Who doesn’t love a treasure hunt? Exploring scenic and historic places with the promise of untold treasure at the end is an ideal family adventure travel – educational, engaging and exciting. Geocaching is all those things; a worldwide network of treasure hunts with caches hidden in nature, famous landmarks and even airports. Covington traveler, John Cullinan, aka “LittleButch” to fellow geocachers, has enjoyed geocaching on his travels for about 10 years. He has found geocaches in Italy, France, Hungary and China, in addition to hundreds in the U.S. – 831 to date! He even found one in Italy that had a travelbug attached. These are geocaches that you find and rehide somewhere else and the owner can track the geocache’s travels. Imagine the owner’s surprise when his geocache traveled from Italy to Virginia Beach! John says geocaching is “great family adventure and a good way to get people outside in the fresh air and get some exercise. It gets people to go places they wouldn’t see otherwise.” There are about 2.5 million geocaches hidden around the world (1 million in the U.S.) and about 6 million people looking for them.

Another geocacher, IceFrog, said, “I started geocaching when my son (Tadpole) was 12, to get him out in nature, and now he is in his last year at UVA and still loves it!” She has found 2,053 caches in 30 different states, including Hawaii. Her 9 year old daughter (Polliwog) was introduced to the fun as a mere tot and has grown up geocaching with the family. IceFrog said, “Geocaching is such a great way to break up travel – whenever we stop to stretch our legs on a road trip, we see what caches are nearby, and chances are, there is one within walking distance to find.”

Family-Friendly Geocaching Trails

GeoTours are themed tours or trails that have geocaches hidden so that during the hunt, you are introduced to the culture or history of the area. GeoTours are excellent ways for families to explore and learn together in a fun and engaging way. You can seach for as many or as few of the hidden caches as you like. Some tours like Eugene, Cascades and Coast in Oregon have over 100 geocaches hidden across a wide geographic swath, while others like the Smithsonian Natural History GeoTour have only nine geocaches under one roof. Some other favorite GeoTours for family adventure include:

• Captain John Smith GeoTour commemorates the history and travels of Captain John Smith as he explored the Chesapeake Bay over 400 years ago. Families will learn about the native cultures and natural environment of 17th-century Chesapeake as they visit museums, refuges, parks and towns in Virginia. This trail has 54 geocaches, a favorite simple puzzle cache for beginners is Preservation Virginia.
• Operation Recreation created by Florida State Parks and Trails offers 69 hidden treasures across the state that inspire recreation, education and scenic beauty.
• Dinosaur Train GeoTour is an initiative of the Jim Henson Company aided by PBS stations, museums, zoos and aquariums nationwide. Each of 107 caches feature one of the dinosaurs from the Dinosaur Train Field Guide and contains educational material about that dinosaur. Most are scored at 2 or less for difficulty (5 being the most difficult to find), so these are great geocaches for younger children. And what child doesn’t love dinosaurs?
• Cateran Trail GeoTour in the heart of Scotland helps families discover the legends of the Caterans, feared cattle thieves of the Highlands, as they search for 20 geocaches along a 15 mile circular route. This picturesque walking trail traverses farmlands, forests and old drove roads in five stages, with stopping points in villages along the way.
• Minnesota’s Paul Bunyan GeoTour is set along the 110-mile rail-to-trail conversion passing quaint towns, scenic lakes and rivers, so families can explore by bike, boat or boots. The official trail lists 102 geocaches, but nearly 1,000 are hidden on the route.

Geocaching is the perfect complement to your family vacation because you can do as much or as little as you like. You can make it the entire focus of the trip and explore a subject that your family is passionate about – think Bigfoot Search in Bonneville, Washington state, or Bermuda Conservation. Geocaching can also be an engaging learning excursion as just one part of a broader experience, such as investigating a medieval castle in Alsace, France or passing the time at the Prague Airport. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sj31U_z9MFA Geocaching is a year-round activity that’s fun for all ages. To get started, just sign up for a free basic account and learn about the rules and etiquette of geocaching at Geocaching 101. Then let the family vacation specialists at Covington Travel help plan your Geocaching Family Adventure!