Let me guess here?! You are looking for a new fun hobby, and now you are considering geocaching as an option and thinking it could fit this criteria or not …
… Am I right?!
Anyways, if that’s the case, then just let me ensure (almost guarantee) to you that Geocaching is really fun & interesting (probably even more fun than what you’ve might thought).
In this article I include 10 reasons why I actually think so.
1. Challenging
Finding a cache can be exhilarating and frustrating, with a large amount of accomplishment. Geocaches are hidden all over the place and it’s up to you to think of where might be a good hiding place for one.
The challenge of finding one is part of the fun. Sometimes you get lucky and stumble across it while hunting.
Then there’s times where you are looking at the photos other people logged in trying to get a hint at where they were when they found the cache – scrolling through comments also in hopes someone drops a hint.
It’s all part of the fun of geocaching.
2. Great exercise
You know you need exercise. Most other ways of getting in your daily steps always seem boring or a hassle. Only so many laps around the park or minutes on the treadmill go by before you decide to quit.
Well, geocaching is a fun alternative to getting in those daily steps. Walking around aimlessly looking for a well hidden cache will help burn fat and build up your cardiovascular strength – especially since you’ll be circling around the same area searching high and low for caches.
You’ll be so busy having fun that you’ll forget it’s exercise. Since it won’t feel like exercise it will be easier to stick with it.
3. Spend time outdoors
Nothing like fresh air and the feel of sunlight on your skin. Both are excellent ways to refresh and become grounded back down to Earth.
Being stuck inside all day, whether because of quarantining or stuck at a desk for work, it can take a toll on your body.
Getting back outdoors will help you to recharge and feel good overall. Being stuck indoors all the time becomes boring. Give nature a chance. It beats staring at a screen all the time.
Instead, you get to experience the real world.
4. Spend time with family and friends
Could you geocache alone? Yes.
Would it be more fun with others? Absolutely!
Geocaching is fun for the whole family. You can turn the hunt into a challenge with other people. First to find the cache wins. You spend time with family and friends, outside, away from a screen. Genuine time without distraction.
People with kids will definitely want to introduce geocaching to them. A major concern is how much time kids are spending on the internet. Geocaching is a great way to break away.
Recommendation: I invite you to check this geocaching guide for kids!
Another fun idea is to turn a date into a hunt. It’s creative without having to spend any money.
Gather some people and go geocaching.
5. Explore your city
How long have you lived in your city?
In all the time you have spent in your city, how much have you really seen? You would be surprised how little you know about the city you live in. There are probably places you have passed by on a daily basis but never explored them. Why would you?
Geocaching offers you the opportunity to explore the corners of your city you have never visited before. You’ll gain a new perspective of your city.
Some caches offer bits of history. While exploring, you’ll get a history lesson as well.
6. Explore new places
As mentioned above, you get the opportunity to explore your city. Well, what about a city you have never been to? Geocaching will give a view of the city in a different way.
Instead of doing the traditional tourist walk around, you’ll get to explore the city like a local. Geocaches may lead you to historic sites, points of interest, or to lesser known places only the locals know.
Next time you are new in town, go look for a few caches so you can hit the town in an unique way.
7. Make new friends
Believe it or not, you can make plenty of new friends through geocaching. Geocaching clubs exist everywhere. It’s not difficult to join a group or create your own. There are plenty of resources for finding groups in your town.
Online discussion forums are excellent places to find a partner. There is a list and map of geocaching groups and organizations released by the official geocaching website.
Additionally, this is an excellent way for new geocachers to get a feel for the game since they can partner with a pro that knows their way around.
8. Always new caches to find
One of the greatest reasons geocaching is so fun is because there are always new ones to find. No matter how many you find, there will always be more out there to be discovered. It keeps the hobby enjoyable.
You never run out of caches to find.
New caches also add to the constant challenge. You’ll have to continue to think outside the box in order to find these new caches. Other players are always finding new creative hiding places.
You’ll also come across caches that require puzzles to solve in order to progress with new coordinates. This means more ways to play.
9. Leave behind your own signature
Besides your unique user name when you register on the geocache website, there are other ways you can create your own signature.
For example, one of my signatures was a small skateboard keychain. Whenever I found a cache large enough to swap trinkets, I would leave behind a skateboard. Other times I would leave behind toy dinosaurs.
You could do the same. Everyone has to sign the log, but what you decide to trade with others could be unique to you.
Trackables are physical game pieces that move from geocache to geocaches. You swap them out in a cache and you get to follow it as it travels from cache to cache. Each one is unique to you since they are yours.
10. Hide your own geocache
If you ever decide that you want to create your own geocache for others to find you can. It’s just as much fun to find a cache as it is to hide one yourself.
You’ll have the responsibility of upkeeping it – making sure it stays hidden, keeping the log up to date, and ensuring it is intact.
Playing on the other side of the game has its own set of difficulties. It helps to find a lot of caches in order to think like a geocacher. Spending time in the hobby will give you a better understanding of how to hide a cache.
This new challenge adds to the fun of the hobby!
Final Thoughts …
I don’t know what you are thinking now after reading this short article, but I really hope that I’ve convinced you (even a little bit) that geocaching is the hobby you (and your family) need to add more fun into your life!
If this has resonated with you, just let me know what do you think overall, when you are willing to start and whether this is something you just want for you or also with your beloved family.
