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Why do geocachers pass up travel bugs?


Highpointer

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Leaving aside those who grab & don't log it...

 

I will usually pass on picking up a TB if:

1) It's very large (I've had a license plate in my inventory for a month now because I can't find a cache it'll fit into)

2) It's got a goal included with it, and I know there's nothing I can do to further it (I'm heading east and it needs to go west)

3) I don't see it in the cache (it's buried at the bottom and I just don't see it while rummaging through).

 

Here! Here! Well Said!

 

Frequently, I find point #2 the obvious problem, especially when I am travelling. I prepare my cache hunting list before leaving home on a geotrip, but rarely do I have internet access to log or do research. When I find a TB or GC without a written goal attached, I usually pass it by. I do not have the ability to research the TB or GC goal before retrieving it.

Edited by Fuzzywhip
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About 10 days ago, I dropped two travel bugs in two easy caches about 0.2 miles apart in Glendale, AZ. These caches are Rocky and back yard Target practice. Both caches are behind a large shopping center.

 

Since I have dropped these travel bugs in these caches, both of them have been visited frequently - one cache seven times, the other cache eight times. However, in none of these 15 total visits did a geocacher take a travel bug.

 

I firmly believe that geocachers should pick up every travel bug that they see in a cache and not let travel bugs languish in caches. I feel that travel bugs are fun and interesting to find, move, and track.

 

Therefore, why do so many geocachers ignore travel bugs in caches and fail to pick them up, thereby letting them languish in caches and increasing their chances of becoming lost?

Have you been back to those caches to see if the travelers are actually STILL THERE?

I usually take travel bug / geocoin if i see it IN THE CACHE.

now if its a LARGE tb and i don't know of any it would fit in, i'll just discover it so their owners will know their geo heartbeat is still ticking

tell me which caches they are, i'll go find them and help the tbs on their way.

-

edit: i checked both caches, neither have any travelers listed.

Edited by power69
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I firmly believe that geocachers should pick up every travel bug that they see in a cache and not let travel bugs languish in caches. I feel that travel bugs are fun and interesting to find, move, and track.

 

Therefore, why do so many geocachers ignore travel bugs in caches and fail to pick them up, thereby letting them languish in caches and increasing their chances of becoming lost?

 

Ken Akerman (a.k.a. Highpointer)

 

Interesting choice of words.... :)

 

Speaking from over 6 years of experience and a few thousand bugs moved as well as owning quite a few myself.....

 

As a mover of bugs, the worst thing about ALL travel bugs is their owners. Strictly speaking; the over expectant, unrealistic owners.

 

Let me tell you a story of just one owner I encountered:

 

I picked up 2 of his bugs in a cache. One had a totally messed up bug page and I helped the owner fix it via several emails. The other had a registration problem and I helped him contact Groundspeak to fix that error. Two weeks later I moved his bugs almost 400 miles after first logging them in and out of a cache closer to home to give them the extra mileage they deserved....

 

I got home from my trip and opened a nasty email from the owner about me not fulfilling his two TBs diverse missions and for not posting pictures. :):)

 

About 9 months later I happened upon one of this same owner's bugs in a cache. I discovered it commenting on its condition and left it there. I got another nasty email from the owner about NOT moving his bug and how it was my responsibility as a "good geocacher" to accomodate his bug. :anibad:

 

I forwarded all the previous helpful email back to him (gotta love gmail) and told him off point by point. I got another email back telling me what a jerk I was for pointing out what a jerk he was. :laughing::)

 

I've had about 2 dozen similar exchanges with helicoptor hovering owner's who have unrealistic expectations. I've also had about a dozen run-ins with creepy third parties who enquire on bugs that don't even belong to them. Those emails get forwarded directly to the owners. I learned my lesson after the first creepy third party I responded to. :laughing:

 

BTW- I like moving ALL tbs. Especially the BIIIIIG ones.

 

How unprofessional!! That certainly was one RUDE owner! :o:o:o

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Personally, I enjoy moving trackable items. Lately, however, I haven't been caching much, so I just leave the trackables in the caches. I do take down the numbers and log them as discovered. Usually in the "discovered" log I tell the owners that I wasn't in a position to help their trackable and tell them what condition its in. :anibad:

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Rant

I pass up travel bugs because virtualy all of them have borring goals. Travel to lots of caches? Come on! The only one that I have seen other than my own with a different goal, I could not help with, so passed it up.

 

That said, I do pick up travel bugs sometimes even though they have borring goals. But I very often leave them.

All my travel bugs with interesting goals seem to be the ones that become MIA after the first find or two.

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Rant

I pass up travel bugs because virtualy all of them have borring goals. Travel to lots of caches? Come on! The only one that I have seen other than my own with a different goal, I could not help with, so passed it up.

 

That said, I do pick up travel bugs sometimes even though they have borring goals. But I very often leave them.

All my travel bugs with interesting goals seem to be the ones that become MIA after the first find or two.

sorry for double post, I'm new to forums and blogging.

Edited by franklin_cacher
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I'm new to caching, so I'm still doing a lot of caches nearby. It seems like moving a trackable .5 miles isn't going to be very interesting to the owner. I'm doing a 3 hour drive this weekend, so I did grab a couple to move with me.

I do love the idea and hope I can move some more soon.

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I find it interesting to read one thread about people not pickup up travel bugs and then in another thread a member complaining about someone not checking the wishes of TB before moving it along (moving in the wrong direction in the process).

 

People can have it both ways. Just be happy it has not been muggled.

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I'm new to caching, so I'm still doing a lot of caches nearby. It seems like moving a trackable .5 miles isn't going to be very interesting to the owner. I'm doing a 3 hour drive this weekend, so I did grab a couple to move with me.

I do love the idea and hope I can move some more soon.

 

Always remember that although you may feel that the .5 mile jump isn't very interesting, the very next person to visit that new cache could be exactly the right person to help that TB achieve (part of) its goal. :D

 

I find it interesting to read one thread about people not pickup up travel bugs and then in another thread a member complaining about someone not checking the wishes of TB before moving it along (moving in the wrong direction in the process).

 

People can have it both ways. Just be happy it has not been muggled.

 

As a TB owner, I feel that if I want my TB to have a specific mission/goal then it's up to me to add an extra mission tag, or sheet, with the TB so that finders know exactly what I'd like it to achieve.

If I don't bother to add a mission sheet then it's because I'm not too concerned about the route the TB takes, or the mission... If the finder reads the TB page and notices that it says "photographs with phone boxes are much appreciated" then that's a bonus for me.

 

MrsB

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I always try and pick up and move on as many Travel bugs and Geocoins that I find. But I have just had a comment in a cache log about me picking up bugs and not swaping it for another, (not following basic caching rules) or so they said. I think alot of people get this mixed up with swag and swaps. This is what I seem to be finding out.

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I always try and pick up and move on as many Travel bugs and Geocoins that I find. But I have just had a comment in a cache log about me picking up bugs and not swaping it for another, (not following basic caching rules) or so they said. I think alot of people get this mixed up with swag and swaps. This is what I seem to be finding out.

 

Yes, they do.

 

(And when we started out doing this we also assumed that it was only fair to only take a TB from a cache if we could replace it with one... but we were wrong. )

 

At the top of this forum there is a pinned topic called "How to log a travel bug or geoccoin", as written by Eartha, our Forum Mod.

 

Near the top it says

 

"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."

 

Further down...

 

"TB Hotels: A 1:1 rule is a cache rule on some caches, not a TB rule. Don't let TB's linger too long just because someone wants their cache stocked with other people's TB's. The TB's do not belong to the cache owner. (Send them a link to this thread if they complain)"

 

So... you could do as Eartha suggests and send whoever made the comment a link to that section. :D

 

MrsB

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I always try and pick up and move on as many Travel bugs and Geocoins that I find. But I have just had a comment in a cache log about me picking up bugs and not swaping it for another, (not following basic caching rules) or so they said. I think alot of people get this mixed up with swag and swaps. This is what I seem to be finding out.

 

Yes, they do.

 

(And when we started out doing this we also assumed that it was only fair to only take a TB from a cache if we could replace it with one... but we were wrong. )

 

At the top of this forum there is a pinned topic called "How to log a travel bug or geoccoin", as written by Eartha, our Forum Mod.

 

Near the top it says

 

"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."

 

Further down...

 

"TB Hotels: A 1:1 rule is a cache rule on some caches, not a TB rule. Don't let TB's linger too long just because someone wants their cache stocked with other people's TB's. The TB's do not belong to the cache owner. (Send them a link to this thread if they complain)"

 

So... you could do as Eartha suggests and send whoever made the comment a link to that section. :P

 

MrsB

 

That's a good suggestion but we know that there are alot of cachers who don't read the forums. Even if pointed to the page, they may not bother to read it. What I would rather see is a description box right on the front page of geocaching.com with pictures of the travel bug dog tags and a sample geocoin, saying something to the effect that "These are examples of Travel Bugs and Geocoins. They are not swag and are not trade items and are meant to move from cache to cache or according to the owners stated goal". I know there are thieves who swipe coins/TB's but there are also cachers who don't realize what trackables are and how they work, so they might treat them like swag, trading them or keeping them for themselves and never logging them. Alot of owners attach a printed description/goal sheet, along with an explanation of what a trackable is, but just as many do not and it would be easy for someone not familiar with coins/bugs to simply pick them up, maybe move them to a new cache and never give them a second thought.

 

Bruce

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That's a good suggestion but we know that there are alot of cachers who don't read the forums. Even if pointed to the page, they may not bother to read it. What I would rather see is a description box right on the front page of geocaching.com with pictures of the travel bug dog tags and a sample geocoin, saying something to the effect that "These are examples of Travel Bugs and Geocoins. They are not swag and are not trade items and are meant to move from cache to cache or according to the owners stated goal".

I agree. I think it definitely needs to be on the web site's front page. This is obviously a huge problem that affects everyone.

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Rant

I pass up travel bugs because virtualy all of them have borring goals. Travel to lots of caches? Come on! The only one that I have seen other than my own with a different goal, I could not help with, so passed it up.

 

That said, I do pick up travel bugs sometimes even though they have boring goals. But I very often leave them.

Usually, the "boring goals" are there just to get the TB to move. The more generic the goal is, the more likely the cacher will move it along.

 

I will usually pick up every TB and GC I find - even if it's just to move it to another cache that is more frequently found just so it'll have a better chance of moving.

If the goal is to move a large distance - one I can't help with, I'll at least move it closer to a main interstate or airport.

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That's a good suggestion but we know that there are alot of cachers who don't read the forums. Even if pointed to the page, they may not bother to read it. What I would rather see is a description box right on the front page of geocaching.com with pictures of the travel bug dog tags and a sample geocoin, saying something to the effect that "These are examples of Travel Bugs and Geocoins. They are not swag and are not trade items and are meant to move from cache to cache or according to the owners stated goal".

I agree. I think it definitely needs to be on the web site's front page. This is obviously a huge problem that affects everyone.

 

It is a problem... but, as I said elsewhere...

 

On the left margin of every cache page is the link to the Trackable Items information page, which gives full details of how to handle them.

 

Ditto on the left margin of every geocoin/travel bug page.

 

Every cache owner could, if they wished, put a further link onto their own cache pages saying something like, "If you find a trackable item in this cache please visit <link>... etc etc "

 

On the right of every trackable page the owner has the option to print off the Information Sheet which can be sent off with the trackable item. This also tells the finder that they'll need to log the trackable item on geocaching.com and also what its mission is (if any).

 

On top of this there's the Travel Bug and Geocoins Discussion forums which are full of information and people who are willing to answer all questions about trackables (some of them get asked over and over and over again).

 

The information is all out there.

 

How do you get new people to read it though? Some will do their homework beforehand, but others won't bother...

 

It's the geocaching equivalent of getting people to RTF(lipping)M. :P

 

MrsB

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Usually, the "boring goals" are there just to get the TB to move. The more generic the goal is, the more likely the cacher will move it along.

 

That's one way to put it. Fortunately it is possible to have an interesting bug that doesn't solely rely on direction or destination as its goal.

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Therefore, why do so many geocachers ignore travel bugs in caches and fail to pick them up, thereby letting them languish in caches and increasing their chances of becoming lost?

 

Ken Akerman (a.k.a. Highpointer)

 

I don't pick up TB unless I can help fulfill their goal. So I have to do my homework before I go caching and oft times I don't. Also as others have said, not all cache's have space for TB's. I do like to pick up TB's when I'm traveling to different states/countries and I purposely seek those bugs with goals that match my travel schedule. Tonight I leave for Nassau,but no nearby bug want to head there so I'm bugless.

 

Maybe this would also be a time to talk about Pathtags, which aren't geocoins. If you pick up a pathtag, they are meant to be added to a cacher's personal collection and logged in on www.pathtags.com so that the pathtag giver (notice I didn't say owner) can see their world map fill up. I am taking my pathtags to Nassau in hopes that local cachers will keep them as my gift to them.

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I've passed up travel bugs because at first I wasn't sure what they were. Now I pass them up because when I come across them in the field I don't know what their goal is. I've read more stuff on this topic (this thread included) that has explained things better for me.

 

I've started to "watch" a few travel bugs in my area that have goals to get across country to California. I figured when I go to California in a couple of months I can then go to wherever the travel bugs are and pick them up and take them with me. Is that an acceptable way to move travel bugs?

 

Yes it's acceptable. Keep in mind you don't have to fully complete a goal to assist a bug. Even small jumps help. Most of the time people are happy just to see their bug picked up and moved somewhere.

 

One things about meeting a goal, and most of the time this isn't a concern, but if you are moving a bug a great distance check to see how long it has been out in the field. If it's only been in a couple caches the owner might not want to see the goal reached so quickly. Not a common issue but not unheard of either. When in doubt just check with the owner.

 

New to caching but found a travel bug with a goal of returning to Korea by Oct. 2007...too late now and owner has not returned email contact; appears to have been in the service; how do you know if the bug has been 'abandoned' by the owner and what to do with it next?; there are no logs of the bug either as far as who placed in this particular cache or previous travels....

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New to caching but found a travel bug with a goal of returning to Korea by Oct. 2007...too late now and owner has not returned email contact; appears to have been in the service; how do you know if the bug has been 'abandoned' by the owner and what to do with it next?; there are no logs of the bug either as far as who placed in this particular cache or previous travels....

 

There is no abandonment for bugs - They just keep on moving. And just because the owner hasn't logged into the site recently doesn't prevent them from getting log emails.

 

I'm not clear if you have an issue with the bug going to Korea. Just move it along to the next cache. Even if that happens to be the final destination.

 

Edit: If you found a bug a cache but it hadn't been logged in yet, give it a few days to allow the previous cacher to catch up on logging. If you do end up Grabbing it away post a note on the cache you found it in and Drop the bug. Then do a normal Retrieve.

 

This will give the bug credit for being at the cache and keep the tracking accurate.

Edited by BlueDeuce
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The last thing I want is a helicopter parent emailing me to move their trackable because i've held it for a week or two. :)

 

One reason geocachers pass up TBs: helicopter owners.

 

We love trackables, and move them along pretty reasonably. We have kept a couple of TBs for a few weeks (with permission), but we were also taking pix, having adventures with the bugs, and moving them big distances -- something the owners wanted.

 

Last night we picked up a geocoin, and logged it. This morning, EARLY this morning, I got an email from the owner saying only, "Just be sure and put it back in a cache soon." Come ON, Dude! :anibad:

 

I did NOT respond to the email. I don't see anything positive happening there.

 

We had planned to take it to a campout this weekend to share with 200+ girl scouts. Today I am debating putting it back in the same cache and deleting our find on this trackable. Is that appropriate? :anibad: I am really turned off by this brusque reminder, especially since I have not had this coin for 12 hours yet. I want to be rid of it (and its hovering owner), frankly.

 

Comments? :D

Edited by Benchmark Blasterz
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The last thing I want is a helicopter parent emailing me to move their trackable because i've held it for a week or two. :)

 

One reason geocachers pass up TBs: helicopter owners.

 

We love trackables, and move them along pretty reasonably. We have kept a couple of TBs for a few weeks (with permission), but we were also taking pix, having adventures with the bugs, and moving them big distances -- something the owners wanted.

 

Last night we picked up a geocoin, and logged it. This morning, EARLY this morning, I got an email from the owner saying only, "Just be sure and put it back in a cache soon." Come ON, Dude! :anibad:

 

I did NOT respond to the email. I don't see anything positive happening there.

 

We had planned to take it to a campout this weekend to share with 200+ girl scouts. Today I am debating putting it back in the same cache and deleting our find on this trackable. Is that appropriate? :D I am really turned off by this brusque reminder, especially since I have not had this coin for 12 hours yet. I want to be rid of it (and its hovering owner), frankly.

 

Comments? :D

 

Well stop and take a deep breath and ask yourself why someone might be a "helicopter owner" and maybe you can be a little forgiving. :anibad:

 

I agree that the email wasn't the best way for the coin owner to say "Hey thanks for picking up our coin and for keeping it safely until you find a nice cache to drop it off in." I also strongly believe that if you can't stand to lose a coin then you shouldn't release it.

 

However, we have all heard the stories (or experienced for ourselves) the cachers who hold onto trackables for months at a time or have the mistaken belief that coins are swag and can be kept. I don't think the many should be held accountable for the actions of a few bad apples but I can easily see why some people are apt to hover to ensure they don't lose their trackable too.

 

Did you check the owner's profile? Do they have a lot of travelers out there or is this their only one? I find that the more travelers people release, the less they tend to hover. :D

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Did you check the owner's profile? Do they have a lot of travelers out there or is this their only one? I find that the more travelers people release, the less they tend to hover. :anibad:

 

I checked the trackable's page, and the owner's profile. He has 160 trackables owned, and 1167 moved/discovered. He seems to be an avid geocacher . . . . :)

 

I see from the trackable's page that it had been sitting in one TB Hotel for a couple of months, but it got rescued and was moving again. At least, it would have been.

 

The owner wants this coin to move to caches of high difficulty throughout the world. We had intended to move it to a 5 level cache (requiring climbing) at a State Park this weekend. Now we think we will return it to the 1.0 difficulty cache we found it in.

 

I understand your point about having a little forgiveness, but we are being asked to help this trackable on a specific mission, and we had picked it up intending to do that. After this unpleasant contact with the owner, we are not willing anymore to go out of our way to help this trackable. It seems to me that the fairest thing to do is simply to return it to the cache we found it in, and be done with it.

 

This experience is NOT going to ruin the fun of trackables for us, but we will know to avoid this owner's trackables in the future.

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Did you check the owner's profile? Do they have a lot of travelers out there or is this their only one? I find that the more travelers people release, the less they tend to hover. :anibad:

 

I checked the trackable's page, and the owner's profile. He has 160 trackables owned, and 1167 moved/discovered. He seems to be an avid geocacher . . . . :anibad:

 

I see from the trackable's page that it had been sitting in one TB Hotel for a couple of months, but it got rescued and was moving again. At least, it would have been.

 

The owner wants this coin to move to caches of high difficulty throughout the world. We had intended to move it to a 5 level cache (requiring climbing) at a State Park this weekend. Now we think we will return it to the 1.0 difficulty cache we found it in.

 

I understand your point about having a little forgiveness, but we are being asked to help this trackable on a specific mission, and we had picked it up intending to do that. After this unpleasant contact with the owner, we are not willing anymore to go out of our way to help this trackable. It seems to me that the fairest thing to do is simply to return it to the cache we found it in, and be done with it.

 

This experience is NOT going to ruin the fun of trackables for us, but we will know to avoid this owner's trackables in the future.

 

Whoa - I'm surprised that a cacher who has so much experience with travelers would react that way. Especially when the goal is for high difficulty cache placement. :)

 

I like to release coins and bugs and if I was acting in some way that was causing people to avoid moving my travelers I'd want to know about it. People tend to learn by their mistakes. But if they don't know they are making a mistake, then the learning cannot take place.

 

It would be great if there was some polite way that you could let the owner know how his/her email made you feel about moving his/her coins. Perhaps they don't realize how their hair-trigger emails are coming across to others.

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New to caching but found a travel bug with a goal of returning to Korea by Oct. 2007...too late now and owner has not returned email contact; appears to have been in the service; how do you know if the bug has been 'abandoned' by the owner and what to do with it next?; there are no logs of the bug either as far as who placed in this particular cache or previous travels....

 

There is no abandonment for bugs - They just keep on moving. And just because the owner hasn't logged into the site recently doesn't prevent them from getting log emails.

 

I'm not clear if you have an issue with the bug going to Korea. Just move it along to the next cache. Even if that happens to be the final destination.

 

Edit: If you found a bug a cache but it hadn't been logged in yet, give it a few days to allow the previous cacher to catch up on logging. If you do end up Grabbing it away post a note on the cache you found it in and Drop the bug. Then do a normal Retrieve.

 

This will give the bug credit for being at the cache and keep the tracking accurate.

Thanks for your response...not quite sure about all the lingo as far as your 'edit' notes, but will continue researching and learning...the owner had noted on his bug to contact him about for assistance to return the bug to Korea so that's why since it had been 2 years overdue, I thought I would try to help him out and see if I could speed up the process instead of just placing in another cache...thanks again

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Yeah, there's even a TB with a similar issue not far from my home. It has been in the cache since December 20, 2008 though the cache has been found several times since then. Whenever I get around to finding it, I might take it somewhere if I know a good place to drop it. There's one cache that I guess I can drop it off in a lot closer to my home just for the sake of it no longer sitting in the same cache for months.

 

Did you read through the past logs on that cache? Did any of the latest finders indicate whether the TB was still in the cache? It might still be in the cache, or it might've been picked up and not properly logged out. I wish that was a rarity :laughing: Either way, it's worth the trip to retrieve the bug or to verify for the bug/cache owner that it's no longer in the cache it shows in.

 

Bruce

In the past couple weeks I posted notes on cache pages asking whomever stopped in the future to verify whether or not our coin and TB were in the caches. One person picked up the TB...YEA!!!! With the coin the next person who stopped posted that they didn't see the coin in the cache. :D At least I was able to mark it missing at that point.

 

What's the right way to get longevity out of a bug?! If you send out something too interesting or cute, it's gone quickly. The missing coin is a USA geocoin...plain gold tone and tarnished. :laughing: Probably the least attractive coin I could send out. Yet it disappeared. :laughing:

Edited by VirginiaGator
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I like the idea of travel bugs and geocoins.

 

I do not usually pick up TBs because many have no tag stating their mission. I do not have access to any info on the TB, so leave it. I will not come back later. Many are also too big. I will not clutter up the logs with more "I didn't take it" messages.

 

I am still looking for a way to get a TB(or any trackable) Pocket Query and a map just like caches. If I could, I would have info I needed for an area I will be going to. I could even find TBs I like and can help, and schedule a trip to it.

 

Rick

a8maestro

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I firmly believe that geocachers should pick up every travel bug that they see in a cache and not let travel bugs languish in caches. I feel that travel bugs are fun and interesting to find, move, and track.

 

Therefore, why do so many geocachers ignore travel bugs in caches and fail to pick them up, thereby letting them languish in caches and increasing their chances of becoming lost?

Some people will find trackables not interesting enough to deal with them. That´s their choice.

There are some people who spoil the experience with trackables.

Owners with exaggerated expectations can make cachers feel uneasy when they hold a trackable. This may keep some from even taking one.

Pesky owners of caches can contribute to an unpleasant experience. A few days ago I browsed through the online log of a cache I was about to search for. A cacher logged "out: geocoin in: nothing". A few logs later the owner reacted "trade means trade not out:geocoin in: nothing". Nice thing - a cacher picks up a coin and the cache owner decides to pillory that cacher.

I decided to stop caring for trackable rules like dropping within two weeks, helping on missions or following trade rules from cache owners. If I find a trackable and it appeals to me I pick it up, move it around a little and drop it in a convenient place. I think it makes more sense to let the trackables travel than follow the rules strictly and keep the item from travelling. After all it´s just a game - so lets play it and take it a little easy.

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When I first started caching, I left the darn things alone, and then one day I was heading for a cache in a remote location- the TB owner had posted a note asking please for the next finder to move it on. I was happy to oblige :blink: , and got a very nice note back thanking me.

Since then I generally take one when found, but I never like having more than 2 or 3 to move on at a time, especially if a little bulky.

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I firmly believe that geocachers should pick up every travel bug that they see in a cache and not let travel bugs languish in caches. I feel that travel bugs are fun and interesting to find, move, and track.

 

Therefore, why do so many geocachers ignore travel bugs in caches and fail to pick them up, thereby letting them languish in caches and increasing their chances of becoming lost?

Some people will find trackables not interesting enough to deal with them. That´s their choice.

There are some people who spoil the experience with trackables.

Owners with exaggerated expectations can make cachers feel uneasy when they hold a trackable. This may keep some from even taking one.

Pesky owners of caches can contribute to an unpleasant experience. A few days ago I browsed through the online log of a cache I was about to search for. A cacher logged "out: geocoin in: nothing". A few logs later the owner reacted "trade means trade not out:geocoin in: nothing". Nice thing - a cacher picks up a coin and the cache owner decides to pillory that cacher.

I decided to stop caring for trackable rules like dropping within two weeks, helping on missions or following trade rules from cache owners. If I find a trackable and it appeals to me I pick it up, move it around a little and drop it in a convenient place. I think it makes more sense to let the trackables travel than follow the rules strictly and keep the item from travelling. After all it´s just a game - so lets play it and take it a little easy.

You should politely let that cache owner know that he/she cannot impose rules on trackables. They do not own the trackables in the cache. The TB owner does.

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You should politely let that cache owner know that he/she cannot impose rules on trackables. They do not own the trackables in the cache. The TB owner does.

You are right. The rules for the cache in question do not state rules for trackables however. The cache owner failed to respond to a mail asking for conformation of the coordinates of the final of his multicache. So writing to him may be in vain. Publicly dropping a note for a cache I haven´t found yet would be uncalled for. But that´s a different subject.

Bottom line is: A cacher made no mistake and still he is the bad guy for the public. That does not encourage people to pick up trackables.

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You should politely let that cache owner know that he/she cannot impose rules on trackables. They do not own the trackables in the cache. The TB owner does.

You are right. The rules for the cache in question do not state rules for trackables however. The cache owner failed to respond to a mail asking for conformation of the coordinates of the final of his multicache. So writing to him may be in vain. Publicly dropping a note for a cache I haven´t found yet would be uncalled for. But that´s a different subject.

Bottom line is: A cacher made no mistake and still he is the bad guy for the public. That does not encourage people to pick up trackables.

Even if there are "rules" for trackables on the cache, they are not enforceable (I think I invented a word there). The CO owns the box, not the trackables inside the box.

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I recently got an email from a TB owner and it's turned me off big time on moving anything. All the TB's I've picked up I've done my best to get pictures, move them to places that are relevant and try to move as quick as I can. If it's been a week or two, I'll dip it somewhere so it's gaining miles, but I don't get too far from home that often, so it may take more than a couple weeks, but eh, whatever. I just don't like getting emails complaining about how I do things, so just gonna leave 'em alone and concentrate on visiting cool locations instead :D

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I just don't like getting emails complaining about how I do things, so just gonna leave 'em alone and concentrate on visiting cool locations instead :D

Thankfully, we never received any negative messages concerning trackables.

 

We all want to see our bugs move, but some cachers go way overboard.

After you release a trackable... it turns into a game of chance.

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After browsing this topic, it reminded me of this paragraph found on the cache page for a cache near our home.

 

It is also important to trade equally or trade up. Please do not take anything from the cache unless you have something to leave in its place. I have placed two trackable items in the cache and that means there should always be two trackables in the cache. If you do not have a trackable item to leave, please do not take one from this cache. It is part of being a fair and responsible cacher.

 

Not only am I not interested in taking and/or placing a travel bug here but I don't think we will even do the cache. :blink:

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After browsing this topic, it reminded me of this paragraph found on the cache page for a cache near our home.

 

It is also important to trade equally or trade up. Please do not take anything from the cache unless you have something to leave in its place. I have placed two trackable items in the cache and that means there should always be two trackables in the cache. If you do not have a trackable item to leave, please do not take one from this cache. It is part of being a fair and responsible cacher.

 

Not only am I not interested in taking and/or placing a travel bug here but I don't think we will even do the cache. :blink:

 

Feel free to completely ignore trade restrictions.

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After browsing this topic, it reminded me of this paragraph found on the cache page for a cache near our home.

 

It is also important to trade equally or trade up. Please do not take anything from the cache unless you have something to leave in its place. I have placed two trackable items in the cache and that means there should always be two trackables in the cache. If you do not have a trackable item to leave, please do not take one from this cache. It is part of being a fair and responsible cacher.

 

Not only am I not interested in taking and/or placing a travel bug here but I don't think we will even do the cache. :blink:

 

Feel free to completely ignore trade restrictions.

Exactly. In fact you should go out of your way to raid it and take both trackables without leaving one and then point the CO back to this thread when they complain.

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This thread was a big disappointment. Being a new guy, I would have thought that trackables would have been a really interesting part of the game and not a pain in the butt! :blink:

Yes, there are negative aspects of trackables you will hear about, but at the same time there are many great success stories about them meeting goals & traveling around the world. Not all trackables are a pain. Do not be discouraged... pick one up & move it along! :blink:

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This thread was a big disappointment. Being a new guy, I would have thought that trackables would have been a really interesting part of the game and not a pain in the butt! :blink:

Maybe you should recall the original question. Do you really expect to read primarily about the cheerful aspects of travelbugs in a thread like that?

Basically some cachers like travelbugs, some don´t. Get happy in your own fashion. If you find travelbugs interesting have fun with them. That´s what the game is about.

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This thread was a big disappointment. Being a new guy, I would have thought that trackables would have been a really interesting part of the game and not a pain in the butt! :huh:

 

I got into geocaching to see new and cool places around me and maybe even go on hikes, just got a geocache. Finding out about trackables was neat and I have a few right now that I'll be moving along today. Actually I'm just going to drop everything I have into a TB lodge along I-5 and only grab TB's that I find are VERY interesting from this point on. It was fun, but honestly, like I posted earlier, it's not interesting if I get TB owners badgering me about their TB's. That seems like a pain in the butt to me. There are a TON of geocachers in my area and a million more geocaches, one geocacher not moving the TB's isn't going to hurt the game by any means.

 

PS got rid of all the TB's I've been hanging onto today besides one, which is part of a puzzle cache. Will be doing geocoins from now on, as well as the occasional TB that catches my eye B)

Edited by NWCREW
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About 10 days ago, I dropped two travel bugs in two easy caches about 0.2 miles apart in Glendale, AZ. These caches are Rocky and back yard Target practice. Both caches are behind a large shopping center.

 

Since I have dropped these travel bugs in these caches, both of them have been visited frequently - one cache seven times, the other cache eight times. However, in none of these 15 total visits did a geocacher take a travel bug.

 

I am new to geocaching, and this may not be the most appropriate topic for my question, but I recently dropped my first TB in a TB hotel, hoping it would be more likely to get discovered and helped along its way, but I, too, have seen logs of cachers finding the cache without picking up my bug. Is there anything that the TB owner can do to "advertise" a TB in addition to the trackable item details page and a note attached to the bug itself?

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After browsing this topic, it reminded me of this paragraph found on the cache page for a cache near our home.

 

It is also important to trade equally or trade up. Please do not take anything from the cache unless you have something to leave in its place. I have placed two trackable items in the cache and that means there should always be two trackables in the cache. If you do not have a trackable item to leave, please do not take one from this cache. It is part of being a fair and responsible cacher.

 

Not only am I not interested in taking and/or placing a travel bug here but I don't think we will even do the cache. :shocked:

You should now consider it your geocaching duty to visit this prison and stage a jailbreak for those incarcerated bugs. Be the good warden who doles out parole to any and every travel bug that finds itself trapped in a TB prison.

 

This thread was a big disappointment. Being a new guy, I would have thought that trackables would have been a really interesting part of the game and not a pain in the butt! :blink:

 

I got into geocaching to see new and cool places around me and maybe even go on hikes, just got a geocache. Finding out about trackables was neat and I have a few right now that I'll be moving along today. Actually I'm just going to drop everything I have into a TB lodge along I-5 and only grab TB's that I find are VERY interesting from this point on. It was fun, but honestly, like I posted earlier, it's not interesting if I get TB owners badgering me about their TB's. That seems like a pain in the butt to me. There are a TON of geocachers in my area and a million more geocaches, one geocacher not moving the TB's isn't going to hurt the game by any means.

 

PS got rid of all the TB's I've been hanging onto today besides one, which is part of a puzzle cache. Will be doing geocoins from now on, as well as the occasional TB that catches my eye :(

 

I move as many trackables as I can handle and while I'm far behind alot of cachers in the amount of TB's and coins I've moved, I can't say that I've ever gotten anything but notes of thanks. I don't normally hold bugs for more than a week but there have been times because of weather or my job or just life in general that I've had to hold a bug for much longer. I can see what you're saying. If I was hounded by helicoptor owners, it wouldn't take long for the sheen to wear thin. Thankfully, I have just as much passion in moving bugs today as I ever have. I hope you reconsider your stance. A geocacher who is responsible when moving bugs WILL be missed if/when they decide to no longer be part of helping trackables along.

 

Bruce

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After browsing this topic, it reminded me of this paragraph found on the cache page for a cache near our home.

 

It is also important to trade equally or trade up. Please do not take anything from the cache unless you have something to leave in its place. I have placed two trackable items in the cache and that means there should always be two trackables in the cache. If you do not have a trackable item to leave, please do not take one from this cache. It is part of being a fair and responsible cacher.

 

Not only am I not interested in taking and/or placing a travel bug here but I don't think we will even do the cache. :shocked:

 

Go move them bugs... :blink: and don't worry about leaving any in their place. Their owners will thank you. Imagine if everyone looked at that cache page and thought what you thought... those bugs would never move!

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I move as many trackables as I can handle and while I'm far behind alot of cachers in the amount of TB's and coins I've moved, I can't say that I've ever gotten anything but notes of thanks. I don't normally hold bugs for more than a week but there have been times because of weather or my job or just life in general that I've had to hold a bug for much longer. I can see what you're saying. If I was hounded by helicoptor owners, it wouldn't take long for the sheen to wear thin. Thankfully, I have just as much passion in moving bugs today as I ever have. I hope you reconsider your stance. A geocacher who is responsible when moving bugs WILL be missed if/when they decide to no longer be part of helping trackables along.

 

Bruce

 

I grabbed one the other day, but only because I couldn't get the container closed again, so I just took it along and dropped it off the following day. I was always good about taking pictures when possible(check my gallery, heh) and dipping the TB's a time or two to help build some miles, but yeah, just not worth the trouble really. I have gotten into geocoins and am having fun collecting icons, reading about these coins, their history, how many were made, etc. I'm a big vinyl collector, so the geocoin really appeals to me. :)

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Is it ok to take more than one TB from a cache, if you can move it along? If there's more than one in there, I hate to leave one behind and then see it still sitting there a month later... Or should you just take one and leave it up to fate where the left behind ones will go? I travel around the country every week and would be able to move alot of bugs...

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Is it ok to take more than one TB from a cache, if you can move it along? If there's more than one in there, I hate to leave one behind and then see it still sitting there a month later... Or should you just take one and leave it up to fate where the left behind ones will go? I travel around the country every week and would be able to move alot of bugs...

 

Travel bugs are meant to move. As long as you can assist the bug towards its mission you can take two or twenty.

 

Move Them bugs!

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As a cacher who has less than three months experience, i try and move on all tb's and coins that i can help. However if a tb thats mission is something i cant help with but has been sat there is a cache where the last person to visit was a good month a go then i will try and move it to a newer or busier cache hoping it will put it back on track.

 

I think also that cache owners should keep an eye on what is in their caches and every couple of months just check on their caches to see if they have any trackables that are there and perhaps move them on. This excercise could also work in favour of keeping their cache lists up to date of any geocoins that are not their are marked missing and any that are there that have not been logged are then logged to the cache.

 

well my 2 cents worth...

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In my case having only started 6 days ago I didn't recognise an item as a trackable. I had tried reading the text with it but as it appeared to be in german, which I don't speak or read, I left it alone. Felt this was the best policy.

 

Only realised it was a trackable item after browsing the forums several hours later. I know what to look for a bit better now.

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