"LETTERBOXING is an intriguing pastime combining navigational skills and rubber stamp artistry in a charming "treasure hunt" style outdoor quest. A wide variety of adventures can be found to suit all ages and experience levels."

We first tried Letterboxing a couple of years ago while on vacation. We were spending the night in a hotel and, to avoid spending money on entertainment or sitting and watching TV, I went online ahead of time and printed out Letterbox instructions for boxes hidden near our hotel. We ended up searching out three different boxes, each hidden in different city parks. What a fun way to get to know the area! If you'll be camping or enjoying a vacation where you have some down time, you might enjoy finding nearby Letterboxes. The instructions tell you how long the hunt is, how difficult, etc. Visit www.letterboxing.org for detailed instructions and to find boxes in your area. If there are no boxes in your area, consider planting one!

 

Geocaching is similar to letterboxing, but uses a GPS to find the box. Until our recent trip we didn't have a GPS so I've yet to try this. In checking the site, however, I was pleased to discover that there are several boxes hidden in our rural area. This is on my "to do" list for the summer! You'll find out all you need to know about Geocaching at their FAQ page HERE. (I even discovered I was pronouncing it incorrectly. Good thing I'm only writing about it and not speaking!)

 

" Geocaching is an entertaining adventure game for gps users. Participating in a cache hunt is a good way to take advantage of the wonderful features and capability of a gps unit. The basic idea is to have individuals and organizations set up caches all over the world and share the locations of these caches on the internet. GPS users can then use the location coordinates to find the caches. Once found, a cache may provide the visitor with a wide variety of rewards. All the visitor is asked to do is if they get something they should try to leave something for the cache."