Travel Bug Hell!

[+Family Drum]

Hi All

 

We're new to this Geocahing malarkey and have released a couple of TBs.

 

I just wondered why people take TBs and place them in caches that are part of a series and are rarely visited. I thought the whole idea was to help bugs travel, not to stick them in a cache to languish for months on end. The youngest geokid's tb has been put into a chache that has only been found twice in 9 months. After her initial excitement of seeing the bug travel she is now losing interest. She's now asking if we can go and 'release it' - although we would have to solve 4 puzzles first and travel about 100 miles.

[+metal-bijou]

Hi All

 

We're new to this Geocahing malarkey and have released a couple of TBs.

 

I just wondered why people take TBs and place them in caches that are part of a series and are rarely visited. I thought the whole idea was to help bugs travel, not to stick them in a cache to languish for months on end. The youngest geokid's tb has been put into a chache that has only been found twice in 9 months. After her initial excitement of seeing the bug travel she is now losing interest. She's now asking if we can go and 'release it' - although we would have to solve 4 puzzles first and travel about 100 miles.

 

I've found http://www.tb-rescue.com/ can be useful if the cache isn't in your area.

[+The Blorenges]

This is one of the "joys" of TB ownership - you have to learn patience! That might not be so easy for a young child to understand, though...

 

If it's still sitting there in a couple of months time you could try dropping the owners an email to ask if they would be able to move the TB along for you.

 

MrsB

[Langy]

Hi All

 

We're new to this Geocahing malarkey and have released a couple of TBs.

 

I just wondered why people take TBs and place them in caches that are part of a series and are rarely visited. I thought the whole idea was to help bugs travel, not to stick them in a cache to languish for months on end. The youngest geokid's tb has been put into a chache that has only been found twice in 9 months. After her initial excitement of seeing the bug travel she is now losing interest. She's now asking if we can go and 'release it' - although we would have to solve 4 puzzles first and travel about 100 miles.

 

I've found http://www.tb-rescue.com/ can be useful if the cache isn't in your area.

 

It's amazing how many of these sites are out there that don't seem to be in an obviously published area.

Perhaps we need a post of useful sites.

 

Good Luck!

[+MartyBartfast]

To be honest your bugs have only been in these caches about 6 weeks or so, which is not that unusual; and it could be that the frequency of visits will pick up as we get into summer.

 

For the puzzle cache you could look to see if anyone's found the previous caches in the series recently and drop them a nice mail asking them to pick up your TB if they get round to doing #5.

 

Good luck though.

 

M.

[+Family Drum]

Thanks for all the replies.

 

I'm hoping that my geokid might learn a lesson from this about patience, but I can see how it must be a bit frustrating for a 9 year old.

[+perth pathfinders]

Hi there,

 

I like to move on TBs, but on a day out caching I cannot possibly know if the cache I have left a traveller in is going to get visited soon after me, nor can I guarantee that the next finder wants to move it on after me.

 

Sometimes the TBs stay in my bag several weeks, not on purpose, but because they had a specific goal which I didn't know about until I got home and read it, or because they are too large for a small box, or simply because I haven't managed to get out caching.

 

Not all cachers want to move TBs, so leave them in the box for the next person.

 

I am sure the person who dropped it off was only trying to do you a favour by moving the TB on for you, not cause you so much stress, it is possible it was the only regular sized cache/in good condition/in a safe spot of the day that he felt was appropriate for your TB.

 

I certainly wouldn't call it 'Travel Bug Hell' that a TB hadn't moved after a few weeks, you are relying on the good nature of cachers out there to help you, some stop up mountain tops covered in deep snow for 8 months or more, some go missing altogether. The TB in question has only been there since 23rd April.

 

This may be unfortunate for your child to understand, but that is the chance you take putting a trinket out in the field, it may move fast, it may move incredibly slowly, that is the fun of them.

 

Have you considered if your child wanted to hide an actual box - somewhere nearby in a pretty spot where she can keep a watch on it and see the logs coming in more regular?

Edited May 14, 2012 by perth pathfinders

[+Family Drum]

Hi there,

 

I like to collect/move on TBs, but on a day out caching I cannot possibly know if the cache I have left a traveller in is going to get visited soon after me, nor can I guarantee that the next finder wants to move it on after me.

 

Sometimes the TBs stay in my bag several weeks, not on purpose, but because they had a specific goal which I didn't know about until I got home and read it, or because they are too large for a small box, or simply because I haven't managed to get out caching.

 

Not all cachers want to move TBs, so leave them in the box for the next person.

 

I am sure the person who dropped it off was only trying to do you a favour by moving the TB on for you, not cause you so much stress, it is possible it was the only regular sized cache/in good condition/in a safe spot of the day that he felt was appropriate for your TB.

 

I certainly wouldn't call it 'Travel Bug Hell' that a TB hadn't moved after a few weeks, you are relying on the good nature of cachers out there to help you, some stop up mountain tops covered in deep snow for 8 months or more, some go missing altogether. The TB in question has only been there since 23rd April.

 

This may be unfortunate for your child to understand, but that is the chance you take putting a trinket out in the field, it may move fast, it may move incredibly slowly, that is the fun of them.

 

Have you considered if your child wanted to hide an actual box - somewhere nearby in a pretty spot where she can keep a watch on it and see the logs coming in more regular?

 

Thanks for the reply - 'Hell' is probably too strong a word.

 

My child has set up a cache and is very much enjoying keeping an eye on it.

 

In this case, the TB has gone into stage 5 of a multi cash. Unfortunately no one seems to have visited stage 4 or 3 for quite some time so it might be a bit longer before the TB is released.

[+chillypenguin]

Try contacting the CO, explaining the situation. If I was the CO, I would move the TB along for you.

[+likelyladybug]

At least you know when it does get picked up it will be retrieved by a serious cacher not a fly-by-night who will never move it again. Trust me I know, I've lost several.

[Langy]

At least you know when it does get picked up it will be retrieved by a serious cacher not a fly-by-night who will never move it again. Trust me I know, I've lost several.

 

That has to be so annoying losing a TB, especially when you took the time to go out and actually buy it in the first place.

 

I've recently visited a cache where there was a TB inside and knew it was trying to travel across the UK, so no good sticking it in some cache in the middle of the countryside down a long footpath.

 

Also I will say in defence for some people who are fairly new, we do not know when we will find another suitable cache to drop the TB in. The thought of holding on to someones TB for more than a few days isn't very nice when you know someone is watching it's movements. I'm about to move 250 miles up the country and had thought about taking a TB with me to help along the way, but then you have to think about how long will it be? Do I really want to hold on to it for so long? Where will I get to drop it off?

 

I'm sure your TB will soon move again, as someone suggested if it doesn't move after a couple of months try contacting the CO and they should be happy to help it along. At least it isn't lost yet like so many other seem to go missing.

 

Paul

[+MartyBartfast]

The thought of holding on to someones TB for more than a few days isn't very nice when you know someone is watching it's movements.

I don't think anyone would mind a few days, as many people only go out caching at the weekend anyway so I would almost expect my TBs to be held for a week or two before being moved on. Personally I try to move anything within 2 weeks, if I'm likely to have it for longer I'll post a note on the TB page.

[Langy]

The thought of holding on to someones TB for more than a few days isn't very nice when you know someone is watching it's movements.

I don't think anyone would mind a few days, as many people only go out caching at the weekend anyway so I would almost expect my TBs to be held for a week or two before being moved on. Personally I try to move anything within 2 weeks, if I'm likely to have it for longer I'll post a note on the TB page.

 

I know what you mean as if I had one I'd be happy for someone to keep hold of it for 2-3 weeks. I suppose it's just the way some of us are. Personally I'm wary of looking for caches in built up areas, the thought of hunting up and down the road in front of a house for a cache isn't very nice, but you have to do it to some extent in case you find it first time. For some people they are happy to wander out there as bold as anything and holding on to a TB for a month or two may just be second nature to them as they have a plan to drop it off 100 miles up the road when they are there in 6 weeks time.

[+hobgoblinkiteflier]

It can be a good idea to add a mission label to your Travel Bugs. If your label said "No Multis or Puzzles" then anyone who picked it up would see that and may (or may not ) take that into account when they drop it off.

 

I agree with a previous comment that a difficult cache is probably a safer place for a traveller. It is better to have one stuck for a while than to disappear completely.

[+ayrbrain]

Not only frustrating for a 9year old The first TB we put out lay for months in the cache we placed it in, when I got an email saying it was moving I was excited. Now one that we put out in Australia is MIA. :-(.

Also the one we put out for our little granddaughters seems to be stuck, but then it is a nice surprise when the email comes in that it is on the move. Good luck.

[+Perditus]

We took a huge amount of care when we released our first TB earlier this year, watching caches, looking to see how frequently they were visited, etc etc. We finally let it go into a cache on a walk that had been done every weekend for the past three weeks, and indeed was done by two others the same weekend we placed it. We also put a TB that we had previously picked up into a different cache on the same walk, then came home smugly ready to watch them move......No one else did that walk for nearly 5 weeks and they just sat there, so it just goes to show that it's the luck of the draw!

 

I do understand your daughter's impatience!

[Langy]

We took a huge amount of care when we released our first TB earlier this year, watching caches, looking to see how frequently they were visited, etc etc. We finally let it go into a cache on a walk that had been done every weekend for the past three weeks, and indeed was done by two others the same weekend we placed it. We also put a TB that we had previously picked up into a different cache on the same walk, then came home smugly ready to watch them move......No one else did that walk for nearly 5 weeks and they just sat there, so it just goes to show that it's the luck of the draw!

 

I do understand your daughter's impatience!

 

Also to add to this even if it was a popular cache it doesn't mean that someone would pick it up.

With not knowing where and when you are likely to even be abkle to drop it off to another cache may put a few people off in the fear of holding on to it for so long.

Having a TB seems to be a bit of a lottery as to how often it will move, where it will move to and worse if it will get lost or not.

[+Alfiegeorge]

The "upsides" of your TB being in this kind of cache is that;

 

1. When it does get picked up, it'll be picked up by someone who will know what to do with it.

2. As the cache has been there since 2007 - its probably well hidden and not prone to being muggled - the likelihood of your TB going missing whilst in the cache is low.

3. The cache is a locked box - extra safe !!

 

And, additionally, most of the finds that have been logged on the cache seem to be in the Summer months - don't know whether or not this could be to do with its location - but we are getting towards the right season for higher traffic at the site.

 

WHEN your TB does eventually go missing and believe me it will go missing one day. Then, its last port of call is most likely to have been a 1/1 cache in an urban park and / or the last finder is most likely to have been a newbie with <20 finds. A locked box in a well hidden location is nothing like the same risk.

 

When releasing a TB, best thing is to expect nothing and then be pleasantly surprised by anything interesting that does actually happen !!

[+Bear and Ragged]

What cache is it in as im up and down and if close enough may give it a whirl?

http://coord.info/TB4J42J in cache GET OUT OF JAIL FREE - No.6 Most Wanted http://coord.info/GC140MH

[+Family Drum]

Thanks for all the replies and thanks Rob for the offer to retrieve - good luck!

 

I'm probably a bit too soft, but when I pick up a TB and hten place it I always worry that it will go MIA!

[+skids181]

Ive been thinking of having a go at this series for a while but work away from home a lot. Ive got a week off soon so if its still there I will give it a go and move it on. There is a TB hotel a few miles up the road which is handy although I do spend all week travelling the country and know of a few more TB hotels.

[+Jacaru & Wemnog]

It is frustrating but part of the game. If you get stuck in that position there is another site that you could go to. TB Rescue. This site comes in very handy if a TB is languishing in a cache for a long time. http://www.tb-rescue.com/