What's the difference between a trackable and a travel bug?

[+Nosmo King]

I found my first "trackable or travel bug and I'm not sure which it is" and want to move it along. Do I just trade it with another item in another cache? Do I report that I have placed it in another cache? or do I just drop it off in a cache and say nothing? Thanks in advance.

[+Panther&Pine]

Trackable is the generic term, these items all have a unique code on them that you use to reterive them and then later you place it.

This is a good place to start.

[+Calypso62]

There are two types of trackables.... Travel Bugs and Geocoins.

 

Travel Bugs:

These are usually an item (such as a toy car, a small doll, an old mobile phone, a house key or any other item the TB owner wishes to use) and have a dog tag attached to the item. On the dog tag is a unique tracking code that identifies the travel bug.

 

Geocoins:

These are usually metal objects that come in various sizes, shapes and designs. They often look like large coins. They also have a unique tracking code that identifies the geocoin.

 

In both cases, when you find one of these trackables in a cache and take it with you, you need to go on to the website and under the "Play" tab, select "Find Trackables" and enter the unique tracking code in the "Enter the Tracking Code of the Item" section. When you press the "Track" button you will be taken to the trackable's page.

 

Under "Trackable Options" select the "Found It? Log it!" link and retrieve the trackable into your inventory.

 

after you have dropped the trackable into another cache, when you write your online "Found It" log, you will see the list of trackables in your inventory below the text box. Select the "Dropped Off" action for the particular trackable before submitting your log. The trackable will have been removed from your inventory and placed in the cache listing ready for another geocacher to retrieve it.

 

I hope this all makes sense.

 

Cheers,

Calypso62

[+Bear and Ragged]

And.

Trackables are NOT swag.

If you leave one, you don't take anything as a swap.

 

However. If you want to leave something when you take a trackable, feel free to do so!

(But it's not compulsory)

 

And, there is no need to 'trade one for one' with trackables.

[+Glenn]

trackable or travel bug and I'm not sure which it is

 

They are the same thing.

 

Originally there was the travel bug. It looked like a dog tag. Then people started buying travel bug and transferring the tracking numbers to other items like coins. These were still generically known as travel bugs. Then gGroundspeak started selling tracking numbers in bulk. They were mostly used for making geocoins but people put them other things as well. Their car, their dog, some even had them tattooed to their bodies! The geocaching store started selling things like travel tags and cachekinz.

 

The original term travel bug no longer accurately described what these thing are. Geocachers have been referring to them as trackables for years. Groundspeak only relatively recently has begun to refer to them as trackable instead of travel bugs. You will travel bug and trackable used interchangeably on the Geocaching website.

 

Do I just trade it with another item in another cache? Do I report that I have placed it in another cache? or do I just drop it off in a cache and say nothing? Thanks in advance.

 

All of your questions and more are answered in the Travel Bug FAQ.

[+kunarion]

trackable or travel bug and I'm not sure which it is

 

They are the same thing.

 

Originally there was the travel bug. It looked like a dog tag. Then people started buying travel bug and transferring the tracking numbers to other items like coins. These were still generically known as travel bugs. Then gGroundspeak started selling tracking numbers in bulk. They were mostly used for making geocoins but people put them other things as well. Their car, their dog, some even had them tattooed to their bodies! The geocaching store started selling things like travel tags and cachekinz.

 

The original term travel bug no longer accurately described what these thing are. Geocachers have been referring to them as trackables for years. Groundspeak only relatively recently has begun to refer to them as trackable instead of travel bugs. You will travel bug and trackable used interchangeably on the Geocaching website.

"Travel Bug" and "Trackable" are used interchangeably, although it's probably a good idea to differentiate "TBs" and "Geocoins", since they are treated differently in some ways by cachers. Grouped together, "TBs" and "Geocoins" are called "Trackables".

 

I sometimes type "TB" in the TB forum, as shorthand for "any Trackable", especially if "TB" is the term an OP used. But usually, when I say "TB", I mean the barcode bug logo dog tag that has the words "Travel Bug" imprinted. Any "tag" (such as a Cachekinz animal tag) that doesn't have the name "Travel Bug" on it, is properly referred to as a Geocoin. Finding, placing or logging works the same for any Trackable. As far as I can tell, either form works for either to log one, too (whether Travel Bug or Geocoin). In other words, yeah, "They are the same thing".

Edited September 8, 2013 by kunarion

[+kunarion]

or do I just drop it off in a cache and say nothing?

This is the last resort, but it's an option. As Glenn said, check the FAQ to get an idea of how to log it. Make a note of the Tracking Number (but don't tell anyone what it is), place the Trackable into a cache, and log the "Drop".

 

There are many reasons why a log can't be made, so if you have a specific problem, just ask. But if you absolutely can't figure out how to properly log the Trackable, place it into a cache soon anyway. You may type "Dropped TB" with a short description, but not the Tracking Number, in the online cache log.

[+Nosmo King]

Thanks for all the information. I'm good to go now.