Your Next Active Date With Yourself or Someone Else
Free, thrilling, and educational idea
The human brain is not always able to come up with revolutionary suggestions. Usually, when I looked online for something to do in my spare time, I found advice like arranging a movie marathon with popcorn and stuff; drawing the portrait of your significant other; playing truth or dare, etc.
But what if I’ve done all that stuff about a thousand times or more till now?
If that’s your issue too, I come up with the idea that is not so popular when I search for ways to fight boredom.
Have you ever heard of geocaching?
No, what is that?
Geocaching is an activity where you have to find items hidden in a specific location. As simple as that. You have an app on your phone; you have the coordinates, go there, find the container, write down your name in a logbook, and boom. Done!
Who does leave the items there?
Just regular people, same as you. After finding a couple of caches (that’s how the item to find is called), you’ll be able to create your own lockers and post their information on the geocaching websites.
Why should I go and search for things left by other people? Isn’t that called freeganism?
No, that’s not the same thing.
Geocaching is about treasure hunting and having fun; I wouldn’t call that philosophy. Regardless, if you’d like to make this your way of living and would like to buy items that can identify you on the trail, no problem. There are many shops online that allow you to purchase hats, bidons, and t-shirts with logos of geocaching.
It sounds like that’s too easy for me. And not that interesting.
Wrong!
Having its coordinates doesn’t mean that finding the cache is easy.
Sometimes, you’re going to need additional information posted on the page. Sometimes, you’re going to need the photo showing exactly the place where the cache was hidden. Sometimes, you’re going to read other people’s comments, saying, “Oh, that cache was so easy!” and think: “Are they crazy or just genius?! I’m here for two hours now, and I found nothing!”
Caches are usually hidden in attractive places.
Abandoned castles. Altars by the road. Viewpoints. Lakes and rivers.
Places you wouldn’t be able to know about, using a regular Google map to find a destination for a hike or car trip.
So that’s a great way to explore your neighborhood and plan a travel holiday.
What are the items left there?
Usually, you can find a container with a logbook to type in your name and date. But sometimes, if the box is big enough, you can also get a small gift from there, such as a lucky coin, keyring, pin, etc. If you take something though, you should also leave a gift as an exchange so someone else can also benefit from that.
Disclaimer: Always try to have a pen or a pencil with you when going for a hunt. Sometimes the containers are too small to have a pencil in them. Sometimes there is no container at all, and the cache is to find a sentence written somewhere! Also, rains can be relentless for writing instruments.
I use a wheelchair. I suppose this is not an activity for me?
Wrong! Geocaching sites often allow the users to mark the cache as friendly for wheelchair users, so you can know if you’ll be able to reach it before deciding to go.
Ok, you got me. Where do I start?
You don’t need any specific gear to start. Your phone will be good enough. If you have a spare compass, this would also be a good idea to take it with you. Although, some very involved people buy GPS navigators.
There are many geocaching sites where you can find the coordinates of the caches. The biggest one is geocaching.com, but I’d advise you to do the research yourself and find the one you like the most.
My personal favorite is opencaching.pl. English version included! Although, there are not many caches from the USA posted there.
Are there some specific rules of geocaching?
Follow the Leave No Trace rule.
Try to stay as invisible as possible while looking for the cache. Bystanders may become unnecessarily interested and destroy the container later. Some people are just spiteful. Keep that in mind.
Respect the environment around the cache.
Don’t enter private property without permission.
You can read the whole Geocaching Rules and Etiquette document if you want to know more.
Can this be dangerous?
As with every outdoor activity, geocaching has its risks.
Do not try to get the cache if you feel it would be dangerous. Do not enter the place if it looks suspicious. Take the flashlight with you. Charge the phone before going out. Be aware not everyone out there is friendly.
Always tell someone where you are going and when they should start to worry if you’re silent, no-responding.
I’d even advise finding someone who might be interested as well and going together. Treat it like a cooperative game!
Geocaching is an excellent way of spending leisure time actively and getting to know the world better. There are many great places I wouldn’t get to know without starting the geocaching thing a few years ago.
I also have to admit, finding a cache gives a lot of satisfaction!
Let me know if you ever tried it yourself and your experiences on the field. Maybe you even have some geocaching websites to recommend?
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