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I Need a Travel Bug Pep Talk


weepirates3

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A hearty ARRRG! to my fellow cachers,

 

Travel bugs, love them. I absolutely love this idea - it is one of the aspects of caching that drew me to the game. When we first started I was more eager, I think, to get bugs out into the world than actually looking for caches. But, being a good little rule follower, we waited - learning the tricks of the trade, scoping out the possibilities, and earning our time in the trenches.

 

Finally we felt it was time to put out our first bug, a pirate coin - with a mission to wander the world hitting all the pirate hot spots. It was picked up from its starter cache, but not moved along - after a few months I contacted the cacher, and, after two or three e-mails, she finally got back to me. She said how sorry she was, and that she would move it along the next time she was out. She still has it.

 

Our second bug was in honor of a dear pet who had recently passed away. After a good run of a few weeks in our area he was taken to Hawaii and then to Washington state - where he was picked up (I'm pretty sure by a new cacher, if my detective work is worth its salt) but not moved along. I e-mailed the cacher - no response. Do I try again? At what point does it become obsessive?

 

Our third bug is in honor of a TV program that I have loved since I was a kid. After a good run of several weeks in our area it was picked up, and so far not moved along...although, after contacting the cacher, he has promised to place it back into play as soon as he can (I'm giving it until the end of March - it was picked up in November, if I recall - before I give up on it).

 

What do I do? I'm kind of burnt out on losing bugs. Is it better to cut my losses and just enjoy the hunting, or should I get back on that horse and not let the sticky-fingered cachers get me down?

 

Is there a help group for lost bugs? If not, perhaps one should be organized - we can't be the only ones that have loved and lost.

 

Thanks.

 

Daddy Pirate (of weepirates3)

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A hearty ARRRG! to my fellow cachers,

 

Travel bugs, love them. I absolutely love this idea - it is one of the aspects of caching that drew me to the game. When we first started I was more eager, I think, to get bugs out into the world than actually looking for caches. But, being a good little rule follower, we waited - learning the tricks of the trade, scoping out the possibilities, and earning our time in the trenches.

 

Finally we felt it was time to put out our first bug, a pirate coin - with a mission to wander the world hitting all the pirate hot spots. It was picked up from its starter cache, but not moved along - after a few months I contacted the cacher, and, after two or three e-mails, she finally got back to me. She said how sorry she was, and that she would move it along the next time she was out. She still has it.

 

Our second bug was in honor of a dear pet who had recently passed away. After a good run of a few weeks in our area he was taken to Hawaii and then to Washington state - where he was picked up (I'm pretty sure by a new cacher, if my detective work is worth its salt) but not moved along. I e-mailed the cacher - no response. Do I try again? At what point does it become obsessive?

 

Our third bug is in honor of a TV program that I have loved since I was a kid. After a good run of several weeks in our area it was picked up, and so far not moved along...although, after contacting the cacher, he has promised to place it back into play as soon as he can (I'm giving it until the end of March - it was picked up in November, if I recall - before I give up on it).

 

What do I do? I'm kind of burnt out on losing bugs. Is it better to cut my losses and just enjoy the hunting, or should I get back on that horse and not let the sticky-fingered cachers get me down?

 

Is there a help group for lost bugs? If not, perhaps one should be organized - we can't be the only ones that have loved and lost.

 

Thanks.

 

Daddy Pirate (of weepirates3)

 

 

i received my VERY 1st coin just a week ago and i would NEVER put it or any other coin out there in the geoworld.

coins are meant to keep.

if you put it out there it will

- be taken by a coin thief, and they're out there searching cache inventory lists right now looking for something to steal OR

- be taken by a new cacher that thinks it's beautiful and wants it as a souvenir.

 

Travel Bug tags are half the price and much less likely to be stolen but they still end up missing.

 

here's the GOOD NEWS.......

when you bought these 'travelers' you paid for that 'tracking number' and it lasts forever. you can re-release it as many times as you want by just etching those numbers on something and setting it loose

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Every trackable owner deals with the uncertainties of their trackables' lives in different ways.

 

Some get very stressed, shout and cry, and vow never to release another trackable.

 

Others give a regretful sigh, but retain some spark of hope that their trackable will re-surface again one day... and salve the pain of their loss by releasing another trackable.

 

And everything between these two extremes.

 

When it comes to contacting cachers who are holding one of my trackables, I usually send a reminder after 6-8 weeks (I feel there has to be a balance between contacting too soon... and leaving it so long they may have forgotten all about the trackable). Then I send another reminder after another 6-8 weeks. Then I usually give up...

 

unless...

 

it's a situation where the cacher has replied indicating their good intentions to do something positive but they still haven't dropped the item into a cache e.g. If they've replied to one of my emails along the lines of, "Yes, I have it but I've been too busy/other things are happening/I've been unwell/it's winter/I've given up caching, etc etc" then I will sometimes email a third time and offer to send a pre-paid envelope to them to return the trackable to me. I've managed to get two or three returned to me by that method.

 

I believe in the ultimate resurrection of all trackable items after a 12 - 18 month period of mourning so although they may pass away in some far-flung cache, or some far-flung cacher's hands, I know that they'll come back to life, one way or another, one day.

 

 

MrsB

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Every trackable owner deals with the uncertainties of their trackables' lives in different ways.

 

Some get very stressed, shout and cry, and vow never to release another trackable.

 

Others give a regretful sigh, but retain some spark of hope that their trackable will re-surface again one day... and salve the pain of their loss by releasing another trackable.

 

And everything between these two extremes.

 

When it comes to contacting cachers who are holding one of my trackables, I usually send a reminder after 6-8 weeks (I feel there has to be a balance between contacting too soon... and leaving it so long they may have forgotten all about the trackable). Then I send another reminder after another 6-8 weeks. Then I usually give up...

 

unless...

 

it's a situation where the cacher has replied indicating their good intentions to do something positive but they still haven't dropped the item into a cache e.g. If they've replied to one of my emails along the lines of, "Yes, I have it but I've been too busy/other things are happening/I've been unwell/it's winter/I've given up caching, etc etc" then I will sometimes email a third time and offer to send a pre-paid envelope to them to return the trackable to me. I've managed to get two or three returned to me by that method.

 

I believe in the ultimate resurrection of all trackable items after a 12 - 18 month period of mourning so although they may pass away in some far-flung cache, or some far-flung cacher's hands, I know that they'll come back to life, one way or another, one day.

 

 

MrsB

 

By resurrection, Please tell me you mean 'Re-release' !

Our travelers can last forever.

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What do I do? I'm kind of burnt out on losing bugs. Is it better to cut my losses and just enjoy the hunting, or should I get back on that horse and not let the sticky-fingered cachers get me down?

After a TB has been gone one year, plan on how you'll use that Tracking Number again. I made new items from my first two dead bugs so they are like the original, but much better, with fancy tags, shiny chains and all. And each has a rather high value for the precious metal alone. They're now mine, in my collection, alive and well and un-stolen. MAYBE I'll make them available for Discovery at Events, in a display case, if I really feel like it. I'm looking foward to resurrecting more soon, and I may never place them in another cache. Or I might, but NOBODY but myself will decide if I will.

 

At the other extreme, you could laminate a TB info sheet, and send that out. Or decide what went wrong and make a new TB designed for movement. It puts the control back into your hands, so I think it's good medicine. :)

 

But while you wait, do NOT rely on Private Messages to get your point across. Go to each of your TB pages and make it clear that the bug's missing. If you write to someone and get no response, you CAN'T be sure where it is, so be vague on the details, just mention how you're waiting for it to turn up. Everyone can see in the logs who had it last, so there's no need to emphasize that, but not everyone automatically knows there's an issue with your TB unless you add that info.

Edited by kunarion
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....you CAN'T be sure where it is, so be vague on the details, just mention how you're waiting for it to turn up. Everyone can see in the logs who had it last, so there's no need to emphasize that.....

Good advice.

We have seen a lot of cache pages that NAME an individual as a thief (more or less). Often wondered if it did well, shooting a mule to make it move along -- THAT is about what is done when you say they stole it, or are keeping it, etc. You have effectively buried your own trackable.

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When it comes to contacting cachers who are holding one of my trackables, I usually send a reminder after 6-8 weeks (I feel there has to be a balance between contacting too soon... and leaving it so long they may have forgotten all about the trackable). Then I send another reminder after another 6-8 weeks. Then I usually give up...

 

unless...

 

it's a situation where the cacher has replied indicating their good intentions to do something positive but they still haven't dropped the item into a cache e.g. If they've replied to one of my emails along the lines of, "Yes, I have it but I've been too busy/other things are happening/I've been unwell/it's winter/I've given up caching, etc etc" then I will sometimes email a third time and offer to send a pre-paid envelope to them to return the trackable to me. I've managed to get two or three returned to me by that method.

 

MrsB

 

 

I liked this, good advice.

 

 

 

Others give a regretful sigh, but retain some spark of hope that their trackable will re-surface again one day... and salve the pain of their loss by releasing another trackable.

 

I believe in the ultimate resurrection of all trackable items after a 12 - 18 month period of mourning so although they may pass away in some far-flung cache, or some far-flung cacher's hands, I know that they'll come back to life, one way or another, one day.

 

 

I liked this bit too. And, honestly, despite my current malaise, probably best sums up my feelings on the issue. Thanks.

 

 

 

We have seen a lot of cache pages that NAME an individual as a thief (more or less). Often wondered if it did well, shooting a mule to make it move along -- THAT is about what is done when you say they stole it, or are keeping it, etc. You have effectively buried your own trackable.

 

Right. You can't be sure - unless you catch the little thief red handed - you really can't be sure they have it. I try to remember this when I e-mail these cachers - don't be accusatory, be general and polite...even though I'm thinking, "You rat, give me back my Bug."

 

Thank you all. I wasn't sure this was going to help my mood, but it has. Cheers!

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I equate a lot of things to playing the lottery. It is usually worth a few bucks just to dream. In this case, hoping that your traveler will survive and thrive. More often than not it is a futile effort, but there is always that chance that your TB will be the one to make it. Here's to never giving up on the dream! :)

 

but a COIN is a bad idea.

chances are, it's NOT going to last long,

and it's more than just a couple of bucks

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but a COIN is a bad idea.

chances are, it's NOT going to last long

If you mean Geocoins get stolen due to being more valued, consider that a TB dogtag gets thrown away for the stolen rider. But the coin is kept. It's trackable, and can be tracked to its rightful owner. Some people grow up and turn the coin over to someone else. Some relative finds the coin in a junk drawer and figures out how to get it back into the game. There are many possibilities. I'd suspect that a "lost" Geocoin is more likely to be re-discovered some day (even returned to the owner) than a TB dogtag would.

 

My first resurrected "Geocoin" was a Cachekinz coin. It's actually a tag much like a Travel Bug, but has a special icon when logged. I don't know if a thief would save the Cachekinz, but I wouldn't be surprised. Most would be good on a keychain or whatever. But it's also engraved and trackable, so who knows...

Edited by kunarion
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but a COIN is a bad idea.

chances are, it's NOT going to last long,

and it's more than just a couple of bucks

 

But that's the gamble that some people are prepared to take: it's like putting down a $10 bet instead of your usual $5.

 

Sometimes you win and the bet gives you enjoyment for years and years... Cornwall geocoin. Other times you lose (almost immediately!) Celtic Tree of Life.

 

MrsB :)

 

Edited to remove a surplus o from my loose.

Edited by The Blorenges
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Sometimes you win and the bet gives you enjoyment for years and years... Cornwall geocoin.

I found a coin like that once! It then moved only a couple of caches then went missing. Five months later, a cacher saw it in a friend's house, and it's accrued 25,000 miles since then.

http://www.geocaching.com/track/log.aspx?LUID=904c11bc-a6b7-46c8-9a20-0e41d5c4c617

 

This is what I mean about Geocoins maybe being better suited to getting back into the game than TBs, after vanishing.

Edited by kunarion
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Geocaching is a relatively inexpensive hobby. I don't mind spending a few bucks every so oftem to increase the enjoyment of the game, for myself and others. I do this by buying or making cool swag, and also by releasing game pieces (travel bugs and geocoins). Yep, its a gamble all around, but hopefully I get a chance to watch some items travel to places I might not, or by making someone smile at something that they find.

 

Of course, I want all my bugs and geocoins to keep going for a long time, but I also know that all things come to an end sometime. We are just enjoying the journey on the way.

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