Geocache Tour Company

June 2, 2005

Since there are so many caches in the area where I live, I thought it'd be cool if someone ran a small business conducting geocaching tours of the area.

I picture a bunch of ppl who've never cached before signing up for a tour. Tour options would be based on difficulty, physical ability, length of hike, etc. Tour fees would cover transportation from the tour company's office to the caching/parking area, maybe even include some water and scooby snacks. Ya' get out there, hit the trail, and start caching. When it's done you get taken back to the tour company office. I have other ideas to include but I'll leave it at that.

I know about "Geoteaming" and have looked at their website & info. Did a quick search online for related businesses... but... does anyone know of such a business that I described? What do you think of the idea -- or -- if there is already a businesses out there, do you know how they're doing?

Thanks

1.8k · June 2, 2005

All I've ever had to do is just made acquaintance with cachers in the area I'm going to be visiting. Usually they're quite happy to give me pointers for free and even come along for the ride sometimes.

Why would I ever want to pay a company to get the same thing?

1.7k · June 2, 2005

Its an interesting idea, you would probably have to hide your own caches. Not to sure how people would react to caches they have listed on GC.com being used for a commercial venture. I seem to remember seeing something listed in the forums about a resort that had hid their own caches and would rent you a GPS.

June 2, 2005

I should clarify... This wouldn't be designed for current cachers although they'd be welcome. This would be just like a company that lets you rent a canoe to paddle down the river for a day, or any pay-for use type of business.

It'd just be a day-out adventure for a family or something -- maybe opening up people to the experience of caching. The tours could involve history, nature, etc., all while involving caching.

Again, I don't know of any business like this out there, but if there is I'd like to see how they run the show... and see how they do customer-wise.

2k · June 2, 2005

You could probably get some of the local Geocaching Organizations to set up 'event' caches and do the same thing for free.

9.1k · June 2, 2005

Let me get this straight... I put out geocaches for people to enjoy finding. I spend my own money on ammo cans, trade goodies, logbooks, laminated stash notes, and gas to travel back and forth. I am the person who shakes hands with the park ranger to get a permit for the cache. But your tour company makes money to take people to visit my geocache? What's my percentage cut?

Geocaching is a non-commercial activity and I'd like to see it stay that way.

3.8k · June 2, 2005

All I've ever had to do is just made acquaintance with cachers in the area I'm going to be visiting. Usually they're quite happy to give me pointers for free and even come along for the ride sometimes.

Why would I ever want to pay a company to get the same thing?

Maybe if the area was a popular tourist destination, and you were not successful (or inclined) finding local area cachers. Or if you just wanted to kick back, privately with your spouse. Or I can think of many reasons. Language barrier could be another.

This Vermont company has a similiar concept with their geocaching package:

Package includes:

Two nights lodging

4-course dinner for 2 one night (with gratuity)

Breakfast each morning

Afternoon refreshments

Picnic lunch for two packed in a backpack

Use of a Global Positioning Device (GPS)

Topographical maps

"Hints" and coordinates of area geo-caches

Cache exchange trinkets

There is also a place in Virginia along the New river that offers geocaching packages. I'm sure there are others.

1k · June 2, 2005

Let me get this straight... I put out geocaches for people to enjoy finding. I spend my own money on ammo cans, trade goodies, logbooks, laminated stash notes, and gas to travel back and forth. I am the person who shakes hands with the park ranger to get a permit for the cache. But your tour company makes money to take people to visit my geocache? What's my percentage cut?

Geocaching is a non-commercial activity and I'd like to see it stay that way.

In addition to the sensation of having someone else making money off of the caches geocachers place, I would question the marketing research done on this prospect of yours.

I don't think the "type" (please forgive and pigeon-holing) of people who would opt for the "paid tour" would be the same type of people who would be into geocaching, the sport whose motto is :Where YOU are the Search Engine."

I take a friend with me on a hunt and, after we tag it and set it free, so to speak, if the friend is interested, we set up an account and they log their find. If not, at least I get to log a find.

So far, all my friends who have tried it have set up their account and are steadily logging finds.

Even if: 1. You had permission from Groundspeak, 2. You had done your research and were able to get an effective advertising campaign running, 3. You had enough friendly, capable "tour guides" to handle your clients...You would still have to deal with...

1. It would most likely be seasonal business at best. Holidays and warmer months. 2. You would not have any repeat business and would constantly be advertising to get new business. (Once a client gets the idea, they won't pay for a tour again.) 3. And this is a big one...What if someone rolls down a rocky ravine or gets bit by a rattle snake? Can you afford the business insurance for this type of venture? Would you make any type of reasonable profit after advertising, insurance and having employees to guide your clients?

If you DID guide people with just yourself, it would be a smaller business and you would get a larger cut of any profits, however, would there be any profits after advertising and insurance with only one person giving the tours? And who answers the phone when you're giving a tour? That would be lost business if you were out in the field with clients and someone was trying to get a tour for that afternoon.

Please don't think I'm trying to dissuade you. i'm just trying to consider all the aspects of it. Its much better to cave on an idea (or plan a better strategy) than to jump into investing in it and losing your investment because it wasn't a realistic venture or not thought out well enough.

Just my 2¢ worth.

7.2k · June 2, 2005

We have someone down my way that tried that. As far as I know, he has been trying this for several years. He has not quit his regular job yet. I would recommend that you keep your regular job too.

1k · June 2, 2005

This Vermont company has a similiar concept with their geocaching package:

Package includes:

Two nights lodging

4-course dinner for 2 one night (with gratuity)

Breakfast each morning

Afternoon refreshments

Picnic lunch for two packed in a backpack

Use of a Global Positioning Device (GPS)

Topographical maps

"Hints" and coordinates of area geo-caches

Cache exchange trinkets

Now this one sounds good, but realize it is not a stand alone business. This is being offered as an amenity to a much larger, existing business. If I had a functional B&B resort with an award winning restaraunt on site and all that this one has to offer, I would love to have something like this available for my clients.

Also notice, if I read it correctly, I don't think they actually do a tour. I think they let them use the GPSr and set their guests down the trail on their own. (I wonder if they make them sign any kind of release for legal purposes, or at least remind them of the disclaimer on the geocaching.com website.)

June 2, 2005

Thanks to all for the replies.

I am not an entrepeneur... I have no experience (or $$$) in starting/running a business. So this is NOT a plan I am working on right now; it was just an idea that occured to me. Some of the concerns & points raised are valid, though. As far as liabilities/legal concerns, well, in this day & age, in this country, you have to sign a waiver to leave your house nowadays.

It seems the "Geocaching Package" offered at some resorts & such is really the only successful type of operation.

Edited June 2, 2005 by CoyoteTrust

24.7k · June 2, 2005

Let me get this straight... I put out geocaches for people to enjoy finding. I spend my own money on ammo cans, trade goodies, logbooks, laminated stash notes, and gas to travel back and forth. I am the person who shakes hands with the park ranger to get a permit for the cache. But your tour company makes money to take people to visit my geocache? What's my percentage cut?

Geocaching is a non-commercial activity and I'd like to see it stay that way.

Same place as my cut from premium members who find my caches, or is it the for profit listing site that's supposed to give me my cut? I get confused about the non commercial part.

On the OT I'm strangely ambivalent. I’d have to see how it plays out, how they were different from the community ed classes that have cropped up here and there and so on. I can see it as a value added service for the retirement community.

1.1k · June 2, 2005

Then does that mean I can charge for you to find my cache???? It would really be unfair as you are gaining a lot and I get nothing but have a bunch of folks that dont give back anything pilfering my caches. It should be banned by GC.com as this is a commerical enterpisie.

Now if you want to hide your own caches for your perps to find then go for it but DO NOT use GC.com listed caches

cheers

June 2, 2005

It's an interesting idea, although it would only work as a service provided by a resort or hotel at a huge tourist area. But a big thing would be hiding and finding only your own caches, not just picking caches at random from GC.com. As you can see, people will get mad if you make money off thier work.

I had another business idea though. You know how huge paintball areas are set up. Why not a similiar area for geocaching? You could even add some more urban parts. I think it's an interesting idea, but I don't know if it would make money.

Edited June 2, 2005 by twjolson

June 2, 2005

I think this is completely fair. Charge away. If you are providing transportation, equipment, the GPSr, instruction printouts, or tutorials then that's what customers would be paying for.

This is no different than buying a book at Border's when you can get it free from the library. There are many services which can be had for free but are also available as a 'pay service' either for extra perks (rented GPSr) or simply out of ignorance of the consumer.

My only advice is that you try to find customers who don't live in the areas you are showing off OR you only do caches which require special equipment. My concern would be friends telling friends and then muggling becomes a problem. Since your business is dependent on local caches, you want to make sure you build a good relationship with local cache hiders.

All that said, I think this would be hard to get going. Perhaps if you already have local tourist agency contacts you could do this as an adjunct to existing tours of your area.

Good luck!

6.4k · June 2, 2005

Buy a decent sized working farm.
Hide 100-150 micros all over your farm, right next to your various access roads.
Offer "GeoHayrides" where you will guarantee at least 100 finds in 3hrs.
Charge $1 per cache found on your hayride ($25 min)
Drive your wagonload of cachers right to each cache, and then point to the cache and say "ya might wanna lookie over thar first".

Of course to be listed on GC.com, the caches have to be available to everyone, but since it's your property you can set some ground rules to encourage people to go with the hayride.

Cachers can't bring cars/bikes onto the farm roads. If they don't want to pay, they are going to have to walk 10 miles.
Limit the hours the farm is open to the public. This is a working farm, so no caching weekdays from dawn to dusk. Don't want someone to get run over by a tractor!
No caching on weekends, don't want people getting in the way of your geohayrides!

Of course, these rules don't apply to your hayride, which can be hired (for $1 a cache, $25 min) evenings and weekends.

I understand there are many people that enjoy this type of caching, and gladly spend lots of money to travel the country and find caches like this. You could make a millions!

Edited June 2, 2005 by Mopar

3.8k · June 2, 2005

...I understand there are many people that enjoy this type of caching, and gladly spend lots of money to travel the country and find caches like this. You could make a millions!

Perhaps, but the real money would come from the add-on photo package (2 8X10 glossy photos, 2 5X7's, 18 wallet-size, and a framed 11X14 with a plaque saying "I Visited Mopar Cache Farm")!

June 3, 2005

If you do it with your own caches and they're not listed on GC.com, fine. But otherwise, no, I don't think it would be appropriate.

3k · June 3, 2005

Pay to play?!?! :lol: :lol:

1k · June 3, 2005

Maybe you could make a tour guide company that just deals with level 5/5 's.

You can get the clients scuba certified and then helo them out to a specific spot about a mile or two off the coast where you have put an underwater multistage puzzle cache. You drop them from an altitude of about 15 feet over the surface of the ocean and tell them you'll meet them back at base camp for a celebration dinner but only after they bring back some swag from the last stage of the cache. Tell them to work as a team.

You can label this as some type of "corporate team building camp" and charge them $1500.00 per person for groups of six or more.

That will be $300.00 for the business consultation.

I take Paypal.

Thanks.

9.4k · June 3, 2005

Some resorts have geocaching, but none that I know of that set you up with a GPS and drive you around to find caches. I wouldn't expect there to be much of a market for that.

REI has had introductory GPS sessions where they use geocaching as part of the lessons, but this is not what you're describing. I think that there is a much larger market for this kind of thing.

If there were such a business I would doubt that you would even know if they visited your cache (unless they logged the cache as such). I guess your only recourse (other than pulling your cache) would be to camp near your cache and shoo the varmints off. You can also get indignant in the forums. We're used to it here and some will even coddle you.

2.2k · June 3, 2005

there's a firm in bristol uk who do this as well as adventure days. ie rock climbing and canoeing and so on. subject discussed on uk forum last week i think.

i think the general consensus was that as long as the rules were followed and things like travel bugs are looked after then not much we can do to stop them.

June 3, 2005

You can also get indignant in the forums. We're used to it here and some will even coddle you.

Hmm, well it seems a couple are a bit defensive about the idea (esp. about "what'd be my cut of the profit?"), but everyone is entitled to their opinions. In an earlier post, I said I was NOT planning to start this type of business... just moreso wondering about it.

Relax, ppl. Step away from the comp and go nab a cache! :lol:

PS Thanks, all, for your replies.

1.1k · June 3, 2005

You can also get indignant in the forums. We're used to it here and some will even coddle you.

Hmm, well it seems a couple are a bit defensive about the idea (esp. about "what'd be my cut of the profit?"), but everyone is entitled to their opinions. In an earlier post, I said I was NOT planning to start this type of business... just moreso wondering about it.

Relax, ppl. Step away from the comp and go nab a cache!

PS Thanks, all, for your replies.

Okay you ask our opinon so we gave it to you if you don't like our opinon then DON'T ask. And don't slam folks for telling what they think. You ask an open ended question and you got a plethria of answers. I still say it is a bad idea if it uses GC.com listings if you want to plant your own caches then go for it just don't use mine.

cheers

June 3, 2005

AtoZ: where did I slam anyone? I see nothing in my post that hurts anyone. In fact, the last line says, "Thanks, ALL, for your replies".

Please, let's not make this a message board shouting match. In fact, if I could find the dang "lock" icon, I would've already locked the thread.

Take care.

2.2k · June 3, 2005

Anyone coming to SE Massachusetts or Rhode Island let me know and Ill give you the grand cache tour for free.

3.9k · June 5, 2005

Not the first with this idea.

2.2k · June 5, 2005

AtoZ: where did I slam anyone? I see nothing in my post that hurts anyone. In fact, the last line says, "Thanks, ALL, for your replies".

Please, let's not make this a message board shouting match. In fact, if I could find the dang "lock" icon, I would've already locked the thread.

Take care.

Well, you got responses "From A to Z"

It's good to find out what kind of reaction a business like this might get.

When I was living in Hawaii I thought about starting a business taking people hiking, since most tourists would never find the many trails within 20 minutes of Waikiki. I never did anything about it, but some others did. I know of at least one that has been taking groups of 10 or 12 people out for a couple of years now, so I guess they're doing ok. Seems like you could add your idea onto something like this in any touristy area. Make it one of several packages.

Just find out where AtoZ lives first and charge an extra buck to visit any of his caches.

June 5, 2005

I dont think it would work out. Like people have said there are plenty of people who are willing to do that for free.

Maybe a community education class on GPS recievers and geocaching would be more appropriate. Still make money but less overhead.

Geocache Tour Company

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