moving to country without caches

[+terratin]

A theoretical (at least now) discussion.

 

Imagine you move to a country where geocaching doesn't play a big role, to a region where the nearest cache is say 1000 kilometers away. However, there are some expats living in the area and more are continuously moving in.

 

What would be your strategy regarding geocaching? Forget about it? Try to create interest amongst expats?

 

What would you do?

 

Mrs. Terratin

Edited July 1, 2011 by terratin

[+Ambient_Skater]

Are there counties out there without geocaches? I would avoid moving to such a country in the first place.

[+Icenians]

Er, place some and wait. Someone will find them.

[+LewisClan77]

move somewhere else...

[+Bear and Ragged]

Not move there.

 

Start a new account name , to start placing 'New' caches for 'Me' to find, and to find my hides...

[+power69]

A theoretical (at least now) discussion.

 

Imagine you move to a country where geocaching doesn't play a big role, to a region where the nearest cache is say 1000 kilometers away. However, there are some expats living in the area and more are continuously moving in.

 

What would be your strategy regarding geocaching? Forget about it? Try to create interest amongst expats?

 

What would you do?

Rejoice! as you'd have just about any cool spot to hide without saturation issues.

[Clan Riffster]

When I first checked out Terracaching, several notable players were suggesting that, if you lived in a region which had none, you should hide some of your own, acting as an emissary. I took the bait, creating a couple fairly challenging TCs, but they were almost entirely ignored. I eventually gave up and archived them. If I went to a region free of geocaches, I would probably do the same, hiding a few, leaving them in place for a while to see if they germinate. During the interim, I would explore options to move somewhere else.

[+NYPaddleCacher]

Are there counties out there without geocaches? I would avoid moving to such a country in the first place.

 

If you go to the Hide and Seek a Cache page there is a "By Country" select list that you can use to display a list of caches for each country (except the U.S. and Canada...you have to search by state or province). There are 248 countries in that list.

 

When I captured country total stats about a month ago or so there were 21 countries which had no geocaches. There are 92 countries which had 10 or fewer countries. 178 countries have less than 100 caches. In many of those countries a large percentage of them have not yet been found. For example, Algeria has 9 geocaches and 4 of them have not yet been found.

 

If I could choose any country in which to live, the number of available geocaches in the country wouldn't effect my choice in the slightest. To answer the OP, if I moved to a cache sparse country, or even if it was a country where I was the only geocacher living there I would still place a few caches. There might not be any other geocachers in the country but presumably there would be a few geocachers visiting from time to time and they'd probably really appreciate finding at least one cache in that country.

[+mpilchfamily]

I like the idea of starting an alt account to hide the caches. So the question becomes do you start another account to act as reviewer? Its an empty country so who would be the reviewer?

[+Too Tall John]

I like the idea of starting an alt account to hide the caches. So the question becomes do you start another account to act as reviewer? Its an empty country so who would be the reviewer?

Only Groundspeak knows.

 

Oh, and the reviewer that they've probably already told is covering that country.

[+terratin]

I like the idea of starting an alt account to hide the caches. So the question becomes do you start another account to act as reviewer? Its an empty country so who would be the reviewer?

 

Nah, an alt account is no fun. I do like thinking about mystery caches, but mostly I like finding them. That's why I'm thinking if it's possible to get people into Geocaching. I think there are a few general reviewers around, I think mostly situated in the States who review those caches. Some Middle Eastern contries are also reviewed from there.

[+DonB]

Take up a new hobby.

[AZcachemeister]

I think I would hide a few and see what happens.

I would also hope I could manage frequent trips out-of-country.

[+dfx]

Er, place some and wait. Someone will find them.

 

Yup. And when they do, place some more.

[+GunnerMac]

Are there counties out there without geocaches? I would avoid moving to such a country in the first place.

 

If you go to the Hide and Seek a Cache page there is a "By Country" select list that you can use to display a list of caches for each country (except the U.S. and Canada...you have to search by state or province). There are 248 countries in that list.

 

When I captured country total stats about a month ago or so there were 21 countries which had no geocaches. There are 92 countries which had 10 or fewer countries. 178 countries have less than 100 caches. In many of those countries a large percentage of them have not yet been found. For example, Algeria has 9 geocaches and 4 of them have not yet been found.

 

If I could choose any country in which to live, the number of available geocaches in the country wouldn't effect my choice in the slightest. To answer the OP, if I moved to a cache sparse country, or even if it was a country where I was the only geocacher living there I would still place a few caches. There might not be any other geocachers in the country but presumably there would be a few geocachers visiting from time to time and they'd probably really appreciate finding at least one cache in that country.

 

Not all countries are on that list either. So I suspect the ones that are missing dont have caches.

[+geodarts]

It depends on the country. If I somehow moved to North Korea I would leave my gpsr somewhere else since Dear Leader does not like them. If I moved to a country that had foreign visitors but no caches I would place a few and start a geo-tour business. Or I would use the time differently and start to write my novel.

[+SwineFlew]

Start a power trail, over 1k and watch people coming from nowhere to find them.

[+pldiguanaman]

Add some caches but figure out a way to advertise that some have been placed. Not just on the web site but maybe some fliers or something.

[+fuzziebear3]

Place a couple and wait ...

 

As you develop some friends in the country, explain geocaching to them, and they will be amazed that there are some nearby for them to find!

 

Tell them that they can also hide their own, and then you will be able to go and find them ...

[+NYPaddleCacher]

Are there counties out there without geocaches? I would avoid moving to such a country in the first place.

 

If you go to the Hide and Seek a Cache page there is a "By Country" select list that you can use to display a list of caches for each country (except the U.S. and Canada...you have to search by state or province). There are 248 countries in that list.

 

When I captured country total stats about a month ago or so there were 21 countries which had no geocaches. There are 92 countries which had 10 or fewer countries. 178 countries have less than 100 caches. In many of those countries a large percentage of them have not yet been found. For example, Algeria has 9 geocaches and 4 of them have not yet been found.

 

If I could choose any country in which to live, the number of available geocaches in the country wouldn't effect my choice in the slightest. To answer the OP, if I moved to a cache sparse country, or even if it was a country where I was the only geocacher living there I would still place a few caches. There might not be any other geocachers in the country but presumably there would be a few geocachers visiting from time to time and they'd probably really appreciate finding at least one cache in that country.

 

Not all countries are on that list either. So I suspect the ones that are missing dont have caches.

 

It depends on what list you're comparing it to. The list of official countries and sovereign states list changes frequently. In some cases, groups of islands are listed separately, and others their listed as a group.

[+Sol seaker]

Hide some really good ones and give geocaching classes.

Make sure and include in your classes a good section on hiding caches and how to hide good ones.

 

Are there any outdoors stores you can go through to give the classes??

 

Are there any places that have classes that you can give it through?

 

How about libraries, scouting type of groups, other groups that may already be formed and may like to hear about caching?

[+Sol seaker]

So if this is a hypothetical question, then why are you asking?

 

If we find out the real exact situation we can give answers that are more applicable.

[+Scubasonic]

That would be kinda cool to go to a area with no caches, and be the first to place in the area.

 

SS

[+NYPaddleCacher]

That would be kinda cool to go to a area with no caches, and be the first to place in the area.

 

SS

 

I've never been to a country with *no* caches but I was in Ethiopia when there were only five in the entire country, including the Erta Ale Volcano cache. It's located in the Danakil Depression, generally considered to be one of the most inhospitable regions on earth. Now Ethiopia is up to a whopping 13 caches. A couple of my colleagues visited Rwanda and Burundi which have 2 and zero caches respectively.

[+d+n.s]

I guess you;d have to place a few and try to do something to get the word out... chances are it would be a country so poor that they wouldn't have money for GPSrs, but I suppose it would be worth a try.

[Steinninn]

I actually live in a country with only 250 caches. My first thought was to place some of my own. But then I thought I should find some of these 250 before I start myself. It's been a few weeks and I think I'm ready to start placing my own. Getting that number up a little bit.

[+niffir]

There are more caches within 100 miles of my home in the US than within all of Mexico, where I sometimes live. I've only managed one cache find in all my years living part time in Jalisco (and that find was this last year when someone put one within a mile of where I have a cache there). Since I don't have a car when I am there and am traveling as a lone female nearly all the time, I'm just not able to reach or comfortable searching for most caches there. I have 2 DNF caches there, 1 find, and 1 cache that I placed. It makes me a bit sad that I'm not able to do more caching when I'm living there.

[+Andromeda321]

I've traveled to some really isolated parts of the world- for example there is only one physical cache in Tibet and none outside of the Everest park except for two Earthcaches I placed. After about two months one of those caches one is waiting for a FTF still, the other has 2 finds on it so far.

 

I also remember when I was in Beijing this spring a lot of new caches were *just* getting placed, as there were a few expats interested and plenty of tourists who were interested in a few finds. So it was interesting to see things coming online there! Based on that, if I moved to such an area I'd certainly place one or two caches particularly in places tourists are want to go, and wait to see what happens. Tourists go everywhere, so you have to be REALLY in the middle of nowhere to have no finds over the course of a year I think.

[+lamoracke]

Sai Pan has two. Definitely impacts me going over there to see a relative. Long time to be stuck on an island with not much to do and only 2 caches.

[+Ambient_Skater]

So the question becomes do you start another account to act as reviewer? Its an empty country so who would be the reviewer?

The caches go to the nearest reviewer in an adjacent country. They never need to physically visit the cache to check it, so it wouldn't make a difference.

[+terratin]

 

Hide some really good ones and give geocaching classes.

Make sure and include in your classes a good section on hiding caches and how to hide good ones.

 

Are there any outdoors stores you can go through to give the classes??

 

Are there any places that have classes that you can give it through?

 

How about libraries, scouting type of groups, other groups that may already be formed and may like to hear about caching?

 

Good question, and no idea. My guess is that there's not much of outdoor shops, or even a library. Doesn't mean much though. I lived in another country before where the library was closed for year as a new one was being build, and even if it was open, becoming a member apparently wasn't easy for non-locals due to bureaucratic things. I thought about some kind of geocaching evening, especially as there doesn't seem to be too much to do in general. If such thing would work though? I'd rather see a couple of people getting enthusiastic very quickly, throwing a few containers after a bush, and never looking at geocaching again.

 

So if this is a hypothetical question, then why are you asking?

 

If we find out the real exact situation we can give answers that are more applicable.

 

Because it's still hypothetical, but might not be anymore one day and might or might not come very quickly.