As you explore the different ports of call on your cruise, you can also take part in a global treasure hunt called Geocaching. This recreational activity is a great way to explore a city, find a treasure and add to the adventure of your cruise for free. All you need is a cell phone with GPS or any other GPS receiver and you are ready to begin.
Getting Started
There are many sites which offer participants the GPS positioning information needed to search for a treasure. One of the most popular, geocaching.com, claims to have millions of geocaches hidden throughout the world. This global treasure hunt is accessed via an app that can be downloaded for free on the App Store or Google Play. Once you have the app, you simply set up an account which allows you to view the map of the treasure locations.
Proper Etiquette
Geocaching is a free activity but there are just a few rules and common courtesies that treasure hunters need to remember to keep the fun going for everyone else. First, if you take something out of a geocache then you must put something of equal or greater value back in its place. It is also important to remember that not every cache contains a treasure for you to take. Much like traveling, getting there is half the fun, so sign the logbook with pride and even leave a note for the next explorer but don’t expect to find a “treasure” in every cache. Then be sure to log your experience and all of the details on the website that is sponsoring that particular treasure or on www.geocaching.com.
Add to the Fun
Searching for geocaches when traveling is a great way to explore an area and to leave something for other travelers to discover after you have moved on. Many participants will take small items such as a pin, magnet or other small trinkets from their hometown to leave in the caches that they discover while traveling. This is just a great way to add to this global community of explorers and add to the fun for everyone involved.
The Last Step
Once you have signed the log and placed anything in the cache that you wish to leave for the next participants to see it is critical that you put the geocache back exactly where you found it. GPS devices all have a slight variance of up to a few meters so never move a cache from the location where you found it, even if you believe that it was not at the exact positioning.
Geocaching is the perfect free activity to enjoy as you explore new towns during shore excursions. And it is a great opportunity to be a part of a global community of travelers and residents throughout the world.
