and there are so many activities to do when picnicking in a car. On our date, we ate pizza, watched sunset and went paddling. Here is an extensive list of car date activity ideas. You’ll surely find something to do.
stargazing
watch sunset
swim
watch a movie
road trip with a picnic mid-way
sharing favourite music
playing cards
watch animals or nature
draw together
read together
play a board game
play guitar and sing along
take a picture
learn a new skill together – like juggling or handstands
An easy car picnic date is easily one of the most romantic things you and your loved one(s) can do together. Especially tailored to your individual tastes and interests as a couple, this is a beautiful, all weather permitting activity that will bond you closer together. Plus, it’s just about a million times less of a drag than putting on that uncomfy outfit and heading to a restaurant to talk in hushed tones. We’re excited for you to give it a go. Get planning now by looking through our picnic accessories and don’t forget to tag us in any pictures you take @wanderingfolk. Happy car picnicking!
