Travel Bug hotels or prisons?

[+w2b]

Click this link and read it, in detail.

 

Get Out of (TB) Jail Free

done did and I don't think it applies to my hotel. I haven't had a bug stay in it for more than a week and a half!

I check this on a daily basis and will move them myself if they are hanging out too long.

Let's try this.

I placed a TB hotel in Norfolk when on vacation, nice ammo can. Got my son involved in caching and had him adopt the cache before I left for home, okay , thats being responsible. There is no problem with bugs moving in and out of that hotel because of the large population area, there are a lot of cachers.

I live in a small population area with not that many cachers, and have seen bugs get stranded for months in regular caches because they are difficult to get to with anything short of a helo.

I just want my hotel to be a convenient place for those bugs to go to and move from, without it turning into the box of trash that some of the caches have become. And I mean the trash literally. My hotel is not going to be that.

I have purposely gone out for caches that have bugs and coins in them many times, only to get there and find them empty of the bugs that someone took but failed to ever log. Dissappointing.

 

Pardon the spelling...it has been a long night and day! 15 hrs today.

Edited February 26, 2008 by w2b

[+BlueDeuce]

My daughter wanted to get on the PC, I said well I'm chatting about hotels.

 

Since she's a cacher she asked what's it about.

 

After I explained she looked at me and said, "They're Travel bugs, not trade items."

 

An 11 year old girl's got more sense.

 

Guess, what just happened? My daughter showed up wanting to use the computer..................

 

No seriously. Here we are again.

[+the hermit crabs]

If you want to move a bug without leaving one fine. Take a bug and move it (unlike some that hide them in the cache junk bag for months , like where some of mine have wound up!) but don't take them ALL!!!!! Thats all I am asking.

Not according to your cache page.

 

First, in spite of what you claim above, nowhere on your page do you indicate that it's fine with you if someone wants to move a big without taking one, then it's fine with you. The cache description says exactly the opposite.

 

Second, you don't "ask" anything. Shouting the word "please" in front of an all-caps command doesn't make it "asking".

 

"PLEASE LEAVE A TRACKABLE ITEM IF YOU ARE TAKING ONE!"

and

"PLEASE REPLACE A BUG WITH A BUG!"

[+BlueDeuce]

Click this link and read it, in detail.

 

Get Out of (TB) Jail Free

done did and I don't think it applies to my hotel. I haven't had a bug stay in it for more than a week and a half!

I check this on a daily basis and will move them myself if they are hanging out too long.

Let's try this.

I placed a TB hotel in Norfolk when on vacation, nice ammo can. Got my son involved in caching and had him adopt the cache before I left for home, okay , thats being responsible. There is no problem with bugs moving in and out of that hotel because of the large population area, there are a lot of cachers.

I live in a small population area with not that many cachers, and have seen bugs get stranded for months in regular caches because they are difficult to get to with anything short of a helo.

I just want my hotel to be a convenient place for those bugs to go to and move from, without it turning into the box of trash that some of the caches have become. And I mean the trash literally. My hotel is not going to be that.

I have purposely gone out for caches that have bugs and coins in them many times, only to get there and find them empty of the bugs that someone took but failed to ever log. Dissappointing.

 

Pardon the spelling...it has been a long night and day! 15 hrs today.

 

(Don't worry, I can type faster than most people, if you don't count spelling)

 

Stand by... have to tuck the daughter in. brb

[+the hermit crabs]

I just want my hotel to be a convenient place for those bugs to go to and move from, without it turning into the box of trash that some of the caches have become. And I mean the trash literally. My hotel is not going to be that.

You can do that easily, without having hostage-exchange rules.

 

Just say "This cache is for travel bugs only; please don't put trade items in it."

 

That's it. No need for any one-for-one trade rules. That makes it more convenient, not less.

 

I have purposely gone out for caches that have bugs and coins in them many times, only to get there and find them empty of the bugs that someone took but failed to ever log. Dissappointing.

This happens everywhere, hotel or not, rules or not. People forget to log them, or drop them in another cache before they log them and then realize that they don't have the tracking number. They lose them. Sometimes they steal them. Thousands and thousands of caches, including many many TB hotels, have bugs and coins listed in their inventory that haven't been there for months (if ever).

 

Prison rules are not going to alter that fact.

[+BlueDeuce]

Prison rules are not going to alter that fact.

 

Exactly what I was going to point out. Keeping bugs restricted to a cache that can only be moved by bringing in another bug is not a solution for misplaced/unlogged bug.

[+mvigor]

I think it's pretty funny that a perfect solution was offered...chain a few of your own personally owned discover-only travel bugs or coins in there so the can is never empty...and the OP just completely ignored that great suggestion to go on whining about his "problem."

[+w2b]

one thing about it is peopel haven't changed. Still are reading things into what I have said that wasn't said at all. Standard.

Geographically different areas have different quirks about how things are approached and how quickly things move or don't move. Wish you could all come out here and cache with me for a week if you live in the eastern section of our country and see what the southwestern desert is like. Physical explaination is much better than words.

[+w2b]

one thing about it is peopel haven't changed. Still are reading things into what I have said that wasn't said at all. Standard.

Geographically different areas have different quirks about how things are approached and how quickly things move or don't move. Wish you could all come out here and cache with me for a week if you live in the eastern section of our country and see what the southwestern desert is like. Physical explaination is much better than words.

[+w2b]

I think it's pretty funny that a perfect solution was offered...chain a few of your own personally owned discover-only travel bugs or coins in there so the can is never empty...and the OP just completely ignored that great suggestion to go on whining about his "problem."

whine whine.

Thats what iI come to the forums for. Looking for some ideas and discussion, maybe some new opinions, maybe to learn from you much more seasoned geocachers and what I get is sarcasm and put downs, great! That really helps the situation move on to a solution. Thank-You!

[+mvigor]

I think it's pretty funny that a perfect solution was offered...chain a few of your own personally owned discover-only travel bugs or coins in there so the can is never empty...and the OP just completely ignored that great suggestion to go on whining about his "problem."

whine whine.

Thats what iI come to the forums for. Looking for some ideas and discussion, maybe some new opinions, maybe to learn from you much more seasoned geocachers and what I get is sarcasm and put downs, great! That really helps the situation move on to a solution. Thank-You!

 

If you came to learn here, then learn. Travel bugs belong to other people. No matter what you call your cache, the only travel bugs that belong to you are ones you have registered.

 

Change your listing to say..."I have 2 personal travel bugs and one personal geocoin chained to this hotel so there will always be something for you to discover when you come. Take or leave as many of the unchained travel bugs as you wish."

[+BlueDeuce]

I think it's pretty funny that a perfect solution was offered...chain a few of your own personally owned discover-only travel bugs or coins in there so the can is never empty...and the OP just completely ignored that great suggestion to go on whining about his "problem."

whine whine.

Thats what iI come to the forums for. Looking for some ideas and discussion, maybe some new opinions, maybe to learn from you much more seasoned geocachers and what I get is sarcasm and put downs, great! That really helps the situation move on to a solution. Thank-You!

 

I don't have much in the way of a new opinion. Just the same one that trade restrictions do not help travel bugs move, they do not help other cacher's find bugs, (they can't take the ones in your cache until they go find one in another cache), and they go against the whole idea easy access to bugs which is the purpose of a hotel.

Edited February 26, 2008 by BlueDeuce

[+Knight2000]

Suppose i did a good deed and moved others TB's toward their goal but had placed every TB that i had picked up.

 

If i visited a cache with restrictions, i would not be able to move a TB toward its goal if i followed the cache rules.

 

That is not fair to other cachers who own TB's.

 

Whether on not the TB has been there one year, or one hour, the cache owner shouldn't have a say in whether or not that TB can move along on its journey.

[+the hermit crabs]

one thing about it is peopel haven't changed. Still are reading things into what I have said that wasn't said at all. Standard.

I found this funny. And then I found it even funnier when I glanced over to the left side of the screen and saw your location.

 

Geographically different areas have different quirks about how things are approached...

Judging by many other forum topics, that is quite true. In some locations, logging events multiple times to account for temporary caches is considered normal, while it is completely unacceptable in other places. Logging a separate smiley for individual stages of a multicache is encouraged in a few spots, and completely unheard of in others. Pocket caches, armchair caching, logging one's own caches -- all are viewed differently in different places. The list of examples goes on.

 

But the thing that all of these geographical quirks have in common is that they involve the mutual agreement of the cache hiders and cache finders involved. Other people may voice their derision of some of these practices, but ultimately they don't affect the people who are complaining. Don't like it? Don't do it that way.

 

This issue, though, is completely different. It does affect the people who are complaining -- the owners of the travel bugs.

 

Having a never-empty "hotel" might make you happy. It might make cachers who stop buy happy to always have something to find. (Assuming, of course, they have a hostage to trade.) But it certainly doesn't make the owner of a bug happy, when he sees a log like this: "I'm going to Japan in two weeks and here's a bug that's been trying to get there for three years... too bad I didn't have one to trade for it so I couldn't take it." (not from your cache; this was hypothetical.)

 

So many times I've heard the prison wardens say "Don't like travel bug hotels? Then don't go to them!" I can stay away from them until I turn blue... but that doesn't prevent these hotel owners from holding my bugs hostage.

 

...and how quickly things move or don't move.

Explain to us how placing arbitrary rules restricting their movement helps bugs? Edited February 26, 2008 by the hermit crabs

[+Kealia]

Just so a few folks don't think that it's the minority of cachers who believe that rules on TB Hotels are wrong - let me jump in and lend my support as well.

 

There's a similar discussion going on right now in the geocoin forums about the exact same thing and the responses are overwhelming identical:

 

Don't place rules on other people's travelers.

 

I own a lot of trackables. I own a TB Hotel with no restrictions. Right now there are a bunch of travelers in there and I feel bad that I can't get out there and move them myself. I just don't have time to cache right now. I hope it's empty soon.

 

I've gone so far as to start tagging my travelers with notes that say "do not place in caches that require you to trade travelers". When they do end up in a cache like that, I will post on the cache''s page that it's ok to take my traveler without a trade.

 

You can control your cache up until the point where it conflicts with my traveler.

 

Sorry, but you are in the minority here.

[+w2b]

okay with all the heat taken for this one I have removed all stipulations on my hotel, and will see what happens! My bet is it will get emptied and will be long and slow at getting traffic simply because of our lack of density as population goes.

Before I go I want to make one statement as to tb's and trade items such as coins.

Some coins cost a lot of money and it is not unreasonable to expect someone to leave a coin if they take a coin, do you agree????

As I have learned from the last event I was at and having this hotel 99.999 percent of the cachers out there fail to make a distinction between bugs and coins in caches! They take them all!!!!!

[+the hermit crabs]

Before I go I want to make one statement as to tb's and trade items such as coins.

Some coins cost a lot of money and it is not unreasonable to expect someone to leave a coin if they take a coin, do you agree????

No, no, a thousand times no. I do not agree.

 

Not for my coins, anyway.

 

You are certainly free to place such a rule on your own coins -- you could add it to any coin you set loose into the world. Just attach a note that says "Please don't pick up this coin from whatever cache or event you see it in, unless you leave another one in its place." That way your rule applies only to your coins.

 

I wouldn't do such a thing... it smacks of elitism and snobbery. If all coins had a rule like that, it tells all cachers that they are never allowed to move any coin unless they buy one themselves first (or are lucky enough to have one given to them as a gift).

[+BlueDeuce]

okay with all the heat taken for this one I have removed all stipulations on my hotel, and will see what happens! My bet is it will get emptied and will be long and slow at getting traffic simply because of our lack of density as population goes.

Before I go I want to make one statement as to tb's and trade items such as coins.

Some coins cost a lot of money and it is not unreasonable to expect someone to leave a coin if they take a coin, do you agree????

As I have learned from the last event I was at and having this hotel 99.999 percent of the cachers out there fail to make a distinction between bugs and coins in caches! They take them all!!!!!

 

First of all, thank you.

 

Secondly, The owner of a well-placed hotel should actually be pleased if the hotel is occasionally empty, since it shows that the hotel is serving its purpose: to get bugs moving quickly. And if a hotel does stay empty for long periods of time without the cache owner continually raiding other caches to re-stock it, then it's not a good place for a travel bug hotel.

 

Seems to me that you trying to get more visitors at your cache rather than get bugs moving. If it's a good cache people will come.

[Kenneth_v]

I think that this is pretty cut and dry

 

A note to geocachers:

Travel bugs and trackable geocoins are not a trade item, you do not have to put something in the cache to take a Trackable item, and you should not take something from a cache in trade for a Trackable item. If you should take something from a cache, you should make a trade, and you can place the Trackable item.

 

This is a quote written by ertha (moderator) under here - http://forums.Groundspeak.com/GC/index.php?showtopic=94185

 

It is my humble opinion that if a cache is making a TB or coin a tradeable item when it apears that they were never designed for this, maybe the cache (TB prison) should be removed from the listing of caches on geocache.com as it violates geocache.com's intent of what tb's and coins were created for - TRAVEL.

 

Just my 2 cents

 

Ken

[+w2b]

Just a fast response, "TB Prison" ......I have never locked up a TB or Coin or made it unmovable and have never accosted anyone when they are moving one.

I just think there should be some sense of ethics and fair play involved.

I have come across several caches that list all kinds of swag when originally placed only to find it nearly empty except for an eraser or card, etc.!

The idea of trade items, etc, etc kinda goes under the rug when you have those cachers running around taking, taking, taking, taking.......and never replacing anything. That my fellow cachers is where my real problem lies. And that is why I get upset when someone takes all the trackables.....because they never place one they just take!

Edited February 27, 2008 by w2b

[+mvigor]

Trading swag is trading swag and I agree with you completely there. Caches end up full of worthless crap. So far I feel like I've been part of the solution rather than part of the problem, so hopefully I'm doing my part. It frustrates me to no end to see someone leave a log like "Took the dollar coin, left a green plastic army man" when you know those army men can be had 50 for $1 at the dollar store. Or the cache where I left a $10 laser pointer and it was gone a week later without a logged visit (other than someone picking up a travel bug.)

 

HOWEVER, Travel bugs and coins, despite their price, are not trade items and have no such ethics attached.

 

Period.

Edited February 27, 2008 by mvigor

[+BlueDeuce]

Just a fast response, "TB Prison" ......I have never locked up a TB or Coin and or made it unmovable and have never accosted anyone when they are moving one.

I just think there should be some sense of ethics and fair play involved.

I have come across several caches that list all kinds of swag when originally placed only to find it nearly empty! The idea of trade items, etc, etc kinda goes under the rug when you have those cachers running around taking, taking, taking, taking.......and never replacing anything. That my fellow cachers is where my real problem lies.

 

I know you have good intentions. I know you are not an evil cacher, trust me I know one.

 

Cache swag is notorious for going downhill, usually shortly after being placed. That's one of the reasons why we tout the slogan 'Trade even, Trade up, or Don't trade at all'. That's the best we can do in most cases. I personally don't trade for swag that often but I do carry a fairly large supply. If the cache is depleted I'll be happy to add in a few extra items without taking a thing. And I leave things for kids. People will sometimes complain that there are no trade items for adults. I don't care. You want stuff? Go buy it yourself, because I'm leaving this stuff for the youngsters.

 

There are plenty of threads discussing the depletion of swag. You aren't alone.

 

Travelers however are not swag. They are not part of the items that should be traded for and that often have to be replenished by the cache owner. They are part of the community. They are a connection with other cachers and that is far better than any trade item could ever hope for.

 

I couldn't even tell you how many people I've conversed with, just because of travel bugs. Many have become good friends and some I would even say, close.

 

No, it's not about fair trade. It's about meeting the goal. It's about keeping it alive. It's about taking pictures, telling stories, and having fun.

 

One of my favorites was the guy who carried my daughters bug through 14 states. Mount Rushmore, 2nd oldest cache just to mention the highlights. Now that's traveling.

[+w2b]

Just a fast response, "TB Prison" ......I have never locked up a TB or Coin and or made it unmovable and have never accosted anyone when they are moving one.

I just think there should be some sense of ethics and fair play involved.

I have come across several caches that list all kinds of swag when originally placed only to find it nearly empty! The idea of trade items, etc, etc kinda goes under the rug when you have those cachers running around taking, taking, taking, taking.......and never replacing anything. That my fellow cachers is where my real problem lies.

 

I know you have good intentions. I know you are not an evil cacher, trust me I know one.

 

Cache swag is notorious for going downhill, usually shortly after being placed. That's one of the reasons why we tout the slogan 'Trade even, Trade up, or Don't trade at all'. That's the best we can do in most cases. I personally don't trade for swag that often but I do carry a fairly large supply. If the cache is depleted I'll be happy to add in a few extra items without taking a thing. And I leave things for kids. People will sometimes complain that there are no trade items for adults. I don't care. You want stuff? Go buy it yourself, because I'm leaving this stuff for the youngsters.

 

There are plenty of threads discussing the depletion of swag. You aren't alone.

 

Travelers however are not swag. They are not part of the items that should be traded for and that often have to be replenished by the cache owner. They are part of the community. They are a connection with other cachers and that is far better than any trade item could ever hope for.

 

I couldn't even tell you how many people I've conversed with, just because of travel bugs. Many have become good friends and some I would even say, close.

 

No, it's not about fair trade. It's about meeting the goal. It's about keeping it alive. It's about taking pictures, telling stories, and having fun.

 

One of my favorites was the guy who carried my daughters bug through 14 states. Mount Rushmore, 2nd oldest cache just to mention the highlights. Now that's traveling.

totally off the topic but have you ever cached in the Laughlin, NV area? I found a blue duckie today that looks just like your pict on the forum here?

[+BlueDeuce]

totally off the topic but have you ever cached in the Laughlin, NV area? I found a blue duckie today that looks just like your pict on the forum here?

 

No I haven't, but I am definitely looking to grab this bug!

 

Devil Ducky Derby Racer: Blue

[+Kealia]

okay with all the heat taken for this one I have removed all stipulations on my hotel, and will see what happens! My bet is it will get emptied and will be long and slow at getting traffic simply because of our lack of density as population goes.

Before I go I want to make one statement as to tb's and trade items such as coins.

Some coins cost a lot of money and it is not unreasonable to expect someone to leave a coin if they take a coin, do you agree????

As I have learned from the last event I was at and having this hotel 99.999 percent of the cachers out there fail to make a distinction between bugs and coins in caches! They take them all!!!!!

 

Good for you! There are a lot of folks who come in and complain, but few who actually listen to feedback and take action.

 

To answer your question, though - yes, it's unreasonable to expect people to trade for travelers.

 

As Blue Deuce has said, a good hotel is empty often. It means that things are moving.

 

All is well and right in the world again. Off to bed!

[Tarklis]

Just back from Phoenix and I feel I should write my side of this, as I am the one who is getting hate mail from some hotel prison wardens!

 

First I received a letter from the cache owner stating this:

 

Hi. This is Mark. I am the owner of the Gettysburg Travel Bug Hotel from Geocaching. I wanted to thank you for visiting last month. This being a travel bug hotel, the common goal is to have items in there to check out and trade. Trade being the key word. That’s why I imposed rule #1

--> 1. You can take as many TB's as you want, but please drop that many off. They tend to get lonely! This helps others to enjoy this one as well.

I know there is nothing to be done now... but, as I see the common goal for all such hotels is to trade and see many coins/travel-bugs at once, it might be a cool idea to look if you have nothing to trade. Honestly, even taking 1 would have been cool with me. Taking them all and leaving none, really upset myself and your fellow cachers that followed you to the cache. Again, its water under the bridge at this point, BUT, since I am sure that you would come across another such cache in the future, I just wanted to give a heads up. Hope this made sense. Thanks again for visiting. Biggie

 

Okay so I took three TB's that had been sitting in this cache for over 2 weeks, I had just come back from West Virginia caching and had no bugs to leave as I had dropped them in WV. As a TB owner myself, I felt that to move the TB's would be helping the owners of the bugs log miles and get them closer to their destination. I have TB that I wrote a note to the cache asking if someone could help them out by moving them along. I don't want my sitting nor do most owners I also in no way compelled or even cared about the cache owners feelings, I did not muggle this cache and I remember covering it up better than I found it. I invited him if he ever gets over this way to take all the Bugs and Coins he can as long as they are moving who cares

 

I run a racecar with the NHRA and travel the country I have moved many bugs and coins all over the USA & Mexico. Yes I do have a TB hotel in Intercourse PA that for the most part I drop the coins and bugs into it that I find along the way for miles and smiles to their owners to know that their bug has been in Intercourse, PA. I also will pull TB & Coins from my cache if they have been there awhile and move them to another location. I have one in Northern PA that is not a good winter cache and a TB has been sitting there for a while, I feel bad about this and I will be in the area within a couple of weeks and if I can get to the cache I will move the TB along its way. (If Snow and mud permit getting to the cache).

 

Now you know my side of the story. I am leaving for Florida in a couple of week Gator Nationals.

I will be caching along the way and I do move TB’s and Coins from Prisons

 

I also could care less that the cache owner took my smiley from his log after finding his cache but when the guy thanks me for visiting his cache and then condemns me for my actions and thinks that fellow cachers were angry with me. Oh well I just shut up for now.

 

I am sure this will get more hate mail sent my way but who cares just wanted my side of the story told.

[+BlueDeuce]

Just back from Phoenix and I feel I should write my side of this, as I am the one who is getting hate mail from some hotel prison wardens!

 

I and those bug owners thank you for moving the bugs.

 

If anything you should simply reply by sending him a link to this thread. I'd be happy to have a discussion with him.

[+BlueDeuce]

Just back from Phoenix and I feel I should write my side of this, as I am the one who is getting hate mail from some hotel prison wardens!

 

I and those bug owners thank you for moving the bugs.

 

If anything you should simply reply by sending him a link to this thread. I'd be happy to have a discussion with him.

 

Nevermind, I already have had that discussion with him. He posted here earlier. My daughter handled it for me.

Edited February 27, 2008 by BlueDeuce

[+Kealia]

Agreed. As a TB/coin owner: thanks.

[cowcreekgeeks]

IMHO, these TB Hotel/Prison owners use these things just to bolster their own numbers. They are not as selfless as they say. "I just want the bugs to move...so I made a prison...if you take one, leave seven or I will delete your smiley...I have 6000 discoveries and 5000 icons...)

 

You'd think that after so much debate over this issue, TPTB would take action and ban the use of the phrase "take one, leave one."

 

If you see me in a bug hotel feel free to move me without regard to the "take a bug leave a bug" rule. I don't belong to the cache owner! I belong to Cowcreekgeeks!

This is on a clear plastic keychain type tag attached to my bug. It's also on the bug's page. That leaves no question about my bug's disposition regarding prisons.

 

Don't keep my bugs in the prison. I'll come break 'em out and I'll take all the cellmates with me. Keep your stupid smiley.

Edited March 1, 2008 by cowcreekgeeks

[+UncleJimbo]

Before I go I want to make one statement as to tb's and trade items such as coins.

Some coins cost a lot of money and it is not unreasonable to expect someone to leave a coin if they take a coin, do you agree????

No.

I have some coins and I have some TBs. Some of my TBs cost as much as or more than some of my coins.

 

I don't think the cost of the TB or the coin should be considered when moving it. A cacher might have a difficult time estimating the cost of a TB.

[+Trucker Lee]

You may ignore any "rules" stated by travel bug hotel/prison owners. The TBs are not theirs, they have not right to impose their rules on them. TBs are released to travel and bring the owners joy in moving. Move the TBs. And if a travel bug hotel/prison owner complains, put the cache on a watch list so you can go by there and clean it out periodically just to get the point across to them.

 

Feel free to forward them a copy of this post if you wish as well.

[+BlueDeuce]

You may ignore any "rules" stated by travel bug hotel/prison owners. The TBs are not theirs, they have not right to impose their rules on them. TBs are released to travel and bring the owners joy in moving. Move the TBs. And if a travel bug hotel/prison owner complains, put the cache on a watch list so you can go by there and clean it out periodically just to get the point across to them.

 

Feel free to forward them a copy of this post if you wish as well.

 

Yep, or refer them here. We'll be waiting for them.

[cowcreekgeeks]

Mebbe we can plan a mega event! Call it the Great American Get Out of Jail Free Event. All cachers Bug/Coin owners meet at the offending hotel/prison(s) and RAID it!

 

Fun for all! Woo Hoo!!!

 

Edited March 2, 2008 by cowcreekgeeks

[+joranda]

Travel bugs are meant to travel, that's why they are called travel bugs. The only bad thing by not following the cache owners "Rules" of his TB hotel, he could delete your find it log. Is that fair? I don't think so but it is there cache so they make there rules. I myself would take the chance just to get the bugs traveling. I don't want to see my TB tied up in a cache because of someones rule.

[+KoosKoos]

IMHO, these TB Hotel/Prison owners use these things just to bolster their own numbers. They are not as selfless as they say. "I just want the bugs to move...so I made a prison...if you take one, leave seven or I will delete your smiley...I have 6000 discoveries and 5000 icons...)

 

I disagree with this point...yes, I think some owners may be doing it only for the ego boost, but I believe most of them are ignorant to the general feelings about TBs just moving and have good intentions of setting up a location where others are guaranteed to find a TB.

 

I definitely never have a problem grabbing as many bugs out of a hotel as I can help, no matter the owner's feelings.

 

Free the bugs! End the TB prisons posing as hotels!!

[+Harry Dolphin]

I have one in Northern PA that is not a good winter cache and a TB has been sitting there for a while, I feel bad about this and I will be in the area within a couple of weeks and if I can get to the cache I will move the TB along its way. (If Snow and mud permit getting to the cache).

 

Know the feeling. One of my caches has not been found in a year. (Hey. It's a pretty and interesting area. Not my fault many geocachers do not like hiking a mile each way.) I was feeling sorry for the bug that was there for a year. Only about 3" of snow on the ground. But watch the snowmobile tracks on the road. They're icy! I fell twice. Performed maintenance (Yup. The cache was still there.) Picked up the TB, and hiked back out in a fierce snow storm. (Okay. The snow only lasted until I got back to my car.)

I just noticed that the bug owner has not been active since last May, and probably doesn't care!

What's the moral to this story? Don't be a dumb dolphin? Check to see if the bug-owner is active? If the bug owner is MIA, s/he probably doesn't care anymore?

[+ArcherDragoon]

My take on the subject...

 

I personally think an empty TB Hotel is a Happy Hotel...I have one...I clearly state that on my cache page. I have a couple TB's that have been there for a while...I mean to go out and get them and send them on thier way...but caching has been very slow for me this winter...

 

I think the confusion in this debate comes from our general, everyday concept of a hotel...

In the "real world" a successful hotel is a full hotel...works in life.

.

.

.

In the "geo world" a successful hotel is an empty hotel...bugs are for moving...not for trading...

 

So...anywho...I gotta go now...later,

ArcherDragoon

 

PS...Blue...we need less snow

[+BlueDeuce]

My take on the subject...

 

I personally think an empty TB Hotel is a Happy Hotel...I have one...I clearly state that on my cache page. I have a couple TB's that have been there for a while...I mean to go out and get them and send them on thier way...but caching has been very slow for me this winter...

 

I think the confusion in this debate comes from our general, everyday concept of a hotel...

In the "real world" a successful hotel is a full hotel...works in life.

.

.

.

In the "geo world" a successful hotel is an empty hotel...bugs are for moving...not for trading...

 

So...anywho...I gotta go now...later,

ArcherDragoon

PS...Blue...we need less snow

 

Ain't that the truth! 3 more inches and we'll top my area's greatest snowfall total in recorded history.

 

Your point about the purpose of a hotel is also true.

 

The owner of a well-placed hotel should actually be pleased if the hotel is occasionally empty, since it shows that the hotel is serving its purpose: to get bugs moving quickly. And if a hotel does stay empty for long periods of time without the cache owner continually raiding other caches to re-stock it, then it's not a good place for a travel bug hotel.