Picnicking is a favorite summer pastime of many Americans. Who does not love a good picnic? There is the sun, the food, the company... The trick to a good picnic, though, is to make sure that you have everything you need. Here are some ideas to help you plan for your picnic.

Let us start with your picnic basket:

Consider buying a picnic basket that has a hard, flat top so that it can double as a table.

If you are planning on walking to your picnic site, you should buy a backpack "picnic basket." You certainly do not want to have to carry the awkward bulk of a regular picnic basket.

Find a picnic basket that is lined and one that shuts fully. You do not want to have to worry about bugs crawling or wiggling in as. Also, consider a picnic basket with a clasp closure of some sort - this will help keep animals out (while you are off playing Frisbee), and it will also ensure that the top is completely closed so that nothing can spill out.

Your picnic basket may have come ready with wine glasses, a bottle stopper, cheese knives, cutting boards, napkins, a corkscrew, a flask, plates, utensils, food containers, salt and pepper shakers, cooler bag, steel mugs, fleece blanket, and a wine duffel, but this does not mean that you need to use every single item! Lessen your load! If there are only two of you going on the picnic, do not carry around 4 place settings. Don't bring the corkscrew if you do not have wine, etc.

Make sure that you use the compartments and ties of your picnic basket - it would be rather disappointed to get to your destination, only to find that your plates are broken and your food has sloshed everywhere.

The picnic blanket:

The picnic blanket is an essential part of a picnic! It is so much more comfortable (and less dirty) to sit on a blanket than directly on the ground.

Bring a comfortable and soft picnic blanket - if it colds, you may want to wrap it around yourselves.

Make sure that your picnic blanket is large enough for the all that are coming on the picnic (or if it is large enough to lay down on as you watch the clouds drift by).

Consider buying a waterproof picnic blanket. Such a blanket can be used for all four seasons. Also, it can protect you from wet ground.

The picnic food:

Prepare your food before you come, but do not completely prepare it. For instance, if you are planning on having sandwiches, you should cook and season the meat and wash the lettuce and prepare other condiments, etc. in advance. But you should not put the sandwich together until you are on the picnic - you do not want a soggy sandwich! Also, with a salad, do not put the salad dressing on until you are at your destination, etc.

Bring lots of water. You can get dehydrated, sitting out in the sun.

If you bring wine, do not forget the corkscrew!

It is possible to bring warm food, but it is generally not worth the hassle. Think of foods that are good cold: sandwiches, pasta salads, bread and cheese, fruit, etc. It might be fun to bring a thermos of coffee or hot chocolate, though... especially for an evening picnic.

Don't forget dessert! Even if you just bring along a wrapped chocolate, you will love it (just keep the chocolate in the shade so that it does not melt)!

Don't bring incredibly messy food - remember, where you are going, there will not be a place to wash your hands or your plate.

Other picnic items:

Be sure to bring utensils and plates and glasses, etc. Most picnic baskets come with these things already. If your basket is brand new, wash the utensils and other items first.

Bring a little bit of entertainment, just in case. It is plenty entertaining to simply sit outside and enjoy nature, but sometimes you can enjoy nature a bit better if you have a Frisbee to toss, music to listen to, or cards to play, etc.

Prepare for cooler or wet weather.

If you have kids, come prepared with a mini-first aid kit (or at least bring some bandaids).