Travel Bug Collecting Along The Way

[LunaStone]

I tried searching, but couldn't find anything, so my apologies if anything like this has been asked & answered.

 

I would really love to set a travel bug out with 2 goals in mind. The first is to visit all 50 states in America and make it back to me. The second is for it to pick up a key chain from that state, a souvenir like key chain with the states name, shape, etc. along the way. Just something that makes it obvious as to where it's from.

 

Has anything like this been done? It is OK to ask for people to add something? I don't want one for EVERY cache, just 1 per state.

 

Thanks in advance for all responses!

[+Bear and Ragged]

If a new item is added to the TB for every state the TB visits, it could get to be a rather large TB...

And it could put cachers off from helping it on it's journey.

It's no fun trying to find a cache to put large TB's in, especially if all your local caches are film tubs or smaller!

[+kunarion]

Has anything like this been done? It is OK to ask for people to add something? I don't want one for EVERY cache, just 1 per state.

I saw a bottle opener TB once. It had about a dozen various bottle openers attached. It was kind of a mass of metal parts, unwieldy. I agree with the previous post, to try keeping it as mobile as possible.

 

If you wanted a real wild plan, make fifty Travel Bugs, each with a generic hitch-hiker (or no attached traveler, or just a state's name). Make each have a mission to visit to their state and get a keychain attached, and then have it returned to you. That way, each has just one little keychain. If 50 seems just too nutty, divide it up differently (like 10 tags, each wanting to visit 5 states).

Edited October 1, 2010 by kunarion

[+NanCycle]

I think a key chain or something similar is a bit much to ask for, but it is not uncommon to see TBs with note card attached for finders to check off which states it has visited.

[LunaStone]

I see what you mean about it becoming unwieldy. I really like the idea of the 50 different ones, but It's a little out of my price range at this point. But, since my kids were so excited about this idea, I may try to come up with something a little less bulky. We also collect postcards, maybe I can incorporate that somehow. I just wish I had a PO Box...

[+niraD]

I once moved a TB that had several objects attached to the TB tag. The owner encouraged people to add/trade objects when they moved the TB.

 

But I agree with the others who pointed out that 50 keyrings on a single TB would get rather bulky. I've seen bulky TBs before, but they are hard to move.

[+FamilyDNA]

I see what you mean about it becoming unwieldy. I really like the idea of the 50 different ones, but It's a little out of my price range at this point. But, since my kids were so excited about this idea, I may try to come up with something a little less bulky. We also collect postcards, maybe I can incorporate that somehow. I just wish I had a PO Box...

How about a recipe card box to collect postcards on its travels? It would be a larger TB, but at least the size would stay constant through the collecting.

[+roziecakes]

I have moved a few geocoins that had goals of seeing every state. They had a nice paper with a checklist along with them so that folks who found the coin would know where it still needed to go. Pretty cool.

 

As for TBs where folks add things, one of the first TBs I ever found was called "Gus the Postcard Fish," and you could attach a postcard to the keyring that it had on it. It was indeed a little bulky, but it was pretty cool to see all the postcards.

 

Also, there are some REALLY big TBs out there. There's a hula hoop going around the Willamette Valley here, I almost got stuck with it!

[+The Blorenges]

You might like to look at this TB which asks for postcards or photos to be sent to Blobby's unsuspecting owner. It's one I've been watching for a while and it has done a great mileage but he seems to have stalled recently - I hope he'll get back on his travels soon.

 

Mr Blobby travels the world.

 

 

MrsB

[+Bear and Ragged]

snipped ... I just wish I had a PO Box...

Try an advanced search for keyword "geo-post"

 

You could start your own geo-post office locally.

[+vw_k]

I know of someone who attatched a TB tag to a USB storage tag and asked cachers to upload their photos to it. Maybe you could do this and ask cachers to add a photo of each state or state sign?

[+niraD]

How about a recipe card box to collect postcards on its travels? It would be a larger TB, but at least the size would stay constant through the collecting.

I found one like that. The TB tag was attached to a blank notebook with "Cookie Monster's Recipe Book" written on the cover. Finders were asked to add their favorite cookie recipes. I added a couple of mine, and copied a couple from the book that sounded good.

[hoosier guy]

We had one come through that was just like you described. It had 15 or so key chains on it so you have to find the right cache to put it in but that was not big deal

Edited October 2, 2010 by hoosier guy