It’s so easy to forget that we’ve got a whole world out there to explore when we’re so often focused on our screens and work, but the fact is that if we don’t make the most of the great outdoors, we’re going to miss out on a lot. Interestingly, technology and the outdoors actually go hand in hand. Let’s take a look at how technology makes the outdoors more fun.
Yes, you read that right: technology can actually enhance outdoor activities and make them more enjoyable, interesting, and fun. So if the fact that you’d have to leave all your gadgets inside (or if that’s what’s putting other people in your household off going outdoors more), then there might be a way around the problem – use technology to make being outdoors more fun.
With that in mind, here are some ways that technology can make outdoors more fun, and once you’ve read through the list, you’re sure to want to give at least one of them (and probably more) a try.
Navigation And GPS
If you want to enjoy exploring the outdoors in a safe way, you’re going to need to know where you are and where you’re going. Just heading out into the woods or parks isn’t always such a great idea, and it could be highly dangerous, especially in a big place where it’s easy to get lost.
The good news is that technology has completely changed how we’re able to navigate for the better, thanks to GPS and the various navigation apps you can download and use. Whether you’re hiking, biking, camping, or exploring nature, these apps can help you find your way, plan your routes, and ensure you never get lost.
You’ll feel a lot more safe and secure when you head outside, and you’ll have a good level of confidence that will help you enjoy your adventure much more than if you had to keep worrying about whether you were literally on the right track or not.
Plus, you can use GPS to add to the fun through games like geocaching. Download the geocaching app and follow the routes until you come across a cache (often a plastic box or metal container) that contains a logbook which you have to sign and log your find online as well. It’s a game that can get pretty addictive, and it’s good exercise too.
Fitness And Health Tracking
One of the healthiest ways technology makes the outdoors more fun is through fitness and health tracking. Being outside offers a great opportunity for exercise which is why we need to do it more. However, for many, exercise doesn’t sound like a fun thing to do. Plus, if you’re lacking in motivation, you might skip it altogether, which can lead to all kinds of health problems in the future.
To make exercise more fun when you’re outside, use fitness and health tracking apps and wearable devices. These great devices can help you set (and achieve) your fitness goals, and you can even track your progress and ensure you’re staying within healthy limits when you’re exercising.
These trackers are equipped with sensors that can monitor various things like how many steps you’ve taken, what your heart rate is, and even how well you’re sleeping so you can make sure you’ve got your health well in hand.
Being able to see how far you’ve come with your health goals is a huge motivator, and when you use technology to track your progress, you’ll see just how much good you’re doing when you’re outside engaging in the physical activity you enjoy. That will make you want to keep doing it!
Drones
Drones like the Mavic Air 3 are one of the most entertaining ways technology makes the outdoors more fun. In fact, it could be that you enjoy using a drone so much that you go outside a lot more than you ever would have before. Learning what to do is fun in itself, but it gets even better when know how to use them and are able ot appreciate the fantastic photography these drones can give you.
You can take the most gorgeous aerial shots, photos of stunning landscapes, or even pictures of animals that you would never have been able to do with a standard camera, no matter how skilled you might be. Plus, drones have extremely high-resolution cameras installed in them, meaning you can capture the most impressive photos from unique angles and perspectives.
Although in the past drones were something only professionals or people with a lot of money could buy, they’re now a lot more accessible than they were in the past. Even an amateur photographer can enjoy using a drone these days.
Just remember, you do need to follow certain rules about where the drone can be flown and what photos you can take. So keep that in mind at all times and go experience all of the fun you can have with your drone outdoors.
Outdoor Cooking
Cooking outdoors is something a lot of people love, and can provide opportunities for lots of enjoyable experiences with family and friends. Perhaps the reason why so many people like cooking outside is because it’s how cooking came about in the first place – cavemen and Neanderthals didn’t have indoor kitchens.
Cooking outside is one of the tastiest ways technology makes the outdoors more fun! Even if you didn’t enjoy cooking outside in the past, technology can help you enjoy it a lot more – and if you did enjoy cooking outside in the past, now it can be even better. There are all sorts of gadgets and gizmos that help you achieve your culinary dreams.
Using technology, you can prepare the most delicious dishes outside in a safe and hygienic way regardless of where you happen to be. For example, for those trying to take care of the planet, there are solar-powered stoves. Along the same lines, there are now highly advanced camping stoves that have many more features than in the past, giving you lots of options and ensuring you can cook some food you will actually enjoy eating. That alone will make any camping trip a lot more fun!
Even if you don’t want to use technology to cook the food (preferring a campfire or an old-fashioned barbecue instead), you can still tech to find recipes. You can use it to get useful tips like how long to cook things for or how to prepare various meals.
You can even download meal planning apps to ensure you know what you’re going to eat and what ingredients you’re going to need to make each dish. This also ensures there’ll be far less waste, and you’ll enjoy the experience a lot more when you have more control over the food you’re creating outside.
Wildlife Watching
If there’s one thing that’s guaranteed when you go outside, it’s that you won’t be alone – there’s sure to be all kinds of wildlife around you. Although it might not appeal to everyone, these creatures can be part of the appeal of going outside for others, and whether you like birds, insects, or four-legged animals, you’re going to have a lot to choose from on your outdoor adventure.
Technology can enhance this wildlife-watching experience to new levels in a variety of exciting different ways. One of those ways is that it can make identifying different creatures a lot easier, and there are loads of apps you can use that will identify whatever it is you’re looking at from a photo, so you’ll get a lot more information and become more knowledgeable about wildlife. In fact, these apps don’t stop at animals either; you can use them (or similar versions) to identify plants as well.
Or why not take things a step further and track a specific animal? We don’t mean tracking to hunt it, but instead, there are apps that will connect you to an animal in your local area that you can track and look out for. If you see it, you can send information back to the scientists through the app to let them know how it’s doing.
Final Thoughts
The world is very much an indoor one for a lot of people, and that’s a shame because there’s so much fun to be had outdoors. If you want to enhance the outside world a little (or a lot), using technology could be the best way to do it, bridging the gap between being inside and getting outside.
Don’t forget, new technology is always being created, so even if there’s no app for what you want right now, that doesn’t mean there won’t be one in the future. Or why not make one yourself?