Has your family tried Geocaching? It’s quite possibly the best, free family activity out there! According to Geocaching.com, “Geocaching is a real-world, outdoor treasure hunting game using GPS-enabled devices. Participants navigate to a specific set of GPS coordinates and then attempt to find the geocache (container) hidden at that location.”
How to Start Geocaching
First, sign up at Geocaching – The Official Global GPS Cache Hunt Site for a free account and access to geocaches in your area. You can pay for a premium account but I suggest holding off on that for awhile. You will not be disappointed with the free account, especially if you are just starting out.
Secondly, you will need a GPS enabled device. I simply use my iPhone. I downloaded the geocaching app from Groundspeak for $9.99. Here is an article about different apps available: 11 Geocaching iPhone Apps Worth Finding — Apple News, Tips and Reviews.
Finally, read up on the geocaching link above called Geocaching 101 to give you an overall view of what you should expect.
What to Bring
- Pen or pencil to sign logs.
- SWAG to put in the cache container if you decide to remove a SWAG item. The type of item will depend on the type of cache. However, most items are simple like party favor type things, dollar store little toys or hot wheels. I have seen temporary tattoos, plastic kid jewelry, a tiny bag of buttons, and little animal toys. Fun, inexpensive and family friendly items are what is expected. Etiquette dictates leaving items worth the same or more than you take. You do not have to leave any items if you do not take items. Once, I left some quarters because I was unprepared and my kids really wanted to take a souvenir.
- Bug spray and/or sunscreen
- Work gloves; okay this is not a need but some caches you need to dig for and I am a bit of a whimp.
- Flashlight; not necessary but it may help to have a small one on hand.
- Nature packs: my kids bring their nature books, backpacks, and snacks…the standard nature walk fair. We incorporate the two activities and with two of the kids under 8 it is nice to have snacks and water as we have walked pretty far and searched for some time.
- First aid kit; simple one that contains band aids, antibiotic ointment, bug bite cream, etc. I always forget mine and we pretty much geocache in parks and urban areas anyway.