+lee737 Posted December 30, 2015 Share Posted December 30, 2015 We released our first bug a month ago, after dutifully logging many others and sending them traveling, including taking one to its destination, 2000km away..... Our bug was picked up 24hr after we dropped it off, and the person who has it (30 finds) has been caching on and off since, with no mention of the TB - today I note she just found a TB hotel - still no mention of our bug! When we have someone's TB, we treat it like gold, try and remember some photos, and at least visit it at every cache we take it to. Rant over...... In good TB news, one of the others we released in NZ was picked up by an experienced cacher, and is on its way to The Netherlands..... there is hope for us yet! Lee Quote Link to comment
+Crow-T-Robot Posted December 30, 2015 Share Posted December 30, 2015 I've released a good number of TB's and coins. They have about a 98% mortality rate. So, your experience with your first TB is pretty much the norm in geocaching today. If I release a new TB now, I do so believing it might survive one or possibly two encounters with geocachers before heading into the great unknown. It's tough to tell someone that has just gotten into the TB side of things to learn to let them go, that you can't control what happens to your bug after it's in the wild, that chances are very likely that it'll go missing sooner rather than later...but, that's the reality. IF you have a bug that travels a lot and gets logged properly, count yourself extremely blessed. I'm like you. I take care to properly log and move trackables timely and there have been a few times that I've retrieved bugs that last showed being logged years ago, many states away. Yet, they were still traveling that whole time, just not being logged. It happens and may be happening to your bug right now. Or maybe it's already gone. Either way, there isn't much you can do about it now except hope it resurfaces. It DOES feel pretty darn good when a bug you thought was long gone returns to action. Even if that return is short-lived and it goes missing again soon after. Quote Link to comment
+Twentse Mug Posted December 30, 2015 Share Posted December 30, 2015 As long as HQ does not teach newbies about travel bugs properly and as long as the gc website about travelbugs has this complicated workflow the mortality rate in travelbugs will not drop. Quote Link to comment
+noncentric Posted December 31, 2015 Share Posted December 31, 2015 When we have someone's TB, we treat it like gold, try and remember some photos, and at least visit it at every cache we take it to. In case you hadn't read, there are forum threads with rants from TB owners about getting 'visit' logs on their TB's. Not every TB owner wants to see a bunch of 'visit' logs. Quote Link to comment
+lee737 Posted December 31, 2015 Author Share Posted December 31, 2015 When we have someone's TB, we treat it like gold, try and remember some photos, and at least visit it at every cache we take it to. In case you hadn't read, there are forum threads with rants from TB owners about getting 'visit' logs on their TB's. Not every TB owner wants to see a bunch of 'visit' logs. What do they say about pleasing some people some of the time? We visit TBs to caches, it is only caches where the TB won't fit, or if the cache clearly isn't part of the TBs goal.... I actually don't get jollies out of lugging TBs around the country, I drop them off ASAP.... Quote Link to comment
+luckytwo Posted January 2, 2016 Share Posted January 2, 2016 I understand and agree with your rant. You are not alone.... I have released 35 travel bugs over the last 7 years, and of those, only SIX have been logged in the past year. I still enjoy the TB experience but my expectations have certainly changed. Now I am interested in "How long they survive", as well as the interesting places and logs they gather. I have since released some "proxy" replacement travel bugs which cachers seem to enjoy too. Quote Link to comment
+vw_k Posted January 9, 2016 Share Posted January 9, 2016 (edited) I prefer to attatch them to things I'm not going to release into caches now, I have 2 backpacks, a small one for day hikes and everyday use and a large one for camping/travelling. I have a TB attatched to each one so cachers can discover them if I meet them on the trail or at events. It also might help return them to me if the packs ever become "lost property". The Big Green Rucksack Edited January 9, 2016 by vw_k Quote Link to comment
+Auld Pharrrt Posted January 15, 2016 Share Posted January 15, 2016 (edited) We released our first bug a month ago, after dutifully logging many others and sending them traveling, including taking one to its destination, 2000km away..... Our bug was picked up 24hr after we dropped it off, and the person who has it (30 finds) has been caching on and off since, with no mention of the TB - today I note she just found a TB hotel - still no mention of our bug! When we have someone's TB, we treat it like gold, try and remember some photos, and at least visit it at every cache we take it to. Rant over...... In good TB news, one of the others we released in NZ was picked up by an experienced cacher, and is on its way to The Netherlands..... there is hope for us yet! Lee My own personal experience with my very first geocoin was similar to your's. I now have almost 50 TB's and coins to my name and almost all of them are either released and on the road or ready to be released very soon. The best advice I can offer is to NOT MAKE THEM LOOK PRETTY! Apparently, the uglier the better. As for Geocoins, No way will I ever release another original, I make a laminated proxy and send it out in the place of the coin, so far no-one has objected to this, but if any go missing, I will wait 12 months then release a replacement copy. The person who picked mine up, sadly moves TB's with a philosophy I have never heard of before ... she claims that when she finds a TB she emails the owner to let them know then ... wait for it ... DROPS THEM OFF ANYWHERE WITHOUT LOGGING IT SO NO-ONE CAN GO HUNTING FOR THEM DELIBERATELY. I did try to explain the rules, not mine, GC's, but she wasn't interested. Edited January 15, 2016 by Auld Pharrrt Quote Link to comment
+luckytwo Posted January 15, 2016 Share Posted January 15, 2016 Like Auld, I have many TBs and proxies of TBs in circulation. My TB that has travelled the furthest is a caterpillar made out of lego, now 39000 km and counting, maybe because it is nothing special. Interesting how someone would drop a TB off without logging, as that would reduce the km travelled and make the TB map just wrong. I have not had much luck with geocoins either. Thanks for the post. Quote Link to comment
+Shiny Black Shoe Posted January 21, 2016 Share Posted January 21, 2016 Like Auld, I have many TBs and proxies of TBs in circulation. My TB that has travelled the furthest is a caterpillar made out of lego, now 39000 km and counting, maybe because it is nothing special. Interesting how someone would drop a TB off without logging, as that would reduce the km travelled and make the TB map just wrong. I have not had much luck with geocoins either. Thanks for the post. While plain wrong, if the next cacher then "grabs it from somewhere else" like they should it will log miles just fine. I do wonder how much longer TBs are going to survive. Two sat here waiting to release. One with mission set and a laminate attached that says "This TB is owned by a 5 year old. If you steal it you are stealing from a child" Lets see how that survives. (Its true its the littlest shoe's first TB). I do wonder how many are stolen vs taken by relative newbie cachers who get the concept (we all attach a laminated note explaining it don't we?) but then visit 20 nano's and fail to drop it in the nanos. And then they give up caching and the TB sits in a drawer. Probably never claimed as lifted coz it was a first time and they hadn't worked out what to do with it. I'd very much expect you should always be able to retrieve your bug yourself. So if someone's bending the rules they should tell the TO where it is. Just occasionally it strikes me geochaching needs a wrap over the knuckles function, that would allow some form of moderator to tell a player they aren't following the rules and if they continue to do so their account will be suspended for X days followed by lifetime ban. For the numbers players at least that would focus the mind.. Quote Link to comment
+lee737 Posted January 21, 2016 Author Share Posted January 21, 2016 Well so far all of our TBs seem alive.... even the first one has resumed circulation (only after we messaged the cacher who had it.....) with a gigantic 4 miles covered in 2 months! I will start adding a laminated advice/directions card to ours, hopefully will improve things...... Quote Link to comment
+luckytwo Posted January 22, 2016 Share Posted January 22, 2016 After reading these posts, I think I will add more wording to my Travel Bugs. The standard wording is "I am a travel bug, track me at Geocaching.com". I think this is not enough for newbies. I will add a key chain tag with the tracking number on one side and on the other add the words " I am a TRAVEL BUG. If you move me, log me at Geocaching.com. Choose "Play" and "Find Trackables". Hopefully this will help keep my trackables alive. Any suggestions in wording is appreciated. Quote Link to comment
+lee737 Posted January 22, 2016 Author Share Posted January 22, 2016 Something along these lines..... http://www.geoswag.com/swag/other/swag-travel-bug-buddy-al.html Quote Link to comment
+Ry Dawg Posted January 26, 2016 Share Posted January 26, 2016 We released our first bug a month ago, after dutifully logging many others and sending them traveling, including taking one to its destination, 2000km away..... Our bug was picked up 24hr after we dropped it off, and the person who has it (30 finds) has been caching on and off since, with no mention of the TB - today I note she just found a TB hotel - still no mention of our bug! When we have someone's TB, we treat it like gold, try and remember some photos, and at least visit it at every cache we take it to. Rant over...... In good TB news, one of the others we released in NZ was picked up by an experienced cacher, and is on its way to The Netherlands..... there is hope for us yet! Lee That is frustrating! I've had one end up in a cache that was muggled and one still "in the hands" of an inactive user. I completely agree with treating them like gold! The ones I really like I make a specific point to "visit" every cache I go to before dropping it off, as well as snapping some pictures that I think the owner will enjoy! Quote Link to comment
+cerberus1 Posted January 26, 2016 Share Posted January 26, 2016 After reading these posts, I think I will add more wording to my Travel Bugs. The standard wording is "I am a travel bug, track me at Geocaching.com". I think this is not enough for newbies. I will add a key chain tag with the tracking number on one side and on the other add the words " I am a TRAVEL BUG. If you move me, log me at Geocaching.com. Choose "Play" and "Find Trackables". Hopefully this will help keep my trackables alive. Any suggestions in wording is appreciated. Good luck with that... "Don't Keep Me" already on the tag doesn't seem to work. Quote Link to comment
+J&J Team Yukon Posted January 26, 2016 Share Posted January 26, 2016 I also am very frustrated with geocachers taking TB's and not logging them out of cache. I cringe every time I see a log where a brand new cacher has taken a traveler . On the message part when you log into cache I always put, if you take please log out and move TB to another cache. We have had so many come up missing and if they make it to a foreign country, they never make it home. I always put dupe tags out for missing TBs and never put a coin out. Quote Link to comment
+TheAuthorityFigures Posted February 7, 2016 Share Posted February 7, 2016 Something along these lines..... http://www.geoswag.com/swag/other/swag-travel-bug-buddy-al.html Good product. I use em. Quote Link to comment
+Cachez Posted February 9, 2016 Share Posted February 9, 2016 My first one has gone missing too. I released a few mid January, one made it to the Czech Republic, then today the CO marks it as missing. I emailed the last couple of finders and think I know who took it - a newbie cacher basically. I've emailed them asking for them to log it but I don't hold out a lot of hope. It even had an actual plastic key ring tag with the mission and 'don't keep me' printed on it! Quote Link to comment
+RosiesDaddyBear Posted February 12, 2016 Share Posted February 12, 2016 I have my first one in circulation at the moment. He hasn't been logged for about 2 weeks and I'm a bit worried for him. He's in the hands of a cacher with about 60 finds but who hasn't logged onto the site since October. What is a reasonable amount of time to wait before nudging the current holder is appropriate? RDB Quote Link to comment
+lee737 Posted February 12, 2016 Author Share Posted February 12, 2016 What is a reasonable amount of time to wait before nudging the current holder is appropriate? I'd give them at least a month/6 weeks or so.... How big is the TB? We found one not long ago, the bug itself was a tin, about 300mL volume, we had to wait until we found an ammo tin to drop it off..... Quote Link to comment
+RosiesDaddyBear Posted February 12, 2016 Share Posted February 12, 2016 What is a reasonable amount of time to wait before nudging the current holder is appropriate? I'd give them at least a month/6 weeks or so.... How big is the TB? We found one not long ago, the bug itself was a tin, about 300mL volume, we had to wait until we found an ammo tin to drop it off..... It's a zombie lego minifigure. In hindsight I regret putting him out there because he's quite collectable and I'm not expecting him to last too long. Although I have come across a few minifure trackables that have been travelling for years, so there's always hope. Quote Link to comment
+luckytwo Posted February 12, 2016 Share Posted February 12, 2016 (edited) I would give them a couple months because geocachers operate sporatically. I have 3 Tbs that have moved in the last week, another three that have moved in the last month, 6 more that have moved in the last two months, four more that have moved in the last 6 months and so on. It also depends where they are as ones in Canada seldom move during winter. I have also picked up quite a few and seldom have a cacher nudge me. I like to move TBs right away, but in general many do not. Hope this helps. Edited February 12, 2016 by luckytwo Quote Link to comment
+Auld Pharrrt Posted February 12, 2016 Share Posted February 12, 2016 (edited) I pretty much agree with luckytwo ... but some people don't seem too happy about being nudged, no matter how polite or diplomatic you might try to do it. In the few times I've tried to nudge someone, I carefully looked at their profiles and logs to see if they appeared to be (for lack of a better word) responsible members, but it still doesn't mean that they will take kindly to you prompting them to drop off your TB. All my attempts to get my very first geocoin released by the first person who found it ended up with me being slated for making her look like a thief!!! She claimed that she prefers to move trackables without logging them into where she drops them so people can't go "hunting" for them, so they just hang about in her inventory until she logs a drop at any random cache! (or someone does find them.) Suffice is to say that my brand new coin has never seen the light of day again. I released a proxy copy shortly after as I am convinced it will never surface again (normally I would wait at least a year before making a copy.) Edited February 12, 2016 by Auld Pharrrt Quote Link to comment
+RosiesDaddyBear Posted February 13, 2016 Share Posted February 13, 2016 All good advice, thank you. I'll give it a good while before I take any action. I've just released a new TB today and I made a little card to go with it explaining that it belongs to a 6yr old girl and it wouldn't be very nice to keep it. Hopefully this one might last. Especially since it is in competition with a TB from a friend of mine. RDB Quote Link to comment
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