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Length of Stay


Guest glenn95630

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Guest glenn95630

Does anybody have any guesses on the duration of the 'average stay' at a cache is for a travel bug?

 

I don't know, but a couple months ago when the bugs first came out, I thought they would move around a lot quicker. Back then, the possibility of having a bug sit in a cache for a month seemed unreasonable. Now, it appears, it has happened to a number of bugs. What is the record for a bug to sit in one place?

 

Any thoughts? Comments?

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quote:
Originally posted by glenn95630:

I don't know, but a couple months ago when the bugs first came out, I thought they would move around a lot quicker. Back then, the possibility of having a bug sit in a cache for a month seemed unreasonable. Now, it appears, it has happened to a number of bugs. What is the record for a bug to sit in one place?


 

I have noticed the same thing with one of mine. I have released 2 with a 3rd that will probably go out this weekend and one of them took off very fast but has been sitting in a cache in Southern California for almost a month now. My second one has moved to another cache here in Southern Arizona that has only been found a couple times so I am hopeful that it will take off soon.

 

I agree with you though, when I released the first one I really thought that it would move around quickly. I sort of thought that having the travel bug icon show up on a cache page would be some sort of incentive.

 

Team My Blue Heaven

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I have released two bugs. One was released October 11th, and has moved once. The other was released November 18th, and still sits.

 

Prior to bugs, I had a hitchhiker that moved okay, made it from Wisconsin to NY, but then the cache he was in was plundered.

 

Frankly, I've soured on hitchhikers (including bugs). I bought a three set, so I've got one more to release some day, but unless things change, I'll probably stop there.

 

------------------

Team CacheCows of Wisconsin

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Guest Markwell

Arffer - sorry you've soured so much on hitchhikers. I think your experiences were really out of the norm if my experience can be any benchmark. Scooby and Shaggy are still hopping to beat the band at 768.41 miles from home, and 2,357.17 miles travelled (with some GREAT stories). Not to mention The Challenge of the Superfriends. Batman's getting a slow start, but he's gonna have one cool picture once he gets started (I talked to Buxley).

 

I think hitchhikers can be pretty cool as long as you don't invest your entire life in them (as I have with Scooby), and as long as you don't expect instant gratification on them. I know that Scooby and Shaggy will get picked up from Pinckney Island Trail someday soon, even though they've been there since 11/22/2001.

 

IMHO, it's still fun from all aspects! icon_biggrin.gif

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Guest Markwell

Arffer - sorry you've soured so much on hitchhikers. I think your experiences were really out of the norm if my experience can be any benchmark. Scooby and Shaggy are still hopping to beat the band at 768.41 miles from home, and 2,357.17 miles travelled (with some GREAT stories). Not to mention The Challenge of the Superfriends. Batman's getting a slow start, but he's gonna have one cool picture once he gets started (I talked to Buxley).

 

I think hitchhikers can be pretty cool as long as you don't invest your entire life in them (as I have with Scooby), and as long as you don't expect instant gratification on them. I know that Scooby and Shaggy will get picked up from Pinckney Island Trail someday soon, even though they've been there since 11/22/2001.

 

IMHO, it's still fun from all aspects! icon_biggrin.gif

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Guest Cacher Jane8276

I always thought that half the fun of travellers and hitchhikers was the surprise of finding one unexpectedly in a cache that you found. Having the Bug icon takes that element of surprise away. Having said that I have 2 travellers with bugs attached waiting to be put in caches when I next get the chance and there is a bug in a cache less than a mile from my home which I am eager to get to.

I understand the need to be able to trace the journey of the bug but wish I still got the surprise too!

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Guest VentureForth

quote:
I always thought that half the fun of travellers and hitchhikers was the surprise of finding one unexpectedly in a cache that you found.

 

Well, I would say that's the difference between a hitchhiker and a travel bug. To log the journey of a hitchhiker (without being posted on geocaching.com) would be for it to carry it's own little logbook.

 

I look at the Travel Bug as being something different. I look at it as a traveller with a specific goal - one that is announced publicly. That way, people can conscientiously help it along it's way.

 

I think it would be reasonable to say that a Travel Bug is a hitchhiker, but a hitchhiker doesn' have to be a Travel Bug.

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Guest Markwell

quote:
Originally posted by VentureForth:

I think it would be reasonable to say that a Travel Bug is a hitchhiker, but a hitchhiker doesn' have to be a Travel Bug.


 

I basically agree with this statement above, as I have both a hitchhiker and several Travel Bugs (also here). But I'm not sure I agree with your criteria.

 

quote:
Originally posted by VentureForth:

I look at {the TB} as a traveller with a specific goal - one that is announced publicly. That way, people can conscientiously help it along it's way.


 

While that may be true for the bulk of Travel Bugs, not all TB's have specific goals. I think the distinction whether it's a Travel Bug or not only lies in whether or not the originator paid his money to Jeremy and logged it as a TB on the site.

 

Therefore, the Venn Diagram looks a little like this icon_wink.gif

 

7dz9Y2+db228ZTM96+9Se1yweUxmnit900EF.jpg

 

------------------

Markwell

My Geocache Page

Peregrinus Iniquus Defluo

 

[This message has been edited by Markwell (edited 12 December 2001).]

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Guest Markwell

quote:
Originally posted by VentureForth:

I think it would be reasonable to say that a Travel Bug is a hitchhiker, but a hitchhiker doesn' have to be a Travel Bug.


 

I basically agree with this statement above, as I have both a hitchhiker and several Travel Bugs (also here). But I'm not sure I agree with your criteria.

 

quote:
Originally posted by VentureForth:

I look at {the TB} as a traveller with a specific goal - one that is announced publicly. That way, people can conscientiously help it along it's way.


 

While that may be true for the bulk of Travel Bugs, not all TB's have specific goals. I think the distinction whether it's a Travel Bug or not only lies in whether or not the originator paid his money to Jeremy and logged it as a TB on the site.

 

Therefore, the Venn Diagram looks a little like this icon_wink.gif

 

7dz9Y2+db228ZTM96+9Se1yweUxmnit900EF.jpg

 

------------------

Markwell

My Geocache Page

Peregrinus Iniquus Defluo

 

[This message has been edited by Markwell (edited 12 December 2001).]

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Guest Robereno

I released my first bug on October 2 and it still sits in that first cache http://www.geocaching.com/track/track_detail.asp?ID=124

 

It has nothing to do with the bug; it?s just that geocaching activity has really slowed down, at least in my immediate area here in Southern Cal. I?m watching quite a few caches within a 50 mile radius and activity is really down. I am not discouraged at all though. I?ll be putting out my third bug on Friday and it will be in such a remote place that it could be months before it is retrieved. Only a serious geocacher will be finding it.

 

Also, if I remember correctly, a travel bug doesn?t necessarily need to be placed in a cache. We could leave these things on a park bench somewhere and people can still participate. I?ve been considering leaving one around the university where I work. I can?t place a cache for security reasons but a well placed travel bug has the potential to take off fast. At least I know that most college students use a computer and would be able to log it in. I?m still amazed at the number of people I meet who never use a computer and would be baffled at the idea of logging something on the internet.

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quote:
Originally posted by Robereno:

Also, if I remember correctly, a travel bug doesn?t necessarily need to be placed in a cache. We could leave these things on a park bench somewhere and people can still participate.


 

Well... the only way a travel bug will show up on the geocaching.com search pages in a geographic area is if its in a cache. Otherwise it will be listed as still being in the 'hands' of the last person to retrieve it. You can only 'drop off' a TB into a cache. A TB has no ability to have its own co-ordinates.

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Guest Cacher Jane8276

quote:
Originally posted by Robereno:

I released my first bug on October 2 and it still sits in that first cache http://www.geocaching.com/track/track_detail.asp?ID=124

 

It has nothing to do with the bug; it?s just that geocaching activity has really slowed down, at least in my immediate area here in Southern Cal. I?m watching quite a few caches within a 50 mile radius and activity is really down. I am not discouraged at all though. I?ll be putting out my third bug on Friday and it will be in such a remote place that it could be months before it is retrieved. Only a serious geocacher will be finding it.

 

Also, if I remember correctly, a travel bug doesn?t necessarily need to be placed in a cache. We could leave these things on a park bench somewhere and people can still participate. I?ve been considering leaving one around the university where I work. I can?t place a cache for security reasons but a well placed travel bug has the potential to take off fast. At least I know that most college students use a computer and would be able to log it in. I?m still amazed at the number of people I meet who never use a computer and would be baffled at the idea of logging something on the internet.


I have my Adventure Pass ready for your cache. Just waiting for a free w/e to get there! You could do mine but I have'nt got a TBug in it yet. http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.asp?ID=9273

and it's probably a little too easy for your taste

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