When Geocaching HQ co-founder Jeremy Irish invented the Travel Bug® in 2001, little did he know trackables would become such a big part of geocaching!

Trackables are physical game pieces that move from geocache to geocache. From geocoins and tags to t-shirts and even bowling balls, trackables come in all shapes and sizes.

• More than 2.5 million trackables have moved at least once since 2001.
• Trackables have collectively traveled more than 34 billion miles. That’s like going around the Earth about 1.3 million times!
• More than 700 people have trackable tattoos, which come with a special icon on Geocaching.com.
• Trackable promotions have provided some of geocaching’s most memorable moments. In 2019 alone, promotional trackables traveled more than 122 million miles!

As much fun as they are, trackables can be confusing. Here are some tips that we shared in a Geocaching Etiquette 201 article:

• Before retrieving a trackable from a cache, be sure to confirm that you can help with its mission/destination. This information is available on the trackable page.
• Try not to hold a trackable longer than necessary. In most cases, trackables want to travel.
• Do your best to place trackables in caches that are least prone to muggle visits. This is often more art than science!
• If you find a trackable that has just recently been dropped into the cache, you might find that it has not been logged into the cache just yet. Give the last person a day or two to properly log it into the cache before “grabbing” it from them. Or message that person to remind them to log the trackable.
• Don’t share trackable codes without the trackable owner’s permission.

We strongly discourage logging trackables that you have not personally seen. While some trackable owners may choose to share their owned trackable codes freely online, trackable codes sometimes end up on shared lists without the owner’s consent. These trackables have often never left the owner’s possession, so it can be frustrating when they see their trackables being logged. Do not “couch log” a trackable without the owner’s permission! Your log is subject to deletion and there may be disciplinary action against your Geocaching account.

Do you have any fun stories about your trackables and their travels? Share them in the comments section!