Welcome to the Knysna Travel Bug Hotel!
You will find the hotel by entering the Art Gallery's fenced garden, which is publicly accessible - you are not required to visit the shops, gallery or stay at the Café to log this cache. Once inside the hotel will be easy to spot on a wall - hint: what is the most prominent inhabitant of the Knysna Estuary?
Stealth is also not required as long as you lock the Hotel safely after use!
Sadly the Hotel is only safe if protected on private property, so we cannot do without the opening hours of the establishment, which are:
Mo-Fr 8:00-16:00, Sat 8:00-13:00, but usually the garden is accessible earlier and longer. Sundays closed. You may be lucky if they have an event and are open outside these hours.
(Note: Just seeing the hotel but not physically signing does not qualify as a log!)
This little venue hosts the owner, Helena Gerber's and her artist friend and collegue Faith du Plessis' Art Gallery on Queen. Many an art project around our town is initiated or hosted by her and some caches in Knysna already have those as their topic or are going to be created around those stunning art projects on public display around town.
Travelbugs are not for the finder to keep but want to travel on and have to be logged!
IN THE LOGBOOK PLEASE WRITE DOWN WHICH TRAVEL BUG OR GEOCOIN YOU ARE TAKING OUT AND ALSO LOG IT ONLINE.
Read below about what a travelbug is, how to log them and what to do.
The hotel contains one box for travel bugs that just want to travel no matter where and one box for travel bugs with special intentions/destinations.
Please check the travel bug listing via the trackable inventory link in this cache listing in the app (on the right side) to check out that intention before picking anything up!
Enjoy your visit, happy lodging for your bug and happy travels with any bug you may pick up!
If you like the location or the hotel itself I would be happy if you left a favourite point ❤️
Credits: Art Work on the Hotel by resident Knysna artist Kathleen Blackie; hosting the Hotel: Helena Gerber
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What is a Travelbug and how to proceed
Picking up a Travel Bug (TB)
A Travel Bug is usually a dog tag that is attached to a "hitchhiker," or an item that travels from place to place. If you found a TB the first thing you need to do is "grab" it online so you can add your own story to its journey. Refer to the FAQ for answers to other questions not covered on this page.
Step 1. Get the Tracking Number
In order to log your find and "grab" the TB, you first need to locate the Bug's tracking number. The number is normally on the dog tag that is attached to the item, or, in the case of Geocoins, is stamped on the item somewhere. The tracking number is NOT the one starting with 'TB' but the other one on the sticker/label!
Make sure to write this number down before dropping the item in another cache. You'll need it to locate and "grab" the TB online.
Step 2. Visit the Travel Bug Trackable's Page
Each Travel Bug has its own web page. A geocache where a TB is located will display it under “Trackables” in the inventory list on the cache page. To log it online you need to enter the tracking number on the inventory page. Alternatively you can visit the Travel Bug home page and use the search tool or use the general search function in the geocaching app. Then enter the tracking number in the supplied box and click the search button. Again: The tracking number is NOT the one starting with 'TB' but the other one on the sticker/label!
You will see that the owner of the TB will have indicated on the listing what the intention of the TB is. Please only pick up the TB if you are willing and able to achieve that goal or help it along.
Step 3. Found it? Log it!
Once you reach the Travel Bug listing and have manually entered the tracking code, you will need to write a log to let the owner know that you found it. By logging the find you are also 'grabbing' the TB and putting it in your account's online inventory. This will ultimately allow you to drop the TB in another cache.
If the TB is listed as being in a cache, you will have two options: retrieving it or grabbing it. If you took it from the cache in which it is listed, choose to retrieve it. If you took the TB from elsewhere, choose to grab it. Both logs require the tracking number, so keep the tracking number handy for the Bug you plan to log.
Once you have successfully grabbed or retrieved the TB, it will remain in your online inventory until someone else grabs it from you or you “drop" it in a cache.
You also have the option to 'Discover' a TB under the 'Found it? Log it!' menu. This log type is used when you see a TB in person, but are not planning to move it to another geocache. This log type will not add the TB in your trackable inventory.
Logging a Travel Bug’s “Visits” to caches you find
While a TB is in your possession and inventory, please log it with the caches you find so that the distance it travels with you gets recorded online. While logging a cache as found, you will have the option to also log your trackable as “visited” (besides “dropped”, see below).
For this process you will need to log onto the browser website as the geocaching app does not allow you to log a travel bug visit along with your cache logged as “found” or “did not find”. On the cache page you visit in the app, scroll to the bottom, choose “Open in Browser”, log your cache here or “edit” your previous log and when the editing page opens you can log the trackables in your inventory list as “visited” and then save the updated log.
Remember to only log a visit if you are keeping the trackable with you. If you drop it there, proceed as follows:
Dropping off a Travel Bug
Once you log that you have retrieved or grabbed a Travel Bug, you can drop it into a cache. The cache listing acts as a virtual container allowing you to indicate that you have placed the TB in the physical cache.
If the TB has a goal, please try to follow the goal as best as you can. If the goal is to move the TB to the west coast, don't put the TB in a cache farther east.
Step 1. Visit the Cache Listing
Visit the cache listing for the cache in which you placed the TB.
If you already logged your find, don't panic! You can still post another log note.
Step 2. Visit the "log a cache" Page
As you normally log a find, click on the link to log the cache. You will need to log in first.
Step 3. Select the Travel Bug to drop off
After entering the text for your find, scroll down to see a list of TB Trackables in your inventory. Using the dropdown menu, select either "dropped off" to leave a TB in the cache. Once you are ready, click the button to submit your log.
Find more info on the geocaching website here.