My geocache addiction

Geocaching is an addictive pastime. I would much rather be out in the woods discovering a cache and getting involved in the treasure hunt than doing housework, for instance. Or taking a break after work to wander down a leafy path in the New Forest to find the most recent geocache that has been hidden. Dinner can wait as far as I am concerned if a new cache is published. I talk about geocaching all the time, and often have people look at me in a puzzled way because there seems to be a secret language involved. The aim of this lens is to explain some of the abbreviations you'll come across when signing the log book you will find in a geocache.

Travel bug, geocoin, muggle, stash, BYOP, SWAG, TFTC - what does it all mean?

It all comes together under the name of Geocaching. This is a treasure-hunt type game using a GPS or Global Positioning Satellite receiver. You log into the website and find likely places where caches are hidden, print off the details, and off you go.

Apparently, the world is still in a recession. But does that mean you give up your holiday? You CAN have it all, you know. The trick is to enjoy yourself without spending too much money.

Come along with me to find good value accommodation close to geocaches. Follow the reviews of bed and breakfast sites, self-catering cottages and family hotels. Find caches which are close by, usually within easy reach by car or on foot.

The geocache game invites you to visit places you may not know about. Some caches are hidden near sites of historical interest, and give you interesting background information. Some of the hides have a series of clues leading you to the final hiding place. Most caches will delight you by taking you to a beautiful area, giving you the chance to walk through green woodland or next to the sea.

So what IS a travel bug? That is an item which has a trackable dog tag attached to it. It can be whatever you want it to be - a figurine, a fluffy toy or something special to you. A dog tag with a code engraved on it is attached, the item is placed in a cache and moved from cache to cache by whoever finds it. Sometimes, travel bugs have a particular destination in mind, such as Fido, who wanted to get to Alaska to join the Huskies in a sled race. He began his journey as a rather overweight brown pup. He returned from Alaska a slim, blue, supple dog - no one quite knows how the transformation took place!

Geocoins have a similar lifestyle to travel bugs. They are also trackable items, created by geocachers to mark a special occasion. They, too, travel from cache to cache, collecting stories and having adventures.

Could you be a muggle? You probably are if you don't know anything about geocaching. The term 'muggle' has been borrowed from the ever-popular Harry Potter books to describe someone who lacks magical ability. In geocaching, it is simply a description of a non-geocacher.

A stash was the original name for a cache. It was replaced because of its negative connotations. A cache means a hiding place to temporarily store items; it stirs up visions of pirates hiding their wares, and is still used to describe hidden weapons locations.

BYOP, SWAG, TFTC are simply acronyms used where space is limited. Bring Your Own Pen, Stuff We All Get and Thanks For The Cache are just a few that are regularly seen in cache descriptions and log books.

The joy of the hunt is in finding a geocache wherever it is hidden. And if you've also spent the weekend at a lovely hotel, you'll feel as if you've had a real holiday.