50 Weird Hobbies People Enjoy In Their Spare Time

"Postcrossing.

I like to exchange postcards with people from all over the world."

Entomology.

If you are a zoologist, entomology, which is collecting bugs and insects, might be a fairly common activity for you because they are the subject of your studies. However, just as exhibits to be put in jars on shelves at home, this hobby raises some questions.

Soap carving.

Why use a boring bar of soap when you can turn it into a piece of art? This unusual canvas can be a way to unlock your creativity. You can even give away some of your work to your friends and family as a nice personalized gift.

Rock painting.

You can use rocks as canvas to paint whole scenes on them, or you can take a look if its shape reminds you of anything and then paint that thing on top of the rock. All in all, rock painting is a quiet, relaxing hobby. A small bonus: you can always pick up your new canvas for free on the road.

"I collect antique typewriters. Started when I thought I'd try writing something on an old manual to see if it helped my tendency to ramble. I made it one page and went running back to the computer. But the typewriter I picked up (for $5 on eBay) was such a cool little machine that I started getting into them and got hooked. As antiques go they're often really cheap too, even in working condition."

"I build instruments. I'm not that great at the music itself, but I really like thinking of different string configurations and variations in shape and materials. I started out by trying to understand guitars since I got one and had no idea how to play it; as I learned a bit more, I built things I couldn't afford (like an octave mandolin) and finally, things that didn't exist."

Toy voyaging.

No one should be left out of fun, not even toys! That’s what toy voyaging enthusiasts think. This unusual hobby includes sending your teddy bear, or any other toy for that matter, on a holiday to other places where a fellow hobbyist will host them and update you on your toy’s adventures.

Stone skipping.

We’ve all tried stone skipping but some people took it to a whole different level when they turned it into a competition. Currently, the record is 51 bounces over the water in one throw.

Ghost hunting.

Ghost hunters might not have all the fancy equipment the ghostbusters had in their movies, but they still aspire to catch as many ghosts as possible, even if it’s only on film. While many of us would prefer to stay away from haunted places, this is exactly where ghost hunters practice their favorite pastime.

Quidditch.

Yeah, okay, brooms can’t fly in our world, so what? Everything else in Quidditch is pretty real: throw a ball, catch a ball, don’t let your opponents win. While Quidditch is still not officially recognized as a sport, many campuses have their own teams, where players compete according to the rules described in the books while holding a broom in their hand.

"I pickle garlic and other things.

One day a thought popped into my head. "Hey, I like garlic. I wonder if I can get pickled garlic from somewhere." Well, I couldn't seem to find any at the local grocery store so I just decided to look up how to do it on my own. Now I'm pickling garlic with onions, peppers, and eggs."

Noodling.

Noodling has nothing to do with either cooking or eating noodles. What it does involve is catching fish in shallow waters with your bare hands. It may not sound like it, but noodling can be pretty dangerous and you can get hurt if you don’t take precautions.

"I collect military helmets. There is a huge variety of different helmets to focus on. I mostly collect American helmets from WWI-Vietnam. Here is a picture of a fraction of my collection, showing some of my rarest ones."

Sketching on vehicles.

Tattooing vehicles is very close to tattooing your skin, except if done right, it’s fairly easy to remove the design. So maybe, before you decide to commit to a new tattoo, try it out on your car first?

Ant keeping.

Ant keeping is different from traditional pets because they live in colonies and you can’t have just one. It is also different from beekeeping, as the latter is a farming activity, while ants bring no material gain. Yet, some people choose to have ant colonies at home and observe their daily lives.

Extreme Couponing.

It would have been fun if extreme couponing had anything to do with sports, just like extreme ironing, but in this case “extreme” refers to the amount of effort you put into collecting and organizing all sorts of discount coupons. It all pays off when you go to a shop and save a huge amount in one shopping trip.

Mooing.

Yep, mooing as in imitating the sounds cows make. You can take as much time as you need to perfect your cow impression and then probably visit a local farm and have a chat with the cows there.

News bombing.

It’s one thing when there is a live broadcast in the street and you happen to pass by. Some people can’t resist and look straight at the camera from behind the reporter’s back. It’s a completely different thing when people turn news bombing into a hobby. They find live reports and insert themselves in the background of the shot. Well, at least you could say you were on TV after that.

Competitive dog grooming.

Speaking of dogs, does your floof have lots of fur? Then why pay a groomer who will give them a pretty common, breed-appropriate haircut anyway, when you can do it yourself and have your pet sport your most extravagant design? On top of that, if you perfect your skills and enter a competition, you can even win a substantial amount for competitive dog grooming.

Ecstasy collection.

Disclaimer: drugs are harmful for your health and most of them are illegal to have in your possession. The world learned about ecstasy collection as a hobby in 2009, when a man called Dutch authorities to report that his collection of 2,400 tablets was stolen. While he knew his hobby was illegal, he preferred to let the authorities know, as the collection might have been very dangerous.