timinfla

I guess I have a lot to learn about TB's and travel coins :-) I figured the only reason for them was to set them out on a journey and track them. Geocaching is a very interesting hobby/sport and I'm trying to learn to do things properly as I learn.

Okay - I don't understand why you'd activate a trackable and then just take it to all of your cache finds and log that the trackable visited the cache too. Not saying it's wrong - just trying to figure this all out. I haven't released or activated any trackables yet but plan to try it soon. The part of it that interests me is to see where it goes and what path it takes. I guess just taking your own trackable on all of your cache visits is one way to be sure it never goes missing

Okay - THIS one has me going "Released" in 2012 but never left the owners possession??? Why would you want to do something like this??? Click here for Titan trackable link

I'm still new to this stuff and became very interested in the idea behind trackables. I personally find it difficult to look back through the travels of some of them when the logs are filled with pages and pages of "visits". I can see why some would want it as was stated - like in a race to see who's trackable traveled the furthest (although it seems that this could be easily manipulated if someone wanted to do so - was the trackable really with the person at all the visited caches?). I've only retrieved a few of them in my short geocaching career and am interested in watching where they wind up, how long they're in a cache before moving on etc...

I retrieved a trackable today and when I logged it I looked through the log to see where it had been I saw that of the 6 pages of logs about 5 of them were nothing but one member that had retrieved it and then I guess took it on "visits" to other caches. Is this normal? It seemed strange to me that someone would take the trackable on so many visits and log them like that. Here's the trackable I retrieved today: Trackable Page

I dropped a Geocoin in a cache that I had visited before and it logged the cache as a find for me again. I wanted to drop the Geocoin in a "hotel" that I know to be a safe place where it will more than likely be moved along. Is there a way to place a trackable in a cache I've already discovered but not have to log it as "found" again? Or should I not place it in a cache that I've already been to? I tried to just place it in the cache but the log said that I had to choose an option in the drop down box with "found it" , "needs maintenance" etc...

Where did they come from in the first place? If they were stolen - how did they wind up back at Groundspeak? I'm new here, interested in TB's and just trying to understand...

I'm a newbie and use my cellphone with the c.geo app. It's gotten me very interested in Geocaching to say the least! I'm also really interested in TB's and dropped one off that I found a week ago in another cache today. I took care in finding a cache that I felt was safe and dry to give the TB a shot at being moved on again by the next person that finds it. I'll be buying some of my own before too long and trying my luck with them. So not ALL newbies with a free app are disrespectful of the game/sport/hobby - whatever you choose to call it. I also plan on becoming a premium member to support this site!

Thanks - I didn't know about the tracking number being shown when I took the pic of my daughter holding it. I wound up downloading a free app from Samsung for my cellphone that let me block the number before uploading it.

Yes I'm watching it - I never imagined that I'd be so attached to Otto and want to see where he goes in his travels - never imagined being so nervous about him not going missing on my watch

I picked up a TB at a park near my home last week. It was in a pretty elaborate TB Hotel that has many TB's inside it. I've been very nervous to drop it off at another location and wanted to find a good temporary home for it. I had discovered some caches that were too small, damp inside, too easy to discover accidentally by a non geocacher etc... I found a nice one today that's well hidden, dry inside and was a bit tough to find so seemed okay to drop it off. I'm nervous about it after reading about so many TB's that go go missing. This TB has traveled all the way from Germany, across the Atlantic, has been in different states and currently in Florida. I hope it finds it's way to the west coast of the US as the owners wishes are. I never knew I'd worry so much about it when I retrieved it

Well, saying "cannot" is not entirely correct. You SHOULD ask the owner but if your bug lands in a Stargate or teleport cache, those usually get mailed out without asking permission first. Well, I assume they get mailed....they don't really teleport, do they I'm new to this and haven't heard of a Stragate or teleport cache yet - I just copied and pasted the line in bold above from the TB rules on this site... I did make contact with the owner (he lives in Germany) and he said that he would prefer the TB to be moved to another cache in Florida where I live as opposed to mailing it to Montana. Maybe he doesn't want the TB to freeze

I found the answer on the pinned post in this forum called "HOW TO LOG A TRAVEL BUG OR GEOCOIN" The answer to mailing a TB is: You cannot mail a TB without asking the owner first.

How do I post photos of the TB when I find one so that the owner can see where it's been?

Haha - Especially heading there from Florida When I visit I have to fly or my vacation time would all be used up driving there and back. What a beautiful state though! LOT's of amazing places to place a cache!

I did take some photos and plan to post them for the owner - a couple pic's were of the cool TB Motel container which had a combination lock that you have to retrieve from the owners cache listing and even that only gives a hint of the combination. The pic of the actual TB with my daughter holding it came out great - but after reading online a bit about TB's I read that you should never post a pic that shows the tracing number. I didn't think it would show it, but sure enough when I zoomed in there it was plain as day! So I didn't post it :-) I sent an email to the owner in Germany and will see if he answers back with his desire for the TB. I think I'll go retrieve it anyway and depending on his answer either place it in another cache in a different part of Florida - or mail it to Montana if that's what he wants. Thanks for helping out a new guy!

Thanks for the quick replies. I did try and search the FAQ's and TB forum posts before asking to see if I could find the answer. This particular one originated in Berlin Germany in 2010. The owners wish was to have it find it's way to the US west coast someday. I found it in Florida and my brother lives in Montana so thought this was following the owners desires, but I see the point that he may want it to get there cache-by-cache. I'll try and give the owner a shout to see how they'd like things to go. Looking at the posts it spent a good bit of time traveling back and forth in Germany between the same cities, and once in the States I see that it's bounced between Florida and Ohio a couple of times as well. Is that normal that they bounce between the same sites like that?

Very new to this. I found a TB in a cache - not being sure what to do with it I left it there and decided to study the process before doing anything with it. Is it allowed to be picked up by me and mailed to another geocacher a long distance away for them to place in a cache where they live - or am I only supposed to place it in another cache myself? Just something that my brother and I were discussing as we're both newbies and live across the US from each other and the thought came up that we could do something together this way but don't want to do things that aren't proper.