Geocaching 'treasure hunting' is the latest viral TikTok trend

Virgin Radio

12 Apr 2023, 16:04

Have you ever heard of geocaching? The hobby has come under the spotlight thanks to TikTok.

For the uninitiated, geocaching boils down to being a treasure hunt.

The National Trust describes a geocache as "a small waterproof treasure box hidden outdoors".

Therefore, geocaching is the art of finding them.

A fellow geocacher will hide the box, and it has usually has a logbook inside to leave a message in for the next person to find it.

Sometimes people leave trinkets or "treasure" behind for you to find, too.

The game originated in America back in 2000, with the first geocache being hidden in Oregon in May 2000.

To date it is thought that there are three million active geocaches around the world.

They could be anywhere and everywhere, from a tiny village to a bustling city, a remote beach or a forest.

Geocaches are found in 191 countries and on all seven continents, including Antarctica.

TikTok has gone wild for the hobby, with geocachers introducing a whole new audience to the game.

One video by Bex @northernblondeabroad, showed her finding a geocache in a road sign.

It has been viewed 2.3million times.

"You will walk past hundreds of geochaches every single day, and not even know it,’ explains Bex in another video.

"The rules of geocaching are simple. All you need to do is make sure you put it back how you found it, sign the log sheet, and if you take anything out of a geocache, make sure you swap it for something else."

Fans are excited: "How have I only just heard about this?’ said one.

"I live in the UK and never even heard of it," added another.

Like the sound of it and want to get started? Simply download the Geocaching app and pick the one you want to find.

The app then gives you coordinates for you to track it down.

Have you given it a go?