How long can you keep a travel bug you found?

[ChibiTree]

How long can you keep a travel bug you found in a cache?

 

If you have no time to go geocaching for a few days/weeks/months, can you just take the travel bug, wait for a few days/weeks/months, and put it in another cache?

 

Or is there a time limit?

 

Thx,

ChibiTree

[+Ben0w]

Please be quick. Take a trackable only if you're able to put it into a cache within few days. Up to one week seems acceptable (weekend caching), two weeks would be maximum in my book.

 

If it takes you longer as originally expected, send the trackable owner a note and ask if he accepts a longer period to get his trackable back in play or if you should just drop it into a cache near you which you have already found.

 

Trackables are the property of their owner, not yours.

[+Touchstone]

From the FAQ page:

 

Use the Golden Rule when you find a Travel Bug. Most owners would rather see their Travel Bug do a lot of travelling, so try not to hold on to a Travel Bug for too long. If you plan on holding onto the bug for more than 2 weeks, make sure to send a courtesy email to the owner letting them know.

 

Link for reference:

 

Travelbug FAQ

[+cerberus1]

How long can you keep a travel bug you found in a cache?

 

If you have no time to go geocaching for a few days/weeks/months, can you just take the travel bug, wait for a few days/weeks/months, and put it in another cache?

 

Or is there a time limit?

 

Thx,

ChibiTree

If you spot a trackable and realize that you wouldn't help it with its mission, or move it along within a reasonable amount of time, simply discover it.

[+dprovan]

I aim to drop a bug within a week, and very often it's the next day. After a week, I stop expecting to find a suitable cache by chance and look for places to go cache with big enough caches. Once or twice, I've kept a TB for almost a month until a vacation where I could take it across the country or some such.

 

The rule of thumb is, "Am I keeping the bug from someone that can do it more good?" If you don't think you'll be caching again any time soon, then don't take the bug to begin with. If you have a bug and then discover you're not going to have time to go caching, then try to find some place to drop it that doesn't involve the kind of complete geocaching adventure you don't currently have time for.

[+NanCycle]

All the answers so far are very idealistic. In the real world, that most of us live in, people can't go geocaching every day, or even every weekend. And when we do go out, most of the time all we find are micros and small smalls that won't take a TB. I don't think that this means that most of us should not pick up TBs; IMO TBs shouldn't be left languishing in caches until the rare person comes along who will be able to place it in another cache within a few days. I own many TBs and am happy when they are placed again within a month or so. When someone holds it more than 3 months, or when it stays in the same cache for a similar time, I tend to start to become concerned.

[+princess leppard]

I try not to hold onto them longer than a week. The only time I've kept one longer is because I couldn't find a cache large enough to hold one. (and I let the owner know what the hold up was)

 

One of mine was picked up three weeks ago and I've heard nothing. I hope he or she places it soon or at least shoots me a note.

[cezanne]

All the answers so far are very idealistic. In the real world, that most of us live in, people can't go geocaching every day, or even every weekend. And when we do go out, most of the time all we find are micros and small smalls that won't take a TB. I don't think that this means that most of us should not pick up TBs; IMO TBs shouldn't be left languishing in caches until the rare person comes along who will be able to place it in another cache within a few days. I own many TBs and am happy when they are placed again within a month or so. When someone holds it more than 3 months, or when it stays in the same cache for a similar time, I tend to start to become concerned.

 

I was very relieved to read your post. I admit that I still try to take along trackables whenever it seems reasonable to me to let them travel to a suitable cache within the next weeks. When I move on trackables I'm never doing so out of egoistic motives (so discover logs are not an option for me - if I decide to not take along a trackable I write a note). Most cachers in my area do not any longer take along trackables and sometimes trackables are left in a cache for many weeks or even months.

 

Rarely I manage to drop trackables the next day (on Sunday when having found the trackable on Saturday), in many cases I drop a trackable a week after I retrieved it, in other cases it takes 2 weeks or more in particular when the weather causes issues (e.g. when there is snow or a trackable wants to get to a mountain but the weather is not secure enough). If I need a bit more than 2 weeks, I will not write a message to the trackable owner, but sometimes I already mention in my retrieval note that I will give my best to find a safe and suitable cache soon but cannot guarantee that it works out within 2 weeks. It would be easy to drop off trackables just in an abitrary cache I have already found close to my home, but those are typically neither safe nor nice nor are the chances reasonable for a quick further travel (most of these caches are rather old and are mainly found by beginners who either often do not care about trackables or do not know how to handle them). If I need exceptionally long, I will write the trackable owner (happens very rarely) to let them know the situation.

 

I believe a lot depends on how often caches are visited and on how often trackables are taken along in a certain region. In my region the "at most a week" would be very unrealistic for most cachers and trackables would move even less than it happens right now. The situation for TBs is particularly worse, GCs are a bit more popular but not too much.

 

Cezanne

[+CV Kurt]

can or should?

 

I'm not aware of any specific rule in this area... but generally I think "handle TBs of others as you would like your TBs handled" is a good guideline.

[+niraD]

Groundspeak still recommends the following in the TB FAQ:

 

"Use the Golden Rule when you find a Travel Bug. Most owners would rather see their Travel Bug do a lot of travelling, so try not to hold on to a Travel Bug for too long. If you plan on holding onto the bug for more than 2 weeks, make sure to send a courtesy email to the owner letting them know."

 

But with that said, don't stress out too much about the 2 week recommendation. If a TB has been languishing in a cache for months, then you've still helped it even if it takes you more than 2 weeks to leave it somewhere.

Edited August 4, 2015 by niraD

[+dprovan]

All the answers so far are very idealistic. In the real world, that most of us live in, people can't go geocaching every day, or even every weekend. And when we do go out, most of the time all we find are micros and small smalls that won't take a TB. I don't think that this means that most of us should not pick up TBs; IMO TBs shouldn't be left languishing in caches until the rare person comes along who will be able to place it in another cache within a few days. I own many TBs and am happy when they are placed again within a month or so. When someone holds it more than 3 months, or when it stays in the same cache for a similar time, I tend to start to become concerned.

I'm not being idealistic at all. People that don't cache often enough shouldn't pick up travel bugs. Or even better, if you do pick up a travel bug, then cache again soon for a change.

 

Yes, as it happens, like many people in my area, I cache nearly every day, in my case by going for a walk during lunch. The only excuse for picking up a travel bug and holding it for a month is that the cache it was in isn't found very often, so if you weren't holding it, it would most likely still be sitting in the cache.

[+Landesbunny]

How long can you keep a travel bug you found in a cache?

If you have no time to go geocaching for a few days/weeks/months, can you just take the travel bug, wait for a few days/weeks/months, and put it in another cache?

Or is there a time limit?

 

I keep travel bugs sometimes for a couple of weeks, but I frequently add pictures to the logs (the travelbug-log!) so that the owner can follow the travel bug and see where it is.

Edited August 4, 2015 by Landesbunny

[cezanne]

Groundspeak still recommends the following in the TB FAQ:

 

"Use the Golden Rule when you find a Travel Bug. Most owners would rather see their Travel Bug do a lot of travelling, so try not to hold on to a Travel Bug for too long. If you plan on holding onto the bug for more than 2 weeks, make sure to send a courtesy email to the owner letting them know."

 

But with that said, don't stress out too much about the 2 week recommendation. If a TB has been languishing in a cache for months, then you've still helped it even if it takes you more than 2 weeks to leave it somewhere.

 

What's important in my opinion is the stress on "plan". I always plan to drop off a trackable within 2 weeks in a suitable and safe cache but that does not turn out to be realistic in all cases.

It does not help a trackable to drop it off quickly in the first possible cache if that cache does not seem to be a good choice for trackables.

[cezanne]

I'm not being idealistic at all. People that don't cache often enough shouldn't pick up travel bugs. Or even better, if you do pick up a travel bug, then cache again soon for a change.

 

I would not say that I do not cache often enough to pick up travel bugs. Very few cachers in my area cache every day as this really requires a lot of travelling except for very new cachers (who typically do not

care about trackables anyhow) and most people don't have the time for doing so. In my area you could not go for a daily lunch walk cache as an experienced cacher.

 

In my opinion, the most important aspect is not moving a trackable as quickly as possible, but to move it to a suitable and safe cache. As a trackable owner I prefer to wait a bit longer in order to end up with reasonable placements of my trackable.

 

The only excuse for picking up a travel bug and holding it for a month is that the cache it was in isn't found very often, so if you weren't holding it, it would most likely still be sitting in the cache.

 

I do not agree as even if the cache is found in the meantime, the proportion of those who take along trackables is small in some areas. So it does not help if a cache gets visited 10 times but the trackable is not moved along.

There are certainly many more excuses than the one you mentioned. Another one is snow in Winter which cannot be predicted in advance.

[+Imogen Michel]

What's important in my opinion is the stress on "plan". I always plan to drop off a trackable within 2 weeks in a suitable and safe cache but that does not turn out to be realistic in all cases.

It does not help a trackable to drop it off quickly in the first possible cache if that cache does not seem to be a good choice for trackables.

 

I think this summarises my view on trackables. I always aim to drop them off again within a fortnight, but sometimes things come up and it's not possible, but I do my best. I have some currently that I've had for a week and a half without being able to get them to a suitable size cache, but I'm hoping to remedy that today or at the very longest within a week by planning to get to some larger caches.

Edited August 4, 2015 by ImogenMichel

[+dprovan]

I do not agree as even if the cache is found in the meantime, the proportion of those who take along trackables is small in some areas. So it does not help if a cache gets visited 10 times but the trackable is not moved along.

There are certainly many more excuses than the one you mentioned. Another one is snow in Winter which cannot be predicted in advance.

What's important in my opinion is the stress on "plan". I always plan to drop off a trackable within 2 weeks in a suitable and safe cache but that does not turn out to be realistic in all cases.

It does not help a trackable to drop it off quickly in the first possible cache if that cache does not seem to be a good choice for trackables.

I think this summarises my view on trackables. I always aim to drop them off again within a fortnight, but sometimes things come up and it's not possible, but I do my best. I have some currently that I've had for a week and a half without being able to get them to a suitable size cache, but I'm hoping to remedy that today or at the very longest within a week by planning to get to some larger caches.

I also agree with both of you. It's one thing to pick up a trackable and then keep it a little longer than planned. I was reacting to the comments suggesting that it's OK to pick up a trackable with the intention of holding it for months until the next geocaching trip.

[cezanne]

I also agree with both of you. It's one thing to pick up a trackable and then keep it a little longer than planned. I was reacting to the comments suggesting that it's OK to pick up a trackable with the intention of holding it for months until the next geocaching trip.

 

There is a difference between months and maybe longer than 2 weeks (or even stricter longer than 1 week as in your personal strategy). My point was the time scale to be employed might not be the same in every region.

Setting up expectations of moving a trackable within a week or leaving it in the cache, will make even more cachers decide to not move any longer trackables.

 

This cache which currently holds a trackable since early June (2 months)

http://www.geocaching.com/geocache/GC5WA83_freundschaft

is a good example of what is typical for my region (the discover logs show that the trackable is still there and that the GC did not get overlooked - none of the 9 visitors since the drop off took along the GC). It might well be that the trackable

is still there when I come to visit this cache in a few weeks from now and then I will certainly take it along and even if it takes me 3 weeks to place the trackable in a reasonable cache

(a safe one and not too old) most trackable owners will be happier than if their trackables get stuck in the same cache forever.

 

In a region where trackables get routinely and quickly moved and where there are many cachers who move trackables and who cache almost daily, the expectations on how fast trackables move have to differ from

regions where this is not the case amd this also makes sense from the point of view of the indvidual trackables and the alternatives available for those trackables.

Edited August 4, 2015 by cezanne

[+NanCycle]

All the answers so far are very idealistic. In the real world, that most of us live in, people can't go geocaching every day, or even every weekend. And when we do go out, most of the time all we find are micros and small smalls that won't take a TB. I don't think that this means that most of us should not pick up TBs; IMO TBs shouldn't be left languishing in caches until the rare person comes along who will be able to place it in another cache within a few days. I own many TBs and am happy when they are placed again within a month or so. When someone holds it more than 3 months, or when it stays in the same cache for a similar time, I tend to start to become concerned.

I'm not being idealistic at all. People that don't cache often enough shouldn't pick up travel bugs. Or even better, if you do pick up a travel bug, then cache again soon for a change.

 

Yes, as it happens, like many people in my area, I cache nearly every day, in my case by going for a walk during lunch. The only excuse for picking up a travel bug and holding it for a month is that the cache it was in isn't found very often, so if you weren't holding it, it would most likely still be sitting in the cache.

 

How nice for you that you live in an area that is so cache dense that you. and many people in your area, can find a cache within walking distance nearly every day so that you can keep to such lofty ideals. Unfortunately not everyone lives in such an area. In my area a cache every day would require a 75 mile round trip drive every day. According to your criteria, no one in our area should ever pick up a TB unless they are planning a caching expedition very soon.

 

Your statement

People that don't cache often enough shouldn't pick up travel bugs. Or even better, if you do pick up a travel bug, then cache again soon for a change.

fortunately leaves a lot of room for interpretation and allowance for regional differences. Whereas in your area "often enough" may very well mean within two or three days, in my area "often enough" would have to mean within two or three weeks.

 

I don't think that many cachers

pick up a trackable with the intention of holding it for months,

and if you are interpreting my comments to suggest that was what I meant, well, it's not even close. I really enjoy the trackables part of the game and will continue to pick them up whenever I come across them, and place them in another cache as soon as I can, but I do resent someone from your area (wherever that is) making rules that are unrealistic for people in many other areas to follow.

 

Edited to change a word.

Edited August 4, 2015 by NanCycle

[+Ben0w]

The solution to a lot of the "problems" mentioned here with a not-so-tight cache tour scheduling is rather simple: You don't have to drop the trackable in a cache you find for the first time. Just drop it in one you have already found, if you can't move it elsewhere. I have several good caches for this in mind near me, in walking distance. If I can't make it within two weeks to a new cache, I drop it into one of those close to me. At least I know their real size and they're not likely to get muggled. Even if the trackable is not moved from there in a certain amount of time, I can get it back just when I leave home for a new cache trip...

 

This should be possible in almost all caching regions.

 

Even if not, at least let the owner know your plan, if you "need to" hold the trackable more than two weeks.

 

Its rather simple, really: be prepared to keep the trackable in play within 1-2 weeks or at least keep the owner informed. No exception needed. Thank you.

[ChibiTree]

Thanks for the help everyone !

[+hzoi]

With so many trackables going missing these days, I think there's a fair argument to hanging on to them a little longer to ensure they don't vanish. That said, I still try not to hang on to 'em for too long.

 

Used to be that the site would have an automatic nag message that would remind you when you'd had TBs for longer than two weeks, but it didn't last long.

[SpiderRider3]

I once picked up a geocoin intending take it on a trip I was going to go on soon, but forgot and ended up keeping the trackable for months. When I realized I emailed the owner apologizing and explaining I would place it in a cache ASAP, but received no response. Upon checking their profile I realized they owned hundreds of them! No wonder he had not answered my email, there was no way he was keeping an eye on hundreds of trackables out in the wild and probably didn't notice the coin hadn't been moved. I didn't feel quite so bad after and eventually placed it in a cache near me.

[+BCandMsKitty]

We have a TB that the holder emailed us and asked if it would be OK to hold it for more than a month because they were planning an extensive tour of some European countries and would take it with them.

Of course, I said OK.

The key here is they emailed and asked.

It's got over 41,000 miles on it so far.

Edited September 1, 2015 by BC & MsKitty