Travel Bug Motel

December 8, 2004

What elements make a good Travel Bug motel?

1) A good size container.

2) Places near (but a safe distance away from) a highway or airport.

What else?

1.4k · December 8, 2004

One without a rule that a certain number of TBs need to stay there. Some people refer to those as TB prisons because even if you can help a TB on it's why you can't take it from the cache if you don't have one to leave there.

December 8, 2004

It needs to be well protected, yet easy to find. Front porches seem to work well. They get maintained much more often than most.

1.4k · December 8, 2004

It needs to be well protected, yet easy to find. Front porches seem to work well. They get maintained much more often than most.

Hey, I wonder if my neighbor would mind?

1.4k · December 8, 2004

One without a rule that a certain number of TBs need to stay there. Some people refer to those as TB prisons because even if you can help a TB on it's why you can't take it from the cache if you don't have one to leave there.

I may have broken some of these rules in the past. I've grabbed bugs without leaving bugs (if I'm heading on a trip that the bugs need to go on. I've left bugs without grabbing any (if I've just returned from a trip and brought bugs back with me).

The main focus should be...are you helping a bug along it's journey? Only once have I seen a TB motel without bugs. Apparently, the previous visitor was a cache maggot who stole them.

1.1k · December 8, 2004

- Type of container is important. I would highly recommend an ammo can for a TB hotel instead of a tupperware container.

- Make sure to include "Hotel" or "Motel" in the title so we can find it by searching for the keyword "otel"

December 8, 2004

A Nice warm bed...hot running water...clean room and the Spice Channel...

December 8, 2004

Try to make it an easy find so cachers who are passing through can jump out of their cars and take TBs to faraway places instead of giving up and not getting an extra 340 miles on a TB :cry:

just my 0.02

Edited December 8, 2004 by camo-crazed

2.5k · December 8, 2004

A Nice warm bed...hot running water...clean room and the Spice Channel...

Bad Santa!

If you can put it somewhere that you can keep it safe, that's a good TB "otel" - I'd never place one unless I could put it in my front yard, because I wouldn't want the responsibility of so many travel bugs.

5.7k · December 8, 2004

The best travel bug hotel we've seen had four actual beds for the bugs. I think there was even dressers and a TV.

--Marky

3.5k · December 8, 2004

Travel Bugs!

1.8k · December 8, 2004

The best travel bug hotel we've seen had four actual beds for the bugs. I think there was even dressers and a TV.

Sounds like the Barbie Dream TB Motel! Did it come with a Barbie Dream TB Corvette?

10.1k · December 9, 2004

I've been to TB motels that get a lot of traffic Saco River and ones that get almost no traffic New York International Travel Bug Motel and Casino.

What's the difference between the two? I can't rightly say. Except that the one gets a lot of visitors, and the other almost none.

22k · December 9, 2004

Find a location where people don't have to be overly concerned about being seen.

I would rather drop a bug in a remote location than take the time to approach a crowded area. Time is of the essence.

Five minutes in the woods is a better choice than standing around hoping people leave an area.

2.1k · December 9, 2004

What elements make a good Travel Bug motel?

Safety mostly. Anything above that is a bonus.

And if your hotel ever gets muggled and tb's go missing I don't recommend doing what other tb hotel owners have too often done: Brag about how a new, improved, better hidden replacement will soon be in place while showing no remorse what so ever that 10 people just lost their hard work because that hotel owner didn't hide the container well enough.

And one thing I would do if ever my hotel (which I don't have any of) was raided by muggles: Write a short note of apology or condolence to each and every owner of the missing tb's. Something to acknowledge the loss.

December 9, 2004

I've heard of some of these being in locked boxes. Is this considered cool if the combination is posted on the cache page?

2.5k · December 9, 2004

If you can make it easily known, then yeah, go for it...

Or do a key TB that can't leave the town/county or something.

December 9, 2004

Or do a key TB that can't leave the town/county or something.

Like this cache

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_detai...94-7c9763fa5ab4

3.9k · December 9, 2004

If you can make it easily known, then yeah, go for it...
Or do a key TB that can't leave the town/county or something.

Wouldn't tracking a key, or even a combination, take the convenience out of a TB hostel? If I have already found the TB Hostel once, then it will not be in my PDA the next time I visit it. SHould I drop by to trade TB's, then I won't have the combo. On rare occasion, I won't even have my GPS. If I have to drive across town to get the key and it's not there, then what? (other than being extremely ticked off).

Easy, out of the way, near travel routes, and everything else said here makes a good TB Hostel.

1k · December 10, 2004

One without a rule that a certain number of TBs need to stay there. Some people refer to those as TB prisons because even if you can help a TB on it's why you can't take it from the cache if you don't have one to leave there.

I agree with this, although, I wouldn't hesitate to take a bug out of one of those if I could further it's goal.

December 11, 2004

Wouldn't tracking a key, or even a combination, take the convenience out of a TB hostel? If I have already found the TB Hostel once, then it will not be in my PDA the next time I visit it. SHould I drop by to trade TB's, then I won't have the combo. On rare occasion, I won't even have my GPS. If I have to drive across town to get the key and it's not there, then what? (other than being extremely ticked off).

Easy, out of the way, near travel routes, and everything else said here makes a good TB Hostel.

The combination would be listed on the cache page. This helps keep the bugs safe.

4.7k · December 11, 2004

i think what makes a REALLY good TB hotel is not to exist.

when a TB hotel goes belly up, it takes more TBs with it than the average cache. too many are too exposed. with few exceptions they're dangerous places for Tbs to be.

add these to the concerns about "hotels" with way too many rules, well, if my Tbs are put in one of these things i often ak a local cacher to get it out, even if it means putting it in one of those way-out-of-the-way-gets-visited-twice-a-year caches.

if one of mine lands in a local Tb hotel, i jolly well go take it out. same thing with any TB on my watchlist that i care about.

on the other hand, a TB hotel is an excelent way to dispose of TBs which for one reason or another i want to get rid of as quickly as possible.

6.5k · December 11, 2004

The best travel bug hotel we've seen had four actual beds for the bugs. I think there was even dressers and a TV.

Sounds like the Barbie Dream TB Motel! Did it come with a Barbie Dream TB Corvette?

I heard Divorce Barbie comes with all of Ken's stuff.

December 19, 2004

Birdhouses are really nice. Be sure to mount to the tree with healthy lag bolts/screws and cover up the entry way from the inside. They hardly ever weather and have opening doors to clean them out (retrieve goodies).

December 24, 2004

I've heard of some of these being in locked boxes. Is this considered cool if the combination is posted on the cache page?

Oh look! a locked box in the woods! Maybe it's full of marijuana and cocaine!

December 24, 2004

I've heard of some of these being in locked boxes. Is this considered cool if the combination is posted on the cache page?

Oh look! a locked box in the woods! Maybe it's full of marijuana and cocaine!

Hahaha! :lol: Hopefully not! <_<

December 24, 2004

I'd like a TB Motel to be easy to access without getting my travel clothes wet, muddy, torn, or otherwise ruined!

December 26, 2004

It needs to be well protected, yet easy to find. Front porches seem to work well. They get maintained much more often than most.

Has anybody ever placed a TB Hotel on their front porch?

December 27, 2004

Has anybody ever placed a TB Hotel on their front porch?

GA Cacher and i have a nice travel bug motel set up in kennesaw, ga called Ye Olde 41 Travel Bug Motel. although it is not on the porch perse, it is located in the sunroom of a popular convenient store (with permission of course). the owners enjoy talking to those cachers that stop by.

-TP / GA Cacher

www.travelbugracer.com

22k · December 27, 2004

GA Cacher and i have a nice travel bug motel set up in kennesaw, ga called Ye Olde 41 Travel Bug Motel. although it is not on the porch perse, it is located in the sunroom of a popular convenient store (with permission of course). the owners enjoy talking to those cachers that stop by.

There you go. A cache with 24hr supervision would be the ideal location.

3.3k · December 27, 2004

One without a rule that a certain number of TBs need to stay there. Some people refer to those as TB prisons because even if you can help a TB on it's why you can't take it from the cache if you don't have one to leave there.

Like this one!

"Please help keep a stock of TB's in this cache. Take some/drop some off. Please never leave the cache empty.

Storage and Loan Policy: TB's may also be stored here so they don't sit on shelf or in desk drawer until your next trip (if you store 3, then you can grab 3 later). Loans are also allowed for short periods of time (3-4 days). For example... locals headed out of town for a few days may take a handful of TB's to swap along the way and replace them when returning. If you have any questions... please send me an e-mail."

If you ask me, these rules are innappropriate. Last time I checked, the bugs belonged to other people, not the "hotel" owner. If I was in the area, I would take the bugs that I could help and ignore the silly rules.

Edited December 27, 2004 by Kit Fox

6.5k · December 27, 2004

Yup those rules are for the cache owner's benefit, not the TB owner's.

Here are some of the positive comments from logs made at the RDU TB Hotel which just passed its two year anniversary. :blink:

- We are believers in TB Hotels and exchanges...it keeps them moving and adds more interest. Many thanks for this one. We also really liked the hiding place.

- We love this hotel!

- Easy find.

- I love this cache, it's so easy!

- Seems appropriate to drop off my first travel bug (Silly Hat) at the first cache I ever found -- I can't believe it was only two weeks ago! (This was back in May-she has almost 400 finds already! :unsure: )

- No problem finding it.

- Quick easy find (unlike other wimsey guy caches).

- Great little stop on the way to the airport.

- The cache is right where it is supposed to be and the hiding spot is easily accessable

- This was a quick and easy drive-by after dark

- I plugged in the coordinates of the hotel and, lo and behold, there was a cache within 400 feet. The next AM I went to find it. The cache turned out to be in sight of my room. Wow! What a coincidence. A cache less than 200 feet from my bed.

- The cache was well hidden (and I made sure to leave it that way), yet wasn't too difficult to find.

So to summerize: easy access to the cache, airport, and interstate (yet far nough from all to not create any security concerns, 24/7 availability, well hidden, yet easy to find. (not really an oxymoron, or even mutually exclusive.) The cache is in a deep recess of a tree, there is plenty of available cover camo, yet, if you are looking for a cache it's an obvious spot. This cache has been in place for over two years, has had almost 300 visits, and is placed with permission of the property!

22k · December 27, 2004

Yup those rules are for the cache owner's benefit, not the TB owner's.

ah yup, that's about it.

December 28, 2004

let me know where it is, and I'll come and raid it.

1.2k · December 28, 2004

I have a TB motel near me, and it has the requirement "to take one, you have to leave one"...that irks me.

Last month, I was going on vacation, and took 6 TB and left 5, and got a note within hours from the owner about the exchange.

One reason I don't like them is they have a tendancy to suck up all the local travel bugs from other caches in the area. Often the presence of a TB will inspire a cacher to find the cache. If all the local bugs are tied up in the motel (jail), then there is no incentive to find other caches.

Just my .02

Ed

2k · December 28, 2004

Since we have a geo maggot in our area that plunders every cache he/she can within a few days of them being listed travel bug motels must have extensive security. We have 2 active travel bug motels close by. One is at the tourist visitor center at the edge of town. You have to request the container from the person at the desk and she makes sure that it is returned. The other one is by appoinment only. You must call the cache owner and get a time when the cache will be out. The cache owner works very hard to make sure nothing happens to this cache. She also avised prospective visitors of Travel Bug destinations to make sure someone keeps them moving.

None of our motels have any rules about taking one if you place one. There are to many rules for geocaching already to add any more.

:unsure:

Travel Bug Motel

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