If you were born with a wanderlust and a love of international travel, the past few years will undoubtedly have been difficult, as to keep ourselves (and others) safe, stay at home regulations meant that many people had to reschedule their bucket list trips.
Thankfully, restrictions are now easing across the globe, making travelling much simpler once again. However, if you don’t feel comfortable boarding a flight just yet, you may be struggling to find a way to satisfy your travel itch. The solution? An international potluck!
Potluck parties are a great way to spend time with your friends and family while also tucking into a range of delicious meals. Unlike a traditional party, they are less stressful for the host as you aren’t in charge of the entire menu. You can add an extra twist to this event by planning an international potluck, where guests bring food from around the world.
With that in mind, here are some top tips that you can use to host a fantastic international potluck.
Send out invitations ahead of time
The first step towards any successful event is giving your guests plenty of advance notice so that they can be sure to fit the party into their schedule. When sending out invites, you might also want to specify a specific country or region that you want your guests to focus on for their contribution. Alternatively, you could choose a fun theme. For example, you could ask your guests to recreate their favourite holiday meals.
Plan out your contribution ahead of time
When trying to host a party, it’s easy to focus on everything but the food. For example, you may be concerned with cleaning your home to impress guests, but this doesn’t mean you can afford to slack. However, you may also want to avoid spending all day in the kitchen. Thankfully, there are various ways you achieve this goal. For example, you can cook a meal in a slow cooker, such as bbq chicken made in a crock pot. This way, you can prepare the meal in the morning and leave it to cook throughout the day, so you can use the rest of the time to work through your to-do list.
Decorate your home
The right decorations can make or break a dinner party, especially if you want to create a fun and welcoming atmosphere for your guests. When planning an international or travel-inspired potluck, there are plenty of decorating options to choose from. For example, you could bring the beach to your backyard.
Think about entertainment
The food will undoubtedly be the star of the evening, but you should also find other ways to keep your guests entertained. For example, you could make unique cocktails from around the world and ask guests to guess their ingredients or origin. Alternatively, you could look into some of the ways in which you can explore the world virtually during the pandemic. For example, you could watch a video tour of a specific location or tourist attraction.
