[Help activating a TB]

Resolved... they simply emailed me the activation code. I think it would be easier to skip that part of it, but I guess now that I've activated one I'll know to hang on to plastic baggies in the future.

[Cacher hoarding travel bugs]

I don't know why but I find this situation amusing. I was quite stunned to see the the quantity of trackables <name removed by moderator> has, and for the length of time. Then a little chuckle at the glass houses comment and seeing some lengthy trackables the original poster has.

 

Eh, I guess this is one without an easy obvious solution. I guess I'll pull up a chair and see how it unfolds. I feel bad when I've had anything for more than 2 weeks. One time I had a giant geocaching for dummies books for several months before I found a cache it would fit in, and I felt awful about having it in captivity for so long.

[Travel Bug - To Move or Not?]

If a TB is in the middle of nowhere, definitely move it. They want to be moved around and not stuck isolated.

 

If a TB doesn't have a mission written on it, and I know I'm going to be caching again soon I'll usually take it. I figure I can move it around for fun, especially if I'm going on a big trip. The website usually isn't very accurate so I don't bother checking online ahead of time to see if it's one I want.

 

If a TB has a mission clearly written, I'll definitely take it if I can help it along. If I can't help it, I usually just leave it.

 

Everyone has their own set of guidelines. Some people are picky and serious about rules. Some people geocache for fun and go with the flow... most are somewhere in the middle of the spectrum. So you ask different people you'll get a different answer. Whatever approach works for you as long as you're not hurting or infringing on someone else's joy of the game.

[revisiting a cache]

When I was starting out I went to visit a TB motel to pick things up for a trip. As a noobie I simply logged another find and it just showed up as having been found twice.

 

However a little while later I rescued a cache that was floating in the river about 30 feet away... this involved getting very cut up through the black berry bushes, and ending up with a drenched cache. I logged it as a needs maintenance only. I definitely earned a find for that cache, but a maintenance log doesn't add a "find."

 

I eventually figured out how to log actual finds, and just decided that the two balanced each other out. Then it started to bug me so over a year later I went back and changed my find to a note, and added a find for the other one.

 

I guess the moral of the story is that everyone does their own thing. You are welcome to leave your logs as they are. At any time you can go back and change them like I did. Some people are sticklers for rules, some people just want to have fun. The beauty of geocaching is getting out of it whatever you want. I revisit caches all the time to pick up TBs for trips, or to drop off TBs when I want to unload them quick.

[Help activating a TB]

I've never owned a TB before, but have moved plenty along their way. Last year we went to an event and I received a new TB tag as a door prize. It sat and sat. Then a few days ago we visited someone's cache and came inside to see their coins. They were as sweet as can be and even gave us a new TB tag. Well with two of them we can't just let them sit in our house.

 

We picked just the right item, and got ready to activate it. But turns out they need an activation code bummer. The TB tag came in a small plastic baggy, but I don't remember it having anything on it. Didn't seem important so it got thrown out right away in a public garbage that has long since been emptied. The one from last year is somewhere around here but needs to be found (hmm seems like a geocacher should be able to find such a thing). I don't think it's in it's plastic bag either. If it came in a bag I don't remember it having anything important on it.

 

What to do with gift given TB tags with no activation codes?

 

Why such tight security? If you have the tag then it's yours. I can't figure if there's a problem with people activating other's TBs or what.

 

I emailed the contact email, so I guess I'll just wait. Just seems silly to have to enter an activation code when I already have the travel bug tag... isn't that proof enough that it's mine?