Thousands of Travel Bugs are in motion right now. They’re powered by geocachers, bounding from geocache to geocache. Travel Bugs travel in pockets, backpacks, purses and snuggle up in suitcases for long distance voyages. Sometimes though, their travels stop cold. They get stuck in couch cushions, lost in the kitchen junk drawer or simply (and sadly) forgotten.
Here are 3 tips to help Travel Bugs do what they do best: travel. First, if you find a Travel Bug® or any trackable in a geocache, you are not required to trade anything for it. But if you take it, follow some common sense trackable etiquette. It all starts by entering the tracking code here.
• Log that you have retrieved the Travel Bug or trackable from the geocache as soon as you’re able. By logging that you’ve retrieved it, the Travel Bug owner, geocache owner and all those looking for Travel Bugs will know that this one is on the move.
• Check the Travel Bug’s goal by going to its page. It’s as easy as typing in the tracking code. Then you can find out if it’s headed to beaches around the world, mountain tops in Austria or somewhere else. The idea is to place the Travel Bug in a geocache that will move it closer to its goal.
• Drop the trackable in the next geocache and log that you have done so. If you need to keep the trackable for more than two weeks, please email the owner to let them know that their trackable is taking a short rest, but will be on the road again soon.
Geocachers who follow the 3 keys to Travel Bug etiquette help create the beautiful global choreography that unfolds in this Travel Bug® Travels video.
Geocaching HQ is helping outfit three lucky adventurers through Gear Up for Geocaching. We’re calling all geocachers, both expert and new, for a treasure hunting opportunity. Geocaching HQ has partnered with some of your favorite outdoor brands to offer you the chance to win some big-time swag.
Sign up here between August 1 and 31 to be entered to win one of three prize packages.
Each package will include treasure from brands such as Camp Chef, Mountainsmith, Greenlayer, 7eye, MHM, Kor and Skratch Labs. We couldn’t sit out on the fun, though, so we’re also giving free one-year Geocaching Premium Memberships to each winner, to help you find more geocaches than ever. See below for a full breakdown of what you could win!
New to geocaching? No problem! Geocachers of all experience levels are welcome to participate. By filling out this form before the end of August, new and existing Geocaching members in the U.S. are eligible to enter using their Geocaching username. There is only one entry per person, and the deadline to enter is midnight on August 31. Three winners will be drawn and notified in early September. In the meantime, you can share stories or photos of your August finds on Twitter with @GoGeocaching using #GearUp or connect on Facebook. Also, you can participate in the 31 Days of Geocaching: every day you find a geocache in August, you will earn a unique calendar-style Geocaching souvenir.
You can win one of three prize packages – each containing a product from every brand listed below plus a Geocaching.com Premium Membership!
Greenlayer makes exceptional sports apparel developed with a variety of sustainable materials that provide a lower environmental impact, without compromising style, performance, and affordability.Quality outdoor cooking equipment designed to cook anything, anywhere, no matter the size of the group.Forged in the Rockies since 1979, Mountainsmith builds products that make it easier to bring the outdoors into your life.MHM is a Colorado-based company that designs some of the best technical backpacks in the world. Learn more at www.mhmgear.com or contact us by email at info@mhmgear.com7eye by Panoptx is the original “windless eyewear” that delivers the finest optical-quality lenses in frames designed to maximize protection from sun, wind, dust, pollen and other airborne irritants. It is ideal for motorcycle/motorcross riding, high altitude climbing, watersports, horse-back riding, and dry eye treatment. They are known for premium craftsmanship on eyewear that are expected to last for years to come for outdoors.Kor celebrates and treasures water by creating the world’s most stylish, functional personal hydration products.Skratch Labs’s mission is to use real world science and practice to create the very best nutrition product. Products that taste great, that are made from real all-natural ingredients, and that are designed to optimize performance and health for both sport and life.
NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. ONLY LEGAL RESIDENTS OF THE 50 UNITED STATES (D.C.) WHO ARE 18 AND OLDER AND MEMBERS IN GOOD STANDING OF GEOCACHING.COM AS OF THE DATE OF ENTRY ARE ELIGIBLE TO ENTER. ONE ENTRY PER PERSON. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED. Sweepstakes starts August 1, 2013 and ends August 31, 2013. For Official Rules, visit http://support.groundspeak.com/index.php?pg=kb.page&id=418. Sponsor: Groundspeak, Inc.
You’ve found them, seen them in blog posts, heard about them from other geocachers, and see the load of Favorite Points next to their names. What are they? They’re the best of the best: amazing geocaches. The time and effort that goes in to creating these geocaches is incredible.
The Tin Man (GC4B6BB), a great example of thinking outside the ammo can from geocacher Ecylram.
With every Geocache of the Week post I write, I always ask the geocache creator, “What criteria do you use to make sure the geocaches you create are so awesome?” We’ve taken the answers to this question. We’ve combined them with responses from geocachers about what makes a great find. And we’ve create the Top Five Tips for Creating a World-Class ‘Cache. Feel free to add your tips or ideas in the comments.
1. Love Your Geocache
If you love your geocache, others probably will too. Show your geocache some love by making sure it’s well-maintained. This includes ensuring the log stays dry, the container stays in good shape, keeping the geocache details page updated and responding promptly to “Needs Maintenance” logs. This is easier when you place a geocache that’s close to home or in a place that you’re able to access easily.
2. Get Creative
Some geocaches are just there to be found, and that’s okay. Everyone plays the game differently. But great geocaches actually evoke a reaction or emotion from the finder. Sometimes it’s a laugh, and sometimes it’s an “OMG!” Geocacher Ecylram has a great piece of advice, “the find needs to bring something unique or uncommon for the cacher, and the sum of the experience needs to be memorable.” Think of it this way: a geocache is like a piece of art. Yours may not be liked by everybody, but if it causes a reaction or emotion—it’s a masterpiece. So get creative and think outside the ammo can. If you need some inspiration, check out this video about creative geocaches.
This is the “OMG” look we’re aiming for.
3. Location, Location, Location
I’m sure you knew this one was coming. Geocachers love to discover new and amazing places. While that railing may not have a micro geocache attached to it, do you think geocachers will be enjoy that location? Think more along the lines of parks that few people know about, hidden gems in your area, a great place for a sunset or sunrise, scenic vistas and other great spots.
4. Go Big or Go Home
We love swag, trading trackables and writing great logs. Unfortunately, the smallest geocaches aren’t conducive to these things. So if your hiding spot has enough room, place the largest geocache that will fit, while still remaining hidden. This typically means, avoiding hiding really small geocaches in really large forests. This will give geocachers the chance to trade trinkets and trackables.
A great spot for a geocache. Photo by geocacher acaferreira
5. Great Geocaches Deserve Great Descriptions
Think of the geocache description as your artist’s statement. Some geocachers create epic stories about their geocaches or create an adventure for other geocachers to take part in. While you don’t have to go this far for every hide, a nice paragraph or two introducing the geocache, describing the area, dropping subtle hints and giving any pertinent details will suffice. Check out the story that accompanies Das Vergessene Portal (The Forgotten Portal) (GC3HWBE). (You might have to translate it from German.)
We continually see amazing creativity come out of the geocaching community. We’re still amazed by the thought and dedication that goes into keeping our favorite hobby fun. Now that you’ve read our Top Five Tips for Creating a World-Class ‘Cache, we’d like to see your examples of great geocaches and read your tips.
The Arc de Triomphe. Photo by geocacher H20 de Mer.
As this is being written, cyclists are pedaling their way through France, racing through 2115 miles (3404 km) of countryside. Racers travel from all over the world to take part in this race. Despite recent controversies, the Tour de France is still one of the top physical challenges faced by cyclists. This year’s race ends with a loop around the Arc de Triomphe, right by this week’s Geocache of the Week.
Finally found it! Photo by geocacher Stillroaming.
While the full Tour de France is an extreme mental and physical challenge, this geocache is only a difficulty 1.5, terrain 1, so training anything but your geosense and stealth skills won’t be necessary. The geocache, aptly named Arc de Triomphe (GC18TKN), brings you to a spot with breathtaking views of the Champs-Élysées, the Tour de France (if you’re there on the right day), and of course, the Arc de Triomph.
The geocache creator, pacuso, made sure to meet two criteria for this geocache, “interesting location and/or great camouflage.” This geocache was placed in 2008. During that time, pacuso says, “Paris was lacking of stashes on touristic places, so I decided to fix that! Apparently 3518 visitors agreed.” Of the many visitors to earn their smiley for this geocache, geocacher Stone Raiders had this to say, “First find in France! Great location and excellent hiding place.”
The geocacher/Tour de France cyclist, Jens Voigt. Photo from his Twitter account.
If you’re near GZ when the Tour de France is there, there are two things to keep in mind. One, a wish from the geocache owner, “I just hope that geocachers won’t try to run in front of the “peloton” (the group of cyclists) to go log it!!” And two, keep an eye out for Jens Voigt, a cyclist competing in the race who also happens to be an avid geocacher. Maybe after the race, you can find this geocache with him.
Some cyclists competing in the Tour de France may find that the mental challenge is more difficult, while others may think it’s all about the physical challenge. When you’re out geocaching, which challenge (mental or physical) is harder to overcome? Tell us why in the comments.
Continue to explore some of the most engaging geocaches around the globe. Check out all the Geocaches of the Week on the Geocaching blog or view the Bookmark List on Geocaching.com.
If you would like to nominate a Geocache of the Week, send an email with your name, comments, the name of the geocache, and the GC code to pr@geocaching.com.
Heather, aka “Craftea”, with her recovered Geocoins still in the police evidence bag
There’s something special about a Trackable at Geocaching.com—it’s actually trackable. You know who owns it. You know where it’s been, and ideally, where it wants to go next.
Now imagine you’re a police detective. You serve a search warrant on a storage locker. You find evidence you believe is stolen. But how do you prove that evidence actually belongs to someone else? Then, you see a glistening Geocoin, with a tracking number.
Heather, aka Craftea, from Washington state in the U.S. was the beneficiary for just such a series of events and some real crafty police work.
She says her story began in November of 2012. “My home was burglarized and I lost a great many items, including a three-ring binder with baseball-card pockets where I kept my geocoin collection, and a bag of geopins along with more standard stuff like laptops and other electronics.”
Her day to day geocaching wasn’t completely interrupted thanks to a lucky break, “Thankfully my GPS was in the car with me when my home was being broken into so I didn’t lose that. The responding cop didn’t give me much hope that any of my things will ever be recovered but it still took me several months before I finally went online to mark each of my coins as missing, feeling that made it more final, like I was giving up hope.”
Months passed, life continued. And Heather began to move on. “I did, really, give up hope, and while I feel the loss of my things just about every day, I am slowly replacing things as I can afford to.”
The whole experience came back to her after it was nearly forgotten. “It was with a bit of a shock when I got an e-mail from a detective from Seattle’s West Precinct with front-and-back pictures of one of my geocoins with a note saying that it and ‘several others’ were recovered during a search warrant issued on a storage unit. He said he recognized it as a Geocoin and logged on Geocaching.com and did a search with the coin’s code and saw my profile and that I had marked it missing and wanted to know why.”
It was an email she quickly responded to, “I contacted him and was able to either describe the coins or give him the code after he described them to me. He had “4 or 5″ of them and he was satisfied they were mine. After more search warrants were issued on a different storage unit and a house associated with the same people as were for the original unit where my coins were found, the detective contacted me again and invited me to his office to pick up my coins and look at the pictures of the suspects as well as go through photos of evidence they’d recovered.”
One of the Geocoins lost in the burglary
“When I got to his office, he handed me 5 coins…” But for Heather the Geocoins are more than pieces of metal imprinted with a custom tracking code. They were reminders of adventures past and friends who offered the Geocoins as presents, “Two were gifts from FrodoB, one was a gift from Rey del Roble, one I earned at The Dalles Dash geocoin challenge and the 5th was an unactivated geoachievement coin given to me by my friend, MacCrew, from New York. Precious memories!” Check out the Trackable Details page from one of the lost and recovered Geocoins.
Heather also received a few of the other items that were lost to the thieves who broke into her home. Among them, she has recovered a sense of justice, “There is still a great deal of loss but it was exciting to get back a few pieces, and knowing that a handful of geocoins connected the burglars to their crime against me (and many other homes…) and was instrumental in their arrest.”
