Have you ever heard of geocaching? It is an international treasure hunt, where people all over the world hide and seek treasures. Geocaching is a great hobby for anyone and pushes you to go outside and be active either with your family, friends or just by yourself if you prefer that. There are also geocaching groups and events, so it is a good way to find like-minded people as well. Both adults and kids just love this activity! Geocaching is a bit like a scavenger hunt for kids and adults!
Geocaching is a hobby where you are trying to find caches hidden by other geocachers. There are caches pretty much everywhere, there is one even up in the International Space Station! You have to get yourself a free account on the geocaching website to be able to see the coordinates of every cache, and then all you have to do is to start searching! When you find a cache and write your name on the logbook found in the cache, you are then allowed to log your found online. That way you can keep count on all the geocaches you have found. You can also trade little items which you can find in caches every now and then.
One important thing: you can also find things called travelers: geocoins or travel bugs. They are items which have a tracking code on them. These items are not for you to keep, but you can take them with you and place them in another cache according to the travelers wish (some travelers have goals written on their page, some are just hopping from cache to cache). If you find travelers, make sure to read the instructions on how to log them appropriately. It is not difficult but unfortunately many people forget to do it and then the travelers go missing.
Geocaching works around coordinates, so if you are interested in starting geocaching, you will have to find a way to process them. It is possible to start finding the treasures by using Google maps and the cache descriptions and hints only, but if you really get into the hobby, it makes sense to find a handheld GPS unit. You can start with something which shows you the right direction and distance only. That kind of GPS units are cheaper than the fancier ones with colorful maps and all. When you have cached some more, you will know which features you think the best GPS for geocaching has, and get a new GPS then.
When you are just beginning, the best way to get started is to look for traditional caches with low difficulty and terrain levels. You can see all these figures on the geocaching website. Practice with the easy caches and then move on to other cache types or more difficult caches if you want to. Enjoy!
