The Best Family Adventure

The Best Family Adventure: This adventure combines the excitment of finding a new place and the thrill of hunting treasure.  It brings together the perfect mix of technology and nature. It  can be done any day, anytime and anywhere in the world. This adventure costs next to nothing and can take anywhere from 30 minutes or an entire day – you choose.  It really is The Best Family Adventure.

One word: Geocaching.

One of my readers (thanks Michelle) contacted me about doing a post about geocaching so our family did a test drive. And what fun we had.

How it works:  The basic idea is to locate hidden containers found outdoors, called geocaches. This is done by following Global Positioning System (GPS) coordinates.

What you need: Car, GPS (or a phone with GPS capabilities) and items to swap (anything from a 10 cent piece to a MacDonald’s Toy)

Here are the steps to get you started.

Step One: Create a Membership – it’s free (found in the top right hand corner here)

Step Two: Click Hide & Seek a Cache (located on the left hand side bar of the screen)

Step Three: Under the Seek a Cache Box (green) enter in the details.  You can search for a cache around a certain postcode or within a distance radius.

Step Four: Once you have the listing of Caches, it’s time to choose one or more to look for.  This is where it can get a bit tricky but persevere; it’s well worth it. I’ll mention two things to look out for. 

1. Found Date: The cache is still there. It can be found again and again. I originally thought I had to look for an unfound cache but this is not the case.

2. The little boxes are a cache size guide.  Look for a regular size box as these are often filled with more items for children.

Step Five: Print the positioning details and plug the coordinates into your GPS.

Step Six: Get in the car and see where you end up.  It’s important to note here, in most instances, you will have to park and get out with your GPS (or phone) to find the exact position.

Step Seven:Once you have found the cache, write the time and date in the log book and take a trinket (or in my case four for the children).  Just remember to put the same number of swappable items back in the box.

Step Eight: Place the cache back exactly where you found it for the next person to find.

I can’t even begin to tell you how much our family enjoyed this adventure.  To truly appreciate it, you will have to try it out yourself. Let me know how you go.