So I wanted to share with you a great activity you can do for free, it is called Geocaching. Basically, all over the world people have been Geocaching around you and you probably have never noticed it! Geocaching is basically a more advanced version of a treasure hunt. There are “Caches” hidden in parks and public places. These caches are usually a waterproof container with a log in notebook and usually small tokens. The tokens are usually dollar store toys, interesting items, pretty rocks – anything inexpensive. The goal is to find the cache, log-in your find, take a token and leave a new token for the next person. So the next question is – how do you find the cache’s? You first need a hand held GPS that you can plug in Latitude and Longitude coordinates. You can get this at any sports/outdoor store or on line. Then you go to the official Geocache website. You need to log in and create a FREE account. Once you are logged in, you can search for geocaches within certain distances from any zip code. They are rated by difficulty both in the terrain and how hard it is to find them. You will be given the Longitude and Latitude of the Cache (which you must plug into your GPS) and will be given a secret code you need to decipher that will give you a hint on the location.

My family and I have been Geocaching for about 4 years now and have really enjoyed exploring new areas that we did not know existed, working together as a family and enjoying the outdoors while not spending any money. We have learned a few tricks of the trade that I would like to share with you.

1. Start with with an easy cache. The first time you go out even the easiest of caches may take some time.

2. You must keep walking. If you think you are there but can’t find the cash continue to walk around and the GPS sometimes will re-adjust, especially when there are trees.

3. It is ok if you don’t find it. You can always go back and search again (sometimes it is the second time that does the trick)

4. Hide Caches yourself. It is fun to see who is finding it and what they are posting on line.

5. It is a great activity to do on vacation. You will see areas and things you normally wouldn’t as a tourist.

If you have had experience with Geocaching, I would love to hear your experiences.

—————————————————-

Laura Strunk is a professional realtor with Keller Williams in Columbia, Maryland. She is also a Charter Member with the Village Connector Community News. You can reach Laura at 410-312-0000.