5 Reasons to Geocache Around the World

GO GLOBAL! Here is an article that will inspire you...

Harness Your Inner Amazing Race Contestant: 5 Reasons to Geocache Around the World
By Mary Richardson, March 29th, 2010 on BootsnAll Travel Network (go here to read full article)

Here are their five reasons to incorporate geocaching into your travel plans.

1. Geocaching Has Gone Global
"Since its inception, the geocache craze has spread all over the world – and I mean all over.

Not only are there caches right now probably within a 20 mile radius of you, but they are waiting to be discovered in thousands of international locations. There are caches hidden among the temple ruins of Angkor Wat, side alleys in Barcelona, and jungles in Okinawa.

This means that you can participate almost any place you happen to be visiting, or design trips based on descriptions sounding interesting to you. Perhaps even more relevant in these trying economic times, however, is that you can trek around your own city and entertain that wanderlust without ever leaving home."

2. Geocaching Takes You Off the Beaten Path
"While searching for that cache down a side street in Rome, for example, you might find a tasty hole in the wall to eat your lunch, which could end up being the best Italian food of your life. Or you might saunter through a public park in China and come upon an interesting artistic performance."

3. Geocaching Gets You Closer to Nature
"Because the caches are stashed where they can’t easily be tampered with, you’ll sometimes find yourself immersed in natural beauty."

4. Geocaching is Great for Planners and Spontaneous Sorts
"In fact, geocaching appeals to both types of traveler as it provides a short-term specific goal and chance environments. In addition, it’s ideal for imparting that same sense of purpose for solo travelers as well as families with children, who perhaps need a reason to be excited about being away from home."

5. Geocaching Involves You in a Community
"Geocaching enhances your sense of involvement in a dynamic global community. You’re encouraged to record your discoveries online as well as post anecdotes and pictures of your enterprises.

More importantly, you’re given a unique opportunity to “craft” experiences for others to enjoy. Did you stumble upon a special waterfall while hiking in Hawaii? Place a cache nearby and bestow the encounter on a fellow nature-lover. Wandering around narrow side streets in Tokyo, did you find an interesting temple? Hide a geocache in a crevice in the wall and lead another person right to it."

www.bootsnall.com

Planning Your Next VaCachen

"Thanks to advances in satellite technology, social media, and the Groundspeak Geocaching iPhone application, geocaching as a family hobby is wildly growing in popularity. Yes, you can enjoy finding all the caches in your neighborhood and even treasure hunt on a day trip or two. But what about geocaching as a reason to take a family vacation? At Road Trips for Families, we call it Going on VaCachen™. ..."

They list examples of these geocaching travel destinations:
~ Pendleton, Oregon
~ Black Hills, South Dakota
~ Lincoln City, Oregon
~ Charlotte, North Carolina
~ Highland Forest Park, Syracuse, New York

Go to Planning Your Next VaCachen to read the full article.
Submitted by Julie Henning on September 12, 2010 on www.roadtripsforfamilies.com

For more info about Road Trips for Families web site and geocaching trips, go to: RoadTripsForFamilies.com ; Geocahing events and destinations for your next road trip. You can also find info here on GPS and geocaching book reviews, etc.

Have you gone on a "VaCachen"? Where to? Share your "VaCachen" travel destination and plans with us!

Walk As if Your Life Depended on It (LLS-LTN)

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's (LLS's) Light The Night Walk's 2011 Ambassador:

"The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society pours a tremendous amount of money directly into cutting-edge cancer research - research that I've certainly benefited from," says Hall. "It's an organization that you can be confident is at the forefront of moving things forward."
- Michael C. Hall


PSA featuring Michael C. Hall:
Hall appears in a new public service announcement campaign titled 'Walk As if Your Life Depended on It, produced and directed by filmmaker, Jesse Dylan. Successfully treated for Hodgkin lymphoma in 2010, Hall shares his personal experience and encourages people to walk in support of this important cancer fundraiser.

"To Whom It May Concern" by The Travel Bugs - Music 4 Geocaching

Very funny video about the invasion of geocachers from the planet Gee-och-ka-ching!

by SteveWeeksMusic / www.thegeocachers.com, posted on www.youtube.com

"www.thegeocachers.com -
After 3 years of filming in multiple locations around the globe with an all-star cast and a budget of over $300 million, the latest music video by The Travel Bugs for their hit song "To Whom It May Concern" is complete!

The song, from their CD "Found It!", chronicles the woes of a certain Mr. Mug L. Guy and his growing concerns about the strange people he sees wandering around the fields.

If you like Geocaching and music (and big budget Hollywood productions), this video is dedicated to you.

Happy Geocaching!
www.thegeocachers.com"

How To Make Your Own Low-Cost Geocoins - Part 2 [Shrinky Dinks]

Last month I shared on How To Make Your Own Low-Cost Geocoins [wooden nickels] out of wooden nickels and a custom stamp.

This time we're making geocoins with Shrinky Dinks! You might remember creating things with Shrinky Dink plastic as a kid and watching them in the oven/toaster oven as they get smaller and smaller. I believe I got this idea from a geocoin forum somewhere. The good thing with this method is that you have a wider range of options to be creative in creating your geocoins, such as shape, colors, size, etc. There are so many possibilities.

So lets get to it. I found several types of Shrinky Dinks sheets sold at local craft stores like Michael's and Jo-Ann's. At first I wasn't sure which type I should use so I opted for the Frosted Ruff N' Ready (Item D100-10A) because this plastic has been roughened to accept any colored pencil, and the Bright White for Ink Jet Printers (Item D600-6A). Frosted Ruff N' Ready runs about $5.99 for 10-8"x10" sheets, and the kind for Ink Jet Printers is about $13 for 6-8"x10" sheets. You may also need to experiment to get to the final result you want for your geocoins.
Watch out for sales at theses craft stores. They also offer discounts on their websites, weekly ads, etc. At Michael's I got a coupon at checkout for a 40% Off Any One Reg Price Item on my next purchase. On Jo-Ann's website you can get mobile phone apps to get coupons and other info sent directly to your phone.

1. Before you begin you need to think about your design and what size you want your end product to look like. Shrinky Dinks plastic shrinks down to 1/3 of it's original size after baking. So if I want my geocoin to be close to the standard geocoin size, which is 1.5" wide in diameter, then my design on the Shrinky Dinks sheet before baking needs to be about 4.5" diameter (1.5" x 3 = 4.5"). I tried creating a basic design that would print out to the 4.5" wide diameter onto the Shrinky Dinks plastic to cut down on time. After this initial trial run I will probably come up with a design to streamline the process even more, so I won't have to do anything after printing/cutting except maybe adding a little more color or detail if the printer doesn't get it all. See example below:

After much frustration with our Epson printer refusing to accept the Shrinky Dinks sheets, we fished out our old HP printer from the garage and got it printing onto the sheets. Yeah!!

2. In this case I did add some color and detail with stamps after printing my basic design onto the Shrinky Dinks sheet. With the Bright White for Ink Jet sheets you can't use pencils, but stamping worked out pretty good for me and you can also use permanent ink pens. I was also able to use the printer on the Frosted Ruff N' Ready which allows light to pass through and the printed areas show up more faded then the bright white sheets. Here's an example on how the two types look side-by-side so you can see the difference:

[left Frosted Ruff N' Ready, right Bright White for Ink Jet Printers] sorry photo quality is so crappy =)

3. Read and follow Shrinky Dinks instructions, tips and info from the package and/or on their web site. Remember, instructions vary for the different types of Shrinky Dink plastic sheets.

4. After it's all done baking and cooled, your geocoin is basically ready for it's geocaching adventure to begin! It will be about 1/16" thick, hard plastic, and the colors get more vivid after baking. If you're using the Bright White for Ink Jet Printers, the instructions say to spray with sealer. If you're making your geocoins into the typical circle shape, keep in mind they will come out of the oven slightly different every time. You will probably notice the perfect circle you originally cut out before baking became slightly distorted in the shrinking process. But that's okay right? It just means every coin you make will be special and unique just like you!

Have fun creating your custom Shrinky Dink geocoins and more!! We'd love to hear about your homemade geocoin and swag ideas for geocaching.