Geocaching as a Travel Tool
When we travel we certainly hit the tourist high points, but we also love commonplace activities like visiting local parks and grocery stores where we can get a sense of what everyday life is like – what people eat on a daily basis and how they spend their time.
An activity we’ve found helpful in stimulating this type of “every day” discoveries is geocaching.
Geocaching is basically searching for a hidden container of trinkets located at GPS coordinates recorded and shared by another person in the geocaching community, usually someone living nearby. Generally, there is some additional information on the size of the container, ease of finding, whether the location has certain time restrictions, for instance, if the cache is in an area closed after dark, pertinent local history and if you are lucky, sometimes even a hint to help with the find.
We’ve discovered we are the type of people who need a destination to get us out the door and geocaching has proven to be just the motivation required whether at home or abroad. It is a great all-ages activity and has provided hours of fun for us whether alone, with visiting family or friends with children.
Geocaching has not only kept us from being bored on occasion but has led us to uncover interesting historical tidbits, hidden parks, and lesser-known attractions, even in our own town. It’s kept us engaged abroad, particularly when our list of things to do grew thin, or when we were just tired of being surrounded by crowds.
Geocaching has become a staple of our approach to travel and rarely disappoints. We’ve spent hours traipsing around the Scottish Highlands with my aunt and uncle introducing them to the game, discovered a bring-your-own-club-and-ball mini golf course in a public park in France and enjoyed a fantastic crowd less view of the Acropolis in Athens.
Whenever we find ourselves sitting in a hotel room trying to figure out what to do next, geocaching comes to the rescue. Worst case, we got out for a nice walk, but usually it is just the start of another great adventure.
Learn more or sign up for a free account at geocaching.com.
