Travel Hobby for Adults and Children

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This hobby can be played all over the world at any time.  We enjoy adding it to our travels, and soon you will find out why.  For us, it started on July 7th, 2011, when someone posted on Facebook that they were going letterboxing.  “What is letterboxing?” I asked.  Little did I know the adventures that were ahead for my family.

What is Letterboxing?

The definition of letterboxing is:  an outdoor hobby that combines elements of orienteering, art, and puzzle solving.  While this is true, that seems so serious to me.  In fact, letterboxing is so much more than this simple definition.  For us, letterboxing has brought us to new and interesting places.  We have made more friends.  It has given us laughter, excitement, and even a sense of satisfaction that comes from playing this game.

But what exactly IS it?

Simplified, letterboxing is a scavenger hunt game.  Letterboxing has been around in some form or other since 1854.  Yes, you read that correctly!  This hobby is so entertaining and fulfilling that it has lasted for over a century and a half so far.

Right now, in the United States of America, letterboxing basically works like this:

1.  You go online and search for clues in the area where you would like to search.  Then take your supplies — which we will talk about soon — and go to the place where the clue starts.  Follow the clue and look for the container.
2. When you are searching, and when you find the container, you want to be very discreet.  Do not let other people know what you are doing.  Why?  If somebody does not know what letterboxing is, and they see you with a container, they may think that you are littering and go get the container to throw away after you leave.
3. Take the container away from the spot where you found it.  This way, if someone does see you, they will not know where that container was hidden.
4. When you open your first letterbox — YAY! — you should see a rubber stamp and a small logbook.  Take the stamp that you found in your container, put ink on it, and stamp it into your journal.  I like to say that this is like collecting passport stamps from all of that letterboxes that you have visited.  Then take your signature stamp and stamp it into the small logbook that is in the letterbox.  You can take your pen and write the date that you found the box and your trail name.  Most everyone creates a trail name rather than using their real names.  If you would like, you can even write your home state.
5. Feel free to look through the logbook because it can be fun to see from where people came to find it.
6. Next, wrap everything up as you found it.  Be sure to squeeze the air our of any baggies and make sure that they are completely zipped closed.  Then put the baggies containing the stamp and logbook back into the container.  Be sure that nothing is sticking out from inside of the container and then close it.
7. Go back to where you found the letterbox and rehide it.  Be stealth, and be sure to hide it very well.  People use leaves, sticks, rocks, whatever is available without damaging anything in nature, to hide a box.  Hide it exactly where you found it so that the next person following the clues can find it again.

This may seem like a lot because I laid our the details step by step for you, yet it only takes a couple of minutes to stamp in a letterbox and put it back.

What do you need?

Aside of the fun, another reason that letterboxing is enjoyed by so many is that it can be a very low cost hobby.  It is low cost because you do not need a lot of supplies to get started, and the supplies that you do need can last for quite a while.

You really only need four things to get started searching.  When you get to when you would like to plant — meaning hide — your own letterboxes, you would want other supplies.  You would not want to plant your own boxes, though, until after you have some experience finding letterboxes and seeing how they are hidden.  Here are the things that my family suggests that you have to get started:

A Journal
We prefer blank pages on which to stamp images and a hard cover for durabuility, yet each person has their preference.

An Ink Pad
You will need ink to stamp the images into your journal.
Some people prefer to simply stamp everything in black, and others like to be more colorful.

A Pen
You can probably find a pen to use, right?

A Signature Stamp
Your signature stamp is the rubber stamp that will represent you.  When you find a letterbox, you will stamp your own signature stamp into the logbook that is inside of the box.  You can carve your own signature stamp, or you can buy a rubber stamp that you like.

What does letterboxing have to do with travel?

Sometimes we go letterboxing with friends.  Other times we go to letterboxing events.  We may seek a letterbox that someone planted locally.  When we are traveling, though, letterboxing adds some extra adventure and sometimes even brings us to places where we have never been.  We have visited places of which we may not have ever known if not for a letterbox clue that took us there!

First, let me mention road trips.  If you are driving a long distance, chances are that you will stop at a rest area.  One of the things that my family likes to do is to look for boxes that are hidden at rest areas and then choose where to stop based on where we can look for a letterbox.  This way we get to stop, stretch our legs, maybe got potty, and have a bit of added fun while breaking up the trip.  Neat, right?

Second, when you are going to be in a certain area, you can look to see if there are boxes planted near there and maybe plan to do some searching during your travels.  Sometimes letterboxes are planted for fun and to give people the thrill of the hunt.  Other times, people will hide a letterbox someplace that they think that other people will enjoy going or seeing.

Some Experiences

We once discovered an old mill and waterfall when we went searching for letterboxes.  Our family enjoyed the place so much that we planned a family picnic and returned there with relatives from all over the state.  We had a day full of catching up and laughs an exploring that we may not have had if a letterbox clue did not bring us there in the first place.

Althea G., another letterboxer, said, “I once took a trip to Aruba while pregnant so I couldn’t do any of my normal Island activities such as scuba diving and horseback riding. Letterboxing took us all over the island to some beautiful locations. My parents and husband still talk about it!”

Martha L. told me that a letterbox brought her to a beach where she saw thousands of starfish.

Where might be the place that you discover for the first time?

Wherever you go, and whatever you discover, an important thing that we in the letterboxing community strive to do is to respect nature, respect private property, and leave no trace that you were there.

Where are the clues?

There are several web sites that host clues for letterboxes, and the one that our family prefers is AtlasQuest.com. Atlas Quest has a great deal of information from the history of letterboxing to the codes of conduct to frequently asked questions, how to get started, and so much more.  

Plus, of course, Atlas Quest is where you can find clues to search for letterboxes.  You can search by city and state, by interstate, and more.  There are letterboxes for almost everyone from easy drive by boxes to short strolls to longer hikes.

Are you ready?

Letterboxing can be fun and easy because you can choose how much to participate.  This pastime can be as simple or as involved as you would like to make it.  You can go out on your own, or you can trek out there with family and friends.  If you really like to meet new people, there are events all over the country at which letterboxers gather together for searching and fellowship.  As a matter of fact, some people travel from state to state for the events and the friendships and the fun that goes with them.

Whether you are looking to add some adventure to your travels or to find a new hobby to get you outside and exercising or maybe even to meet some new people, letterboxing may just be the new hobby that you did not know that you wanted.

You can create an account for free at AtlasQuest.com, or you can choose to get a paid membership to support the web site.  Letterboxing is for folks of almost any age.  Children and adults enjoy the satisfaction that comes with finding a letterbox.  Let us know if you decide to give it a try.  Oh, and please do ask us or other letterboxers if you have any questions.  We are happy to help, so please do not be shy if you have questions.  Maybe we will meet somewhere on the trails one day!

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To see another sort of hobby that we enjoy, you can check out Pink Elephants!