Why go Geocaching? We have been asked this more than once. There are so many great things about geocaching that attract us to this outdoor hobby that we have listed it out for you.
Our First Geocaching EXPERIENCE
Our first geocaching experience was during a trip to Gatlinburg, Tennessee. It was a quick weekend trip and we did several caches during the road trip and within this small town. A couple of months later we were off to Europe and a 12 day Scotland and Ireland adventure. We used geocaching as another way to explore the countryside & cities in Scotland and Ireland.
In fact, while in Scotland we discovered a remote landmark with a gorgeous view of the loch (lake) in a small Northern Scottish town. After this unexpected travel moment, we were hooked on geocaching while we travel and geocoding during road trips.
Read What is Geocaching?
Geocaching Provides ADVENTURE
Geocaching brings us a sense of adventure everywhere we go. Whether it is visiting family in Idaho or exploring Temples in Cambodia, geocaching has brought us an adventure in many different forms. It has taken us off of the beaten tourist paths all around the world. We often find that people who place these caches are locals or have a local watching over the cache if it needs maintenance. Because of this, looking for caches will often lead you to local destinations that may not be on the tourist map.
Geocaching ALWAYS Gives us Something to do
Our weekends are never boring, because of geocaching. Geocaching has brought us to adventure near our home as well as abroad. Our past home of Atlanta, GA is home to one of the first GeoTours in the world. The Georgia State Parks Department created a GeoTour series called the Georgia State Parks & Historic Sites GeoTour. They placed caches in a majority of their state parks and all of the state historic sites. You can pick up a “Passport” from any state park and stamp it with each official geocache that you find in the state parks around the state. When you have completed a certain number of parks, you can collect special geo-coins with you to achieve a marker.
Georgia also has a Historical Tour, which has brought so much light to our state’s history. Participating in these tours around the state of Georgia is a great way to get outside and explore, but also a wonderful way to learn about history, geography, geology, and more! We highly recommend participating in these types of tours, especially for families with children — it’s a great educational (and fun) activity!
Geocaching to DISCOVER a New City
Geocaching has helped us discover the history behind different cities around the world. While doing our normal tourist routine of seeing the sights around a historic city, like Dublin, Ireland, geocaching has also given us insight into the history of a city. Geocaching while adds an element of adventure to any kind of typical sightseeing and makes it that much more exciting. You can also do multi-caches to explore an area. We used this method to explore Piedmont Park in our home city of Atlanta. We had visited the park many times, but we learned so much more about the history of the city and the park by completing multi-stages around the park to find the final location of the cache. It was a nice way to spend a Saturday!
The Geocaching COMMUNITY
We absolutely love the Geocaching Community. There are several local communities and larger communities that get together and enjoy our shared hobby, geocaching. This is a great way to learn about geocaching and meet other people, and we’ve learned that there are many different types of cachers around the world. Overall, geocaching is a family-friendly hobby that gets the kids out to explore and learn.
In a world of video games and computers, it’s great to have a hobby that gives you a sense of adventure outside your living room. Geocaching is growing for older people & retirees as well because it is a great way to stay active and keep moving. In fact, the hobby has seen a big jump in the Baby-Boomer community. One thing is for sure, and that is that everyone is welcomed into this community; regardless of age, income, or lifestyle.
Geocaching is BUDGET FRIENDLY
Geocaching has saved us money while traveling around the world. While at times a tour guide may be necessary to get familiar with a town, Geocaching can be an inexpensive alternative introducing us to parks, trails, and monuments that are not mentioned in tour guides. Geocaching can be done with the free app & profile on your SmartPhone (if you already have one), or you can become a member for a small fee and upgrade to a Garmin GPS unit. With 2.4 million Geocaches all over the world, you will always have something unique and interesting to do while you explore a destination. We love what Geocaching teaches you while traveling and it’s great for our wallets.
Geocaching is EDUCATIONAL
Another thing that we really like about Geocaching is how educational it can be. Many caches are tied to monuments or located at meaningful destinations. This gives you a unique way to learn about a destination, whether it is through history, landscapes, or culture. Over the years, we have really enjoyed experiencing and learning about a destination through our Geocaching experiences!
Geocaching is HEALTHY
The healthy aspect of geocaching is what draws Liz and me into getting out and hitting the trails. You can not find Geocaches while sitting at home, so it can be a great way to stay in shape. Many caches are placed on hiking trails or parks around the world.
Liz and I enjoy being outside, so geocaching gives us a reason to go out and explore the outdoors through hiking. We love packing our “Adventure Bag” and hitting the trails for the day in search of caches. We also enjoy exercising our minds, so it’s always fun when we get to solve puzzles or think hard about the hints or clues as we search for where the cache is hidden.
Overall, geocaching has added another element of fun and adventure through seeking out caches during our travels around the world. We look forward to seeing how many fun caches we can discover while discovering new lands and cultures.
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