Arguably a traveler’s most valuable tool with its wealth of knowledge only a couple of clicks away, technology — more specifically, mobile apps — can find almost anything, from local food recommendations to available rideshare services. While these functions are great for staying within city limits, nature lovers and adventure seekers are tapping into this limitless technology via outdoor excursion apps. Specialized options are in abundance on the market, but these six are sure to make a trip to the great outdoors successful.
Exploring Nature
Venturing outside in a new destination can often present visitors with many unknowns, but these apps are helping to remove that ambiguity. For instance, iNaturalist is ideal for travelers looking to identify local plant and animal species. Users snap a photo and upload it to the community board where nature enthusiasts help identify the organism while volunteer experts monitor the site for accuracy.
AllTrails is another recommended app for travelers learning the lay of the land via hiking, camping or biking. Recognizing over 400,000 trails worldwide, users can find trails based on filters like difficulty, distance or accessibility needs. Locals and other visitors often leave reviews with photos so prospective explorers know what they’re in for.
And, speaking of unknowns, weather and natural phenomena can be unpredictable, but for those lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time, an app like My Aurora Forecast & Alerts comes in handy. Providing users with information about current and predicted aurora activity levels, users can better plan their trips to catch a glimpse of the mesmerizing light show.
Staying Safe
Regardless if outdoor excursions are solo or in a group, it never hurts to be prepared. Cairn, a hiking safety app, not only provides interactive maps to help users navigate rocky terrain but also notifies pre-determined emergency contacts if a traveler is overdue to return based on their anticipated ETA.
Similarly, based on the book written by a Special Air Service soldier, the mobile app SAS Survival Guide has detailed videos and images of necessary survival skills. These include identification of medicinal, edible and poisonous plants, building shelter and starting a fire, responding to extreme weather conditions, self-defense tactics and purifying water.
Outdoor Entertainment
Planning an outdoor trip doesn’t only have to be for the purpose of exercise or witnessing natural events — it can be for fun, too! For travelers looking to participate in a real-life, worldwide scavenger hunt, geocaching is the perfect way to diversify the itinerary, and apps like Cachly make it easier than ever to play. Cachly provides a handful of clues leading to the location of a geocache, and users embark on a journey to find the treasure. Unbury the container and collect the prize but remember to replace it with something of equal or greater value. Be sure to filter by difficulty, container size and date last found for an even more customizable choose-your-own-adventure.
Originally appeared in the Summer 2024 issue of The Compass magazine
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