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Cachers keeping travel bug and just logging it in a billion caches?


BethMartin

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Can someone explain the deal with cachers keeping a travel bug and just logging it in a ton of caches, keeping it with them instead of dropping it off for someone else to find and move? I only have one travel bug and it's one goal is to go east but its been getting trapped with cachers that hold onto it and keep it in the same area and NOT GOING EAST lol. I have to message them and politely ask them to leave it for someone else but it is not fun seeing the logs on your bug and seeing a bizillion entries from the same person who I guess is just bumping up some stat? Why???

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Who would know? Some probably feel they are doing the TO a favour in wracking up the miles, some have probably lost the TB, some I expect just don't know what they are doing!

In any case it is frustrating. Its also frustrating and time consuming to have to pour through page after page of those meaningless logs in order to work out what has happened to your TB...

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Yeah, after digging/deleting through my bizillion visit logs I finally found one that says they were going on a road trip (again NOT EAST) and would rack up some miles on my travel bug lol. To me, the cool thing about travel bugs is having new people discover it and want to help it with its goal. I edited its description to emphasize what its goal is and ask that it not be used for dipping and that it wants to see other people. :D 

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1 hour ago, BethMartin said:

Can someone explain the deal with cachers keeping a travel bug and just logging it in a ton of caches, keeping it with them instead of dropping it off for someone else to find and move?


There are many TBs that say right on the page that “it wants to visit caches all over the world” when the Owner meant “place it into a cache and log the drop”, not unending “Visit” (“took it to” logs).  A lot of Geocaching 101 help files, lots of places, use the term “visit”.  

 

You did a good job fixing your TB goal!  
 

I have at least 3 paragraphs of TB etiquette on some of mine.  And it barely covers the main issues.  Too much text is as bad as too little.
 

 Cachers just do what they do, and they’re 110% certain the TB Owner will love the bahzillion robotic Visits.  But why are such “visits” always devoid of any log stories or photos?  If they’re doing me a favor, then where’s the favor!  Sometimes I wonder about those guys. :anicute:

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15 hours ago, BethMartin said:

Can someone explain the deal with cachers keeping a travel bug and just logging it in a ton of caches, keeping it with them instead of dropping it off for someone else to find and move?

I only have one travel bug and it's one goal is to go east but its been getting trapped with cachers that hold onto it and keep it in the same area and NOT GOING EAST lol.

I have to message them and politely ask them to leave it for someone else but it is not fun seeing the logs on your bug and seeing a bizillion entries from the same person who I guess is just bumping up some stat? Why???

 

I believe most use other's trackables as their own, personal mileage tracker, and believe the "Visit" log was a terrible idea.

 - And w/o pics, many probably don't even know whether they still have it in a desk drawer somewhere or not...

Like kunarion, we'd write for a trackable to be "dropped in caches" these days, so these annoying people can't claim "you wanted it to travel..."

I feel most are too lazy to Drop/Retrieve like years ago...       You did a good job of making things clear in yours.   ;)

Realize that once you release your trackable, it's now open to others.  All aren't thoughtful, if they even know which direction East is.  :D

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I'm glad I came upon this forum topic, if only because it let's me know I am not alone with my frustrations. I just recently released my own first travel bugs (in the last month, a total of 5) and all but one seem to have been hijacked by long-time premium members intent on making them their own personal travel companions.  Sadly, I am at the point of thinking that the expense, creativity, and even emotional connection invested in preparing worthwhile travel bugs just isn't worth it. My last TB dog tag, still unactivated, will be the first-to-find prize in my next new cache. 

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9 minutes ago, DrNipsi said:

I'm glad I came upon this forum topic, if only because it let's me know I am not alone with my frustrations. I just recently released my own first travel bugs (in the last month, a total of 5) and all but one seem to have been hijacked by long-time premium members intent on making them their own personal travel companions.  Sadly, I am at the point of thinking that the expense, creativity, and even emotional connection invested in preparing worthwhile travel bugs just isn't worth it. My last TB dog tag, still unactivated, will be the first-to-find prize in my next new cache. 

I wouldn't get worried about a month.... sometimes people just forget, or can't find caches big enough... once they've had it 6 months plus, send them a friendly reminder....

Don't get emotional about TBs.... just send out some more if some go missing!

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8 hours ago, DrNipsi said:

I'm glad I came upon this forum topic, if only because it lets me know I am not alone with my frustrations.

I just recently released my own first ravel bugs (in the last month, a total of 5) and all but one seem to have been hijacked by long-time premium members intent on making them their own personal travel companions. 

Sadly, I am at the point of thinking that the expense, creativity, and even emotional connection invested in preparing worthwhile travel bugs just isn't worth it.

My last TB dog tag, still unactivated, will be the first-to-find prize in my next new cache. 

 

"Missing" trackables has been a thing since we started...  

Odd isn't it?  Most we noticed are "in the hands of" premium members too.  The claim that it's only newbs doesn't hold up.

 -  All trackable hoarders we're aware of (one turning in boxes of other people's property in an agreement with HQ IIRC) were PM at the time.

I now put our signature coins in caches I liked, or as an added incentive to walk a bit.  Sometimes hand 'em to folks on the trail too.    :)

(To me) better than having the last two promotion trackables received never travel past the first cache or two...

The last thing we'd do is put out some more.  We learn from the lesson...

 

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I see trackables a bit like hiding caches - ie. just a contribution I can make to the overall game. They're cheap, and its fun to see them get overseas and travel about. Once we buy it and put it together and release it, you sort of know you'll never see it again regardless of whether it travels all over or croaks in a month....

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I kind of have the opposite problem, with people leaving trackables in my caches which then get marooned as either the cache doesn't get any more finds or, if it does, the finder doesn't take the trackable with them. I just noticed there's a couple that have been stranded in my hides for almost 18 months now; I suppose I should retrieve them when I next do a routine maintenance run (who knows when that will be with the almost constant wet weather here), but even if I do, I'm not sure where to put them where they wouldn't get marooned again as about the only caches around here that get any sort of regular finds now are P&G micros. Even the newest hides just get a FTF (who often leaves a trackable) and then that's it.

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23 hours ago, DrNipsi said:

. I just recently released my own first travel bugs (in the last month, a total of 5) and all but one seem to have been hijacked by long-time premium members intent on making them their own personal travel companions. 

 

In a few more months, you might message or email those members, and ask them to kindly DROP the trackable.  Either they will or they won't. 

 

You can Mark Missing (you'll find this action on the TB page,  under a header Actions upper right)  this removes the trackable from their inventory; the took it to logs will stop.   IF they care, and they may not, they'll have to locate the TB (which is in a desk drawer, sock drawer or the bottom of day bag) and "Grab" it again. Maybe that will clue them to actually carry it, and drop it. Or not. 

 

You can't make it move, but Mark Missing Will stop the took it to logs.

Edited by Isonzo Karst
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The feedback I've received on what was my first (and so far only) forum post has been greatly appreciated and most gratifying. Not that I am in agreement with all of the advice, however. Regarding waiting months until I reach out to the offenders, in my mind that is just being an enabler of poor behavior. Certainly there could be problems with finding a cache of suitable size in which to place a TB (I estimate that half, or more, of my relatively small handful of finds are of the pill-bottle-in-a-tree variety, not my favorite) but after someone has visited dozens and dozens of caches surely there were some opportunities to make a drop. We all know that geocaching guidelines regarding trackables recommend a two-week turnaround time. I'm no stickler when it comes to rules and regulations so understanding and flexibility should always be the way to go. But why let a few bad actors keep-on-keeping-on, making an important aspect of OUR game less satisfying and enjoyable than it should be. My own guideline will be a wait of 4 weeks before sending a message about moving along my travel bug. Seems like more than enough time, and short enough so that the TB might be less likely to be forgotten. A timely and friendly message couldn't hurt.

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1 hour ago, DrNipsi said:

Regarding waiting months until I reach out to the offenders, in my mind that is just being an enabler of poor behavior.

If you can eliminate the presumption of "poor behavior", the best course is to contact them and discuss it with them. They've been geocaching a long time. You have not. If you talk it over with them, you can get better insight into what they think they're doing. My guess is that they are under the impression that TB owners like to see their TBs travel, and that most TOs don't really care whether the TBs stop in any particular cache so they can pass from person to person. That might very well be because that's what they like for their TBs. And since it's happen to you multiple times with various geocachers, it sounds like a cultural position in your area you need to be aware of.

 

Like you, I'm not that interested in mindless visits to vast numbers of run-of-the-mill caches. If you talk to them, you can explain your feelings about it to them. But it won't get you very far if you start by accusing them of being jerks. Yes, it's true, some of them may have entirely forgotten that they grabbed the TB and don't know where they put it, but even if that's the case, it will be counterproductive to lead with that possibility. But, actually, that seems unlikely to me because these are seasoned geocachers. If they're acting poorly, they must be doing this with hundreds of TBs by now, and that's hard for me to believe. So I'd assume they have the mistaken belief that they're doing good over the possibility that they're doing it for no particular reason just because they're not nice people.

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Thanks for your insight, dprovan. I believe we are in agreement about how to address the problem, which consensus here seems to agree is "poor behavior," if only because it is not in keeping with established geocaching guidelines. Maybe you missed my wish to be understanding and flexible, as well as my thought that a friendly message couldn't hurt. Nothing wrong, as I see it, in being more timely in addressing the issue (my more-than-fair suggestion was a month). The idea of accusing anyone of being a jerk never entered the discussion that I recall.

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When interacting with other people, it's important to distinguish what you consider "poor behavior" from what, to an impartial observer, is a difference of opinion. I spoke up here precisely because I thought the consensus here is wrong. And if there's an established guideline that supports you, I'm not aware of it because the only commonly cited standard is to keep TBs moving, and these are moving. And even if there is something in the guidelines, it couldn't be called "established" because I regularly see this behavior.

 

Anyway, the point remains that you should approach this as a difference of opinion, not being judgemental with your "good behavior" vs. their "bad behavior". Saying "you are behaving badly" -- an accurate reflection of your opinion -- is not significantly different from saying "you're a jerk" even if you feel better about it.

 

Setting a time limit is actually part of this wrong thinking. If you don't like what they're doing but you are respectful of their point of view, you don't have to wait a month. You can talk to them as soon as you notice. The whole idea of "one month or two?" is based on the assumption that they're doing something wrong, so you want to give them some time to come to their senses or whatever. They aren't doing anything wrong, they just aren't doing what you'd like them to do because until you tell them, they won't know what you want them to do.

 

Sure, some of them might not listen to you. Some might even be annoyed what you talk to them. I don't know. But I do know it's more likely they're react negatively if you come at them with "poor behavior"....or even if they're quietly reading this thread and know you're thinking "poor behavior" even though you try to pretty it up in your messages.

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We have four peoples TBs in our inventory at the moment.... Picked up about a month ago whilst away. We were on a weekend away recently, and despite finding nearly 90 caches, I can only recall one or two that were truly big and dry enough. A lot of wet muck, I'd never put a TB in those. Actually one nice dry ammo tin, but it was a Geocaching Australia cache, wrong platform... Other weekends at home we've been busy placing 2 small cache series, 14 caches in all, whilst checking/repairing and replacing a couple of others. I'd give people more slack than a month.... some of us are contributing a lot in other ways - we'll get there! :)

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12 minutes ago, lee737 said:

I'd give people more slack than a month.... some of us are contributing a lot in other ways - we'll get there! :)

 

Yep. It's now over three weeks since I last found a cache and, with at least another 7 days of rain in the forecast, that's almost certain to blow out to a month or more. Even though I'm retired and can go out caching pretty much whenever I want, it still doesn't happen all that often because unfound local caches are scarce for me and just about all my caching these days involves planning a day trip away somewhere. When I was working, caching was a weekend-only thing and there were some pretty big slumps when we had a run of wet weekends.

 

Also, as I mentioned earlier, finding a cache in which to drop a TB where it isn't going to sit marooned for months or even years is becoming harder, as the higher terrain caches, which are usually where the larger containers are, rarely get found these days.

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Despite the frustration I am feeling as it pertains to what is happening with my travel bugs I have gone out of my way to keep the discourse respectful. Virtually all of the advice I have seen posted on this topic has been enlightening and, as I said, most appreciated. For some reason dprovan was compelled to weigh in on what he feels is my rush to judgement, and continues to do so despite my assurances that our approaches to this are -- and will be -- essentially the same. In essence he is telling me that I am the one "behaving badly" (WHAT??), as he rushes to judgement about any message I might send to someone and what it might be like. I understand where dproven is coming from, but my advice to him is "Check yourself." By all means weigh in with some friendly advice, which is always welcome, but don't be insistent on schooling anyone on what is nothing other than the "difference of opinion" he keeps referring to. I'm done.

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Glad I found this topic as I currently have a new trackable I'm about to release. Just added wording in the mission/description about not "taking" it from cache to cache, but rather picking it up and dropping it off for the next person.

 

I was actually just in the process of looking up caches along the route I'm taking for road trip I'm taking this weekend to determine which location would be best to drop it at when I came across a cache that has been pinged by 12 trackables on the same day. Decided to do some digging and found that all 12 are currently being held "hostage" by the same user and all 12 have the same exact log pattern. Some of these trackables this user has had in their inventory for upwards of 5 years, so that begs the question of is he actually carrying all 12 of these around? I know I certainly would be upset if this trackable I'm about to drop gets hijacked that way. In fact, the last 2 trackable I dropped got lost within 2 months of their initial drop, and I'd be less upset if this new trackable gets lost right away than if its added to someone's collection and gathers thousands of hits like this.

 

I also find the discussion interesting regarding abandoned trackables in caches. I went trackable hunting last weekend, and between 4 caches with a combined inventory of 5 trackables, only 1 actually had it in there, and that one was dropped the same day I found it, all the others were missing. Funny enough, none of the logs indicated that they were missing despite other users having found the caches in the time being. Granted, I have minimal experience given that I'm an on-again/off-again geocacher with only 23 finds over 7 years, but I still like to periodically lurk on the map and forums to keep up with the community.

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18 hours ago, CrzRsn said:

Glad I found this topic as I currently have a new trackable I'm about to release. Just added wording in the mission/description about not "taking" it from cache to cache, but rather picking it up and dropping it off for the next person.

I was actually just in the process of looking up caches along the route I'm taking for road trip I'm taking this weekend to determine which location would be best to drop it at when I came across a cache that has been pinged by 12 trackables on the same day. Decided to do some digging and found that all 12 are currently being held "hostage" by the same user and all 12 have the same exact log pattern. Some of these trackables this user has had in their inventory for upwards of 5 years, so that begs the question of is he actually carrying all 12 of these around? I know I certainly would be upset if this trackable I'm about to drop gets hijacked that way. In fact, the last 2 trackable I dropped got lost within 2 months of their initial drop, and I'd be less upset if this new trackable gets lost right away than if its added to someone's collection and gathers thousands of hits like this.

I also find the discussion interesting regarding abandoned trackables in caches. I went trackable hunting last weekend, and between 4 caches with a combined inventory of 5 trackables, only 1 actually had it in there, and that one was dropped the same day I found it, all the others were missing. Funny enough, none of the logs indicated that they were missing despite other users having found the caches in the time being. Granted, I have minimal experience given that I'm an on-again/off-again geocacher with only 23 finds over 7 years, but I still like to periodically lurk on the map and forums to keep up with the community.

 

Realize that once you release your trackable, you have no control over it. 

We don't always read all that's written on a trackable's page, and we own hundreds.  I'd bet few notice your message.

 

I feel "Visit" was the worst idea for trackables.  It relaced Dipping that didn't take that long, and a lot fewer people were doing it.

Most we found were using other people's property as their own personal mileage tracker.

 

We don't head to caches for the trackables inside, so we wouldn't know what's there.  I see by Max and 99 we're not alone...   :)

I make mention in logs if someone asks me to check while there, but we've found a lot don't know if it's there or not.

We'd find trackables hidden in swag, or stuck on the lids of our ammo cans, after numerous people mentioned they're "missing".

 

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2 hours ago, cerberus1 said:

We'd find trackables hidden in swag, or stuck on the lids of our ammo cans, after numerous people mentioned they're "missing".

 

+1

 

Some Trackable Items are entirely different than what they were at the start, and may even currently be a piece of paper with clear tape over it.  I don't always search through all the detritus just to log a cache.  And I often don't have a way to research a Trackable while I'm at a cache, and if I do, and if I make a note of one Trackable, I'd be pretty much obligated to deduce and log them all.  Otherwise the Fori would have posts about "why did you mention just the one then?"  And if I can make accurate Trackable notes, everybody can.  You know, like the cacher who placed it into the cache or took it.  Every non-logged TB is awaiting the proper log.

 

And about the bahzillion "Took It To" logs, every such log must get a real story and photo.  A bahzillion of those actual logs, never the empty robo-logs.  Insist on that.

 

Edited by kunarion
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4 hours ago, cerberus1 said:

 

Realize that once you release your trackable, you have no control over it. 

We don't always read all that's written on a trackable's page, and we own hundreds.  I'd bet few notice your message.

 

 

Regarding this - what are the thoughts on locking a trackable if you see someone has taken it hostage and is refusing to let it go? Say you message them once and politely ask them to drop, and they don't, whether because they don't want to or because they didn't see the message? Maybe message them a few more times over the course of a month or two? Is it ok at any point to then just lock the trackable to prevent them from continuing on their robo-log journey? 

 

I know theres a FAQ page that states the following:

 

Quote

Here are a few things to be aware of if your trackable is being logged inappropriately:

 

  • Trackable owners can delete logs believed to be fake or inappropriate.
  • Trackable owners can lock their trackable details page to prevent further logs.

https://www.geocaching.com/help/index.php?pg=kb.chapter&id=41&pgid=708

 

So I guess I'm wondering at what point can the trackable owner decide logs are inappropriate? If its subjective, if the logs are real, but defeat the spirit of the trackable, is that inappropriate? Or does there need to be some objective litmus test? And furthermore, can a trackable be unlocked afterwards? Say if the hoarder sends back a note that its been dropped?

 

Only reason I bring this up is because for me, trackables are the best part of Geocaching.

 

  

4 hours ago, cerberus1 said:

We'd find trackables hidden in swag, or stuck on the lids of our ammo cans, after numerous people mentioned they're "missing".

 

  

3 hours ago, kunarion said:

Some Trackable Items are entirely different than what they were at the start, and may even currently be a piece of paper with clear tape over it. 

 

Interesting. I did feel like I search all the caches I mentioned earlier thoroughly combing through every piece of swag, but its also possible that I looked over it if its deteriorated to the point where its just a piece of paper with the code or something similar. Thanks for the tips!

Edited by CrzRsn
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18 hours ago, CrzRsn said:

Regarding this - what are the thoughts on locking a trackable if you see someone has taken it hostage and is refusing to let it go?

So I guess I'm wondering at what point can the trackable owner decide logs are inappropriate? If its subjective, if the logs are real, but defeat the spirit of the trackable, is that inappropriate? Or does there need to be some objective litmus test? And furthermore, can a trackable be unlocked afterwards? Say if the hoarder sends back a note that its been dropped?

 

Only reason I bring this up is because for me, trackables are the best part of Geocaching.

 

 Interesting. I did feel like I search all the caches I mentioned earlier thoroughly combing through every piece of swag, but its also possible that I looked over it if its deteriorated to the point where its just a piece of paper with the code or something similar. Thanks for the tips!

 

Lock it if you want, it can be unlocked when you want, but if the person's already this rude, when he finds it's now locked, it goes into the garbage.

We've had just as many people tell us to "go xxx yourself" as "sorry, I didn't know.  I'll drop it in a cache tomorrow." by mails.

When you're dealing with humans, you take your chances, but multiple messages and I'd be tempted to give a micro-manager a message too.

 

Another with profile locked, so I can't see your experience in trackables found. We don't know anyone who says that about trackables.

We know a few that are now too old/ill to cache but keep track of their trackables out, but it's not the best part of this location hobby.

 

Not necessarily "deteriorated", a hoarder, one who steals another's property for himself (for whatever odd, sometimes sick reason...) may have simply left a piece of paper for the trackables he removed from a cache.

 - Though some trackable (coins mostly) proxies are only a laminated paper copy of the original...that end up crumpled and soaked.

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