Fogbreaker
Joel Renk
Joel is the co-founder of Fogbreaker, the gamified step tracker that turns everyday walks into an adventure. He writes about walking, building better habits, and the product decisions behind the app, always looking for ways to make moving your body feel less like exercise and more like play. When he is not shipping features, he is out testing new routes and clearing the fog off his own map.
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Articles by Joel Renk
46 articles·7 min read
7 Games Like Pikmin Bloom for Walkers (2026)
The best games like Pikmin Bloom in 2026 for people who liked the walk more than the Pikmin: step pets, step gardens, a map that fills in, and each trade-off.
#gamification#apps#games·5 min read
Walking Streaks: What a Missed Day Costs
The habit research says one missed day costs almost nothing. Every streak counter says it costs everything. That gap is why streaks break people.
#walking#motivation#gamification·4 min read
Walking With a Stroller: The Air Down There
A pram sits at 0.55 to 0.85 m, exhaust pipes under 1 m. Your baby is in a different air layer than you, and route choice is your biggest lever.
#walking#health#routes·5 min read
Walking With Kids: Why They Complain
A five-year-old's preferred pace is about half an adult's, and every metre costs them a third more energy. The complaining is a readout, not an attitude.
#walking#motivation#exploration·4 min read
Microadventures: Start 400 Metres From Home
Every microadventure list is a list of destinations, which smuggles back exactly the planning the idea was invented to delete. Here is the version without one.
#walking#exploration#motivation·6 min read
6 Step Challenge Apps for Friends, Compared
The best step challenge apps for friends in 2026, and the device problem that quietly decides most of them before anyone takes a step.
#walking#apps#motivation·6 min read
Just Moved? How to Learn Your New City
You get roughly three months before a new city hardens into a routine of about 25 places. Here is how to widen the pool you are choosing them from.
#walking#exploration#city·6 min read
6 Self-Guided Walking Tour Apps, Compared
The best self-guided walking tour apps in 2026, what each really costs, and the offline catch that strands people. Plus the one that is no longer really free.
#walking#apps#cities·6 min read
Google Maps Timeline Alternatives: 5 Apps
Google moved Timeline onto your phone and deleted the cloud copies. Five alternatives compared, plus two settings to check before you lose more history.
#apps#exploration#tracking·6 min read
Komoot Alternatives: 7 Apps Worth a Look
Looking for a Komoot alternative after the Bending Spoons takeover? Seven apps compared, what each is actually built for, and when staying on Komoot is right.
#apps#exploration#tracking·8 min read
Walking in the Rain: The Case for Going Out
The smell of rain is a timeable event, your jacket fails in a predictable way, and the dangerous temperature is not the cold one. A walker's guide to rain.
#walking#safety#motivation·3 min read
How Many Steps Are in a Kilometer? (Full 1 to 20 km Conversion Chart)
A kilometer is roughly 1,250 steps and a mile is about 2,000. Here's the full distance-to-steps chart, steps per km by height, and how to measure your own stride.
#walking#fitness#tracking·7 min read
Walking in Winter: How Cold Is Too Cold?
The wind chill number on your phone was measured on people walking 3 mph. What it means, when skin actually freezes, and how to keep walking all winter.
#walking#safety#motivation·6 min read
What Your Walking App Knows About You
Fitness apps exposed military bases and heads of state. Not through breaches, through defaults. What your walking app sees, and how to check yours.
#privacy#walking#apps·8 min read
7 Walking RPG Apps That Run on Your Real Steps
Walking RPG apps turn steps into levels, skills and quests. Seven worth knowing, from WalkScape to Orna, and the split that decides which suits you.
#walking#gamification#apps·7 min read
Walking Scavenger Hunt Ideas for Adults
Walking scavenger hunt ideas built on categories that exist in any neighbourhood, plus how to build a list that pulls you down streets you never walk.
#walking#exploration#motivation·6 min read
Walking After Dark: How to Stay Visible, Safe, and Actually Keep the Habit
Walking in the dark safely: why drivers cannot see you, where to put reflective gear so it works, how to pick a route after sunset, and how to keep your walking habit through winter.
#walking#health#motivation·5 min read
Fog of World Alternatives: 6 Apps That Clear Fog As You Explore (2026)
Looking for Fog of World alternatives? Six fog-of-war map apps that reveal the world as you travel it, what each costs, and the one question that decides which you want.
#apps#exploration#tracking·5 min read
6 Apps Like CityStrides for Walking Every Street (And the Catch They All Share)
The best CityStrides alternatives for tracking every street you have walked: StreetFerret, Wandrer, Squadrats and more. Plus the one requirement almost all of them quietly share.
#apps#exploration#tracking·8 min read
7 Apps Like Randonautica, and the Honest Problem With the Original (2026)
Seven apps like Randonautica that send you somewhere you have never been, from card-based dérive tools to geocaching and fog-of-war maps. Plus what the quantum coordinates actually are.
#apps#exploration#games·7 min read
Urban Hiking: How to Turn Your Own City Into a Trail
Urban hiking means treating your city as terrain: stairs for elevation, parks for green, a real distance and a real finish. How to plan one, and the city trails that already exist.
#walking#exploration#routes·8 min read
Strava Alternatives for Walkers: 9 Apps Worth Switching To (2026)
Walking is Strava's second most-recorded activity, but the subscription is built around pace. Nine Strava alternatives for walkers, sorted by where your walk data actually lives.
#apps#walking#tracking·7 min read
How to Explore a New City on Foot (Without Seeing What Everyone Else Sees)
How to explore a new city on foot: orient yourself in the first hour, take more turns to escape the tourist flow, and shape the day around the heat instead of a checklist.
#walking#exploration#travel·4 min read
How Many Steps a Day to Lose Weight? (What the Research Actually Says)
How many steps a day to lose weight? Research points to 7,000 to 10,000, but the real driver is the calorie deficit. Here's the honest math, the intensity that matters, and a free calculator.
#walking#health#fitness·7 min read
8 Games Like Pokémon GO Worth Walking For (2026)
The best games like Pokémon GO in 2026: GPS games that turn a real walk into an adventure, from Pikmin Bloom and Ingress to fog-of-war city explorers. What each does best, and the honest trade-off.
#gamification#apps#games·5 min read
The 6-6-6 Walking Challenge: How to Do It (and Whether the 6 a.m. Thing Actually Matters)
The 6-6-6 walking challenge is a 60-minute brisk walk at 6 a.m. or 6 p.m. with a 6-minute warm-up and cool-down. What it burns, why the timing helps, and which parts of the trend you can ignore.
#walking#fitness#health·6 min read
7 Games Like GeoGuessr That Are Actually Free (2026)
Seven free games like GeoGuessr worth playing in 2026, from street-view classics to Fog Guesser, a new city-guessing game where the map hides under fog.
#gamification#apps#games·5 min read
Walking After Eating: The 10-Minute Habit That Steadies Your Blood Sugar
Walking after eating is one of the simplest ways to steady your blood sugar. Here's how long to walk, when to start, how fast to go, and why a short post-meal walk beats a longer one later.
#walking#health#fitness·5 min read
How to Walk More With a Desk Job: A Realistic Guide to Moving When You Sit All Day
Stuck at a desk all day? How to walk more with a desk job: why breaking up sitting beats one big workout, plus movement snacks, lunch walks, walking meetings, and steps that actually stick.
#walking#health#motivation·5 min read
How to Make Dog Walks More Interesting (for You and Your Dog)
Stuck on the same boring loop? Here's how to make dog walks more interesting for both of you: sniffaris, fresh routes, training games, and why new smells matter more to your dog than distance.
#walking#dogs#exploration·6 min read
How to See a Map of Everywhere You've Walked (From Google Timeline to Fog-of-War Apps)
Want a map of everywhere you've walked? Here are five ways to see one, from Google Maps Timeline to route trackers, scratch maps, and fog-of-war apps that fill in your city street by street.
#walking#exploration#apps·6 min read
Walking in Hot Weather: How to Stay Safe and Still Hit Your Steps
Walking in hot weather safely: the best time of day to walk in summer, the warning signs of heat exhaustion, whether the heat really burns more calories, and how to still hit your steps.
#walking#health#motivation·4 min read
How Far Is 10,000 Steps, Really? (Miles, Km, and Minutes)
How far is 10,000 steps? For most people it's about 8 km, just under 5 miles, and around 90 minutes of walking. Here's the full steps-to-distance chart and why your number differs.
#walking#fitness#tracking·7 min read
Rucking for Beginners: How to Start Walking With Weight (and Actually Stick With It)
Rucking for beginners: what it is, how much weight to start with, its benefits, how many calories it burns versus walking, and how to actually stick with it.
#walking#fitness#health·5 min read
Japanese Walking: The Interval Method Everyone's Trying in 2026 (and How to Do It)
Japanese walking, or interval walking training, means 3 minutes slow and 3 minutes fast, five times over. Here's what it is, the science behind it, and how to do it right.
#walking#fitness#health·5 min read
What Is Flâneuring? The Art of Aimless Walking (and Why Your Brain Loves It)
Flâneuring is the art of walking with no destination, just curiosity. Here's what flânerie is, why aimless walking is so good for your brain, and how to start.
#walking#exploration#motivation·5 min read
Why Does My Phone Not Count All My Steps? (And Why Two Apps Never Agree)
Why does your phone miss steps, and why do two apps show different counts? Here's how phone step tracking actually works, how accurate GPS really is, and how to get the most reliable count.
#walking#tracking#gps·4 min read
How Many Calories Does Walking Burn? (Plus a Free Calculator)
How many calories does walking burn? Use our free walking calorie calculator, then see what drives the number: your weight, distance, pace, and terrain, plus how many calories 10,000 steps burns.
#walking#health#fitness·6 min read
How to Walk Every Street in Your City: A Practical Guide to the Every Single Street Challenge
Want to walk every street in your city? A practical, step-by-step guide to the every-single-street challenge: pick your boundary, track progress, plan efficient routes, and actually finish.
#walking#exploration#motivation·5 min read
The Benefits of Walking Every Day: What a Daily Walk Actually Does to Your Body
The real benefits of walking every day, backed by research: what a daily walk does for your heart, weight, blood sugar, mood, and brain, plus how many steps you actually need.
#walking#health#motivation·4 min read
How to Find New Walking Routes Near You: 9 Ways to Break Out of the Same Old Loop
Bored of the same loop? Here are 9 simple ways to find new walking routes near you: smarter map tools, loop planning, green corridors, and letting a destination pick the path.
#walking#exploration#routes·6 min read
Best Walking Games: 6 Apps That Make Steps Fun
The best walking games for iPhone and Android, from Pokémon GO to fog-of-war explorers. What each app does best, and which fits how you actually walk.
#walking#gamification#apps·5 min read
Step Challenge Ideas: 12 Ways to Get Friends, Family & Coworkers Walking More
Most step challenges fizzle because the same person always wins. Here are 12 step challenge ideas for friends, family, and coworkers, with rules and prizes.
#walking#gamification#motivation·4 min read
Fog of War, But for Real Life: How a Walking App Reveals Your City One Street at a Time
Strategy games hide the map behind a fog of war. A new kind of walking app does the same for real life, revealing your city street by street as you explore on foot.
#walking#exploration#gamification·5 min read
How to Make Walking Fun: 15 Ways to Actually Look Forward to Your Daily Walk
Walking gets boring fast. Here are 15 simple ways to make walking fun: gamify your steps, find fresh routes, add friendly challenges, and you'll actually go.
#walking#motivation#gamification·1 min read
Welcome to the Fogbreaker blog
Why we walk, why we gamified it, and what you can expect from this blog: walking tips, product updates, and stories from the trail.
#walking#gamification#announcements
Turn your next walk into an adventure
Reveal your city as you walk, earn XP, and climb the leaderboard with friends. Free on iOS and Android.
