Travel Bug Ettiquette

July 14, 2004

if i go to a cache dedicated to moving along travel bugs, do i have to have one to put in, in order to take one out?

24.7k · July 14, 2004

if i go to a cache dedicated to moving along travel bugs, do i have to have one to put in, in order to take one out?

It depends on the cache and depends on the bug. If possible you should comply with the cache owners rule if they have one about take a bug leave a bug. However if you are in a postion to help a bug along then the bugs mission takes priority over any cache rule.

July 14, 2004

Another TB question: is there a place to post "stories", for lack of a better term, regarding a TB other than logging a find, or a note, on the TB page? The reason I ask is this past weekend, we picked up the Hummer to the Rescue bug (I'd put a link here, but I don't know how and I freely admit to being too lazy to search for the thread that tells me how - ). His mission was to gather stories, so I posted one in our "found it/picked it up" log, but I noticed there were no other stories. Am I missing something?

1.1k · July 14, 2004

Car54: You can post your story when you log either picking up the bug or when dropping it off. There's also a section on the forums specifically for Travel Bug discussion and you could post your story there.

Zack

July 14, 2004

His mission was to gather stories, so I posted one in our "found it/picked it up" log, but I noticed there were no other stories.

You did it right.

I've noticed the same thing on a couple of TBs that wanted to have their pictures taken. I dutifully took and posted pictures, but noticed that very few of the previous logs included pics.

It seems that many people simply move TBs from one cache to another without regard for the TB's mission. I don't know why this is, but it seems to be the case. Maybe they want to up their ‘TBs found’ number, but if that is the case why not just log the TB in and out of the same cache? That would be no more useless than moving it to a different cache while ignoring its mission.

1.3k · February 7, 2005

I just read in TC that you should "trade up" when removing a TB from a cache. This didn't even occur to me. I am not trading for the TB I am just moving it. Why would anyone think it necessary to trade up? Would you trade up based on the cost of the TB, or the thing attached to it, or both? Did I misunderstand the article? Were they talking about TBs that aren't activated yet? I would understand that. If I am honestly expected to trade equitably for an item that I have no intention of keeping, I guess I'll just stop moving TBs.

:anitongue:

EDIT: Okay, it was an old article...but I still disagree with it.

Edited February 7, 2005 by Trinity's Crew

3.8k · February 7, 2005

That's definitely not right. The article is here.

Solution:"Always Trade Up"

There is no firm rule here, but most cachers view TB's as a trade item, governed by the "Golden Rules" of trading:

1. Take something from the cache.

2. Leave something in the cache.

And most people would add onto #2 "...of equal or greater value" (aka "trading up").

Most "problems" can be avoided by taking an extra minute to consider how your actions will affect the people around you--geocaching's a lot like life in that way.

Happy Caching.

If you want to drop something to trade for the TB, then that's fine... but it's not required like regular trade items.

Edited February 7, 2005 by robert

1.3k · February 7, 2005

That's definitely not right. The article is here.

What part is "not right"? It seems to say the proper thing to do is trade up for bugs. Am I missing something?

3k · February 7, 2005

That's definitely not right. The article is here.

What part is "not right"? It seems to say the proper thing to do is trade up for bugs. Am I missing something?

No, you are right - it looks to me like the TC article is suggesting that TBs be 'traded up'. I know that some people do this, and I personally like to leave a bug when taking one (but I don't always do this), but I didn't think most cachers thought of TBs as trade items. In fact, I doubt that most of them do.

IMO, you do NOT have to leave a bug if you take one, nor do you have to 'trade up' a TB to take a TB. But do what feels right to you in this regard.

1.3k · February 7, 2005

Thanks for the info. I try to leave something in every cache I visit, whether I take anything or not. (Not counting micros! ) But the other day, I took two TBs from a cache in PA. I left other items behind, but they weren't a "trade-up". I still have to drop these two off, and I will NOT lose them for TEN months as I unfortunately did with the "Fitz & Giggles" TB. God, I feel bad about that!

But on the bright side, finding it (in my basement) and putting it back in play jump-started my geocaching desire again.

3.8k · February 8, 2005

What part is "not right"? It seems to say the proper thing to do is trade up for bugs. Am I missing something?

The rest of my post: "If you want to drop something to trade for the TB, then that's fine... but it's not required like regular trade items."

Since a TB's goal is to move from one place to another, it's not really a tradeable item, but as always if you want to drop something in to exchange for the TB, that's cool. But don't feel you have to leave a TB in there because you don't have anything to trade for it, especially if you can help it along.

1.3k · February 8, 2005

Thanks again to everyone for the input.

All of this got me thinking...

If TC states that most cachers trade and "trade-up" when taking a TB does that mean these same cachers take a nice, tradeable item from another cache and leave only a TB, feeling satisfied that they traded equitably? That seems absurd.

Am I thinking too much? :huh:

22k · February 8, 2005

Thanks again to everyone for the input.
All of this got me thinking...

If TC states that most cachers trade and "trade-up" when taking a TB does that mean these same cachers take a nice, tradeable item from another cache and leave only a TB, feeling satisfied that they traded equitably? That seems absurd.

Am I thinking too much?

I was a little surprised to read the statement that most cachers trade for Bugs. That has not been my experience by watching cacher activity, (And I watch A LOT of caches, just checked, I'm up to 558 ).

I have never considered TB's swag and I don't recommend people trade for them.

Taking a trade item and leaving only a bug is one of the bigger problems with the practice.

Edited February 8, 2005 by BlueDeuce

February 8, 2005

When I first started 'caching, my "cache mentor" taught me that TB's were a seperate category from trade items and were not considered as such.

He told me that you take a TB IF you can help it carry out its mission or reach its destination. He also said that TB hotels were the one place where you SHOULD trade a TB for a TB so as to help keep the TB hotel "stocked." That's the way that the 'cachers I personally know play it, too.

22k · February 8, 2005

He also said that TB hotels were the one place where you SHOULD trade a TB for a TB so as to help keep the TB hotel "stocked."

agg.....er...mmmmm......

Nevermind

(sits on hands)

February 8, 2005

Seems to me that "trade" items are for personal ownership. You take something you want and it becomes yours and you leave something that you own in trade. Since TB's really shouldn't be considered ownable items I feel ok about taking one from one spot and dropping it off in another. Since the owner of the TB theoretically remains the owner for the life or journey of the bug it wouldn't be in the best interest to make it a tradeable item. Since we have already stated that a tradable item is an ownable item.

If you find a bug and can help it fulfill it destiny then do so else leave it and another will be along shortly who can.

Edited February 8, 2005 by Madness522

3.8k · February 9, 2005

Thanks again to everyone for the input.
All of this got me thinking...

If TC states that most cachers trade and "trade-up" when taking a TB does that mean these same cachers take a nice, tradeable item from another cache and leave only a TB, feeling satisfied that they traded equitably? That seems absurd.

Am I thinking too much?

i've seen it happen with cachers who have been around a long time... dropping a bug and taking a nice item. :blink:

February 9, 2005

To me, a travel bug hotel is simply a cache placed within easy reach of a busy transportation route. Owners who try to put restrictions like "One out, one in" aren't being fair to the owners of the travel bugs as it limits the chance of them being moving on. "One out, One in" is a rule I would freely and happily ignore.

As regards, moving a bug regardless of it's mission, not all of us are anal enough to check out each and every aspect of the cache before going to it. Hell, I don't even normally look at any previous logs!

April 22, 2006

Whenever I see a travel bug in a cache, I take it and move it to another cache. If there are multiple travel bugs in a cache, I will take several, and move them to different caches.

If I have travel bugs in my possession, I will drop them off into different caches as soon as I can. Many of the caches that I drop travel bugs in don't have a bug in them at the time of my visit.

Therefore, since I eventually move every travel bug that I pick up to another cache, and never keep any of them, on average I exchange one travel bug for every travel bug that I pick up. However, I don't necessary makes the exchanges at the same caches.

For example, let's say I have no travel bugs in my inventory and I see three travel bugs in the first cache that I visit one day. I will pick up all three of these travel bugs. Next I visit three additional caches and drop one travel bug in each cache. I find another travel bug in one of those three caches, so I return to the first cache that I visited and drop that travel bug in it.

I now have the same number of travel bugs in my inventory that I started with (zero). During my day I visited four caches, picked up four travel bugs and dropped off four travel bugs. On average I picked up one travel bug from each cache and dropped off one travel bug in each cache. My travel bugs exchanges are even, as they eventually will always turn out to be because I move every travel bug that I pick up to another cache as soon as I can.

Ken Akerman (a.k.a. Highpointer) <_<

April 22, 2006

Just a reminder....EVERYONE who takes a T.B. from a cache.....please be sure to log it correctly. I've been to several caches lately where it was listed as holding a T.B. in it for weeks ,and had not been visited recently, and when I got there, there was no T.B. in it.

2.3k · April 22, 2006

Quick answer: Yes

5.7k · April 22, 2006

Whenever I see a travel bug in a cache, I take it and move it to another cache. If there are multiple travel bugs in a cache, I will take several, and move them to different caches.

If I have travel bugs in my possession, I will drop them off into different caches as soon as I can. Many of the caches that I drop travel bugs in don't have a bug in them at the time of my visit.

Therefore, since I eventually move every travel bug that I pick up to another cache, and never keep any of them, on average I exchange one travel bug for every travel bug that I pick up. However, I don't necessary makes the exchanges at the same caches.

For example, let's say I have no travel bugs in my inventory and I see three travel bugs in the first cache that I visit one day. I will pick up all three of these travel bugs. Next I visit three additional caches and drop one travel bug in each cache. I find another travel bug in one of those three caches, so I return to the first cache that I visited and drop that travel bug in it.

I now have the same number of travel bugs in my inventory that I started with (zero). During my day I visited four caches, picked up four travel bugs and dropped off four travel bugs. On average I picked up one travel bug from each cache and dropped off one travel bug in each cache. My travel bugs exchanges are even, as they eventually will always turn out to be because I move every travel bug that I pick up to another cache as soon as I can.

Ken Akerman (a.k.a. Highpointer)

Interestingly I do not see any mention of checking for the TB owner's desired actions wrt his TB. If there are instructions attached to the TB, do you follow them?

Edited April 22, 2006 by Team Cotati

April 22, 2006

Hi I am new to all this. Saw a local cache (which I had Already logged as found) listed with a TB. So retrieved it and quickly moved it along according to its mission (all OK I think). My question is, is it etiquette to revisit a cache that you have aalready found, merely to retrieve a TB and then to place it on another cache previously found? I assume that they are both logged as notes? Thnakx for opinions :laughing:

Travel Bug Ettiquette

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