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Literature Review

Outdoor Activity Planner

Literature Review

The perception toward outdoor has changed a lot lately. With the development of technology and

busy routines, outdoor has restricted itself to roads. However, outdoor activity has many benefits

from the psychological, physical, and mental point of view. An individual can enjoy nature and

at the same time utilize it for good health. A number of activities are there which can be

performed with family, friends, group and even alone. For example, hiking, swimming, fishing,

hunting, badminton and many more. These are not only enjoyable but improve health

significantly. The recreational activities are helpful for both adults and children. It helps in

fostering new relationships and makes a person socially active. In addition, playing games/sports

in teams and groups help develop patience and ability to perform well in teams. It is not

necessary to engage in sports, one can opt for an exercise as simple as brisk walking. It is

needless to mention the countless health benefits of outdoor activities. According to Smith,

Sherman & Hall people who are more engaged in outdoor activities are considerably healthier

than the people who prefer staying indoors (2). Involving in regular outdoor activities help

people to avoid chronic illness and more health issues, reduces stress level, enhances mood and

sleep and much more.

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Literature Review

Figure 1 : Outdoor Activity

In fact, outdoor activities help the family to come together and spend more time. According to

Flynn, Bassett, Fouts, Thompson & Coe the busy work lives are exhausting and at times very

frustrating. Everyone needs a refreshing boost from time-to-time (5). There should be an

equilibrium of work and family life so as to maintain peace and happiness. It’s a win-win,

individually as well as with family or friends. A little get away from the hectic schedule to relax

and take a break proves highly rejuvenating. The outdoor activities facilitate better

communication and relationship which is hard to do in a normal busy routine (1).

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Literature Review

Figure 2 : Trekking Activity

The organization of outdoor activities is one of the most difficult tasks to manage. Outdoor

recreation requires precision, experience, expertise, and more. At present, there are many

companies that provide the facilities of outdoor recreational activities. People can enjoy these

without any hassle. Earlier, there were paper maps, compasses and more to explore the

mountains, woods or any new area. The equipment, approach and everything about outdoor have

seen a tremendous change. Now, all one requires is a smartphone with things like GPS, Google,

maps, navigator and more. The web has undoubtedly made a great contribution to outdoor

activities. The technological advancements have provided the ease of exploring.

There are so many apps that exist and make outdoor activities more fun. There are so many apps

for different purposes- hiking apps, adventure apps, hunting apps, and a lot more apps to go with.

People now rely on their phones for almost everything; waking up in the morning with phone
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Literature Review

alarm, meeting reminders, online payments, traveling, to other activities. With a click, people get

to know the exact direction of their destination. Feed the information in an app and it will guide

with the whole diet. There is a number of perks that apps offer especially in case of outdoor

activities. It is easy to manage the running/walking/jogging time, finding the next campsite,

provides directions when people get separated while excursion, emergency apps, medical apps in

case of an injury or a medical urgency.

Figure 3 : Recreational Activities

Web developers are working hard to ensure that people get the maximum possible benefit from

the apps. The camping apps like Camp Finder, SAS Survival Guide helps people explore new

places and find new ones (3). Also, they consist of detailed and up-to-date information regarding

these sites and provide survival tips if hit by an emergency. Both these apps are among the most

used category for their features. Additionally, there are apps for hiking and biking such as All

Trails, Leaf Snap, Audubon Birds pro, and others. Some of these apps are available on Android

as well as iOS. The All Trail is beneficial to people who want to keep going to new places and

go the road less taken. They offer trail guides, opinions once the trail is completed, allow

topographic map consultation, and save trails offline (4). Further, the Leaf Snap is more about

plants and its humungous details. This was developed by a collaboration of three Universities
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Literature Review

Viz. University of Maryland, Columbia University, and Smithsonian Institution. If an individual

is interested in plants and their types, details, etc. this is the best app. This was specially designed

for plant lovers. It combines a great directory of plants, leaves, barks, roots, flowers, fruits, and

things plant related. Likewise, the Audubon Birds pro is for bird lovers but costs something

between $4-10. Some of the other popular apps are Ramblr and Cairn for traveling; Mountain

project, Myclimb for climbing; and finally Map my hike Wikiloc, Backcounty Navigator, and

GPS essentials for the GPS and tracking purpose.

For getting in shape or engaging in activities, hitting the gym is not the only option. The outdoor

activities are more fun and effective. The plus side having a number of apps makes it even more

advantageous. Apart from the apps mentioned above, the app Outdoor Activity Planner is also

paving a way to the top (6).

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Literature Review

References

1. Flynn J, Bassett D, Fouts H, Thompson D, Coe D. Active Families in the Great

Outdoors: a program to promote family outdoor physical activity. Journal of Adventure

Education and Outdoor Learning. 2017;17(3):227-238.

2. Smith C, Sherman N, Hall E. Mental Concentration as Influenced by Adventure

Activity. Journal of Outdoor Recreation, Education, and Leadership. 2011;3(3).

3. Best outdoor activity apps to enjoy the spring with ... [Internet]. [cited 2019]. Available

from: https://www.cnet.com/news/best-outdoor-activity-apps-to-enjoy-the-spring-with-friends-

and-family-in-2019/

4. 9 outdoor adventure apps to boost your call of the wild ... [Internet]. [cited 2019].

Available from: https://www.latimes.com/health/la-he-outdoor-apps-20150808-story.html

5. Frauman E. Perceptions of Intuition among Campus Recreation Outdoor Program

Professional Staff: An Exploratory Study. Recreational Sports Journal. 2016;40(1):46-55.

6. Kitzelman K, Parish S, Harm G. Outdoor activities. Archerfield, Qld.: Steve Parish

Pub.; 2010.