Vehicle Decal/magnetic travel bugs

[cacheseekers]

Hey All,

So I have a question on your thoughts and feelings for logging Travel Bugs that are those 7″x3.5″ magnetic travel bugs that you attach to your vehicle.

Who thinks they should be removed from the vehicle and taken?

I first discovered these a few months ago and we took a picture and logged it as ‘discovered’ because my first instinct was to never touch another persons vehicle.

Being that I thought it was a very cool idea we ordered one for ourselves and one for my parents. I informed one of my other friends about it and he ordered the sticker to be put on his vehicle.

I’ve only seen logs of people logging these as ‘discovered’ travel bugs so far (no one has ‘found’ mine yet, but one person did find my friends).

Today I got an alert on the one for my parents vehicle. This is a new cacher and they took it.

There are more details related to who took it now that I’ve talked with my mother but I’d like to know what others thoughts are on this.

To me its stealing. It’s obvious that the vehicle is the traveling bug and you’re to ‘discover’ it, not take it.

Thoughts?

Thanks!

Nick

[Team Black-Cat]

The only magnetic vehicle TBs I’ve seen are usually only put on the car while at events.

It would be a good idea to make it clear in the description that the TB is for discovery only. That won’t help when someone just plain takes it, but at least they will discover their error and might be inclined to return it.

You might want to send a friendly email to the new cacher and explain the situation and see if you can get it back.

[Team_Sandman]

I’ve got one on my jeep that is a sticker and it has been discovered. Also I have the physical tag out in the field. I seen one a few weeks ago on a car and loged as discovered. I dont think the new cachers realize that they dont have to grab it but only discover it..

[cacheseekers]

@Team Black-Cat wrote:

The only magnetic vehicle TBs I’ve seen are usually only put on the car while at events.

It would be a good idea to make it clear in the description that the TB is for discovery only. That won’t help when someone just plain takes it, but at least they will discover their error and might be inclined to return it.

You might want to send a friendly email to the new cacher and explain the situation and see if you can get it back.

We’re using them for the chance encounter while out and about.

What I did find out is my mother knows the person who ‘found it’ and they talked today. They’re new to caching and kept saying that the rules for TB’s are to keep the moving a long and called someone who they know who caches a lot who said ‘they would have done the same thing’. From what I gathered they did not seem willing to give it back. I sent some examples of other TB’s like this as well as some threads from groundspeak discussing the purpose of them for my mom to present to them.

I can’t understand why someone wouldn’t be willing to give it back when you ask them.

Pretty frustrated that this gift is turning into something else.

[-cheeto-]

Go with the decals. They’re harder to remove 😉

Oh and to stay on topic, I’d never remove something from another person’s vehicle. It’s stealing in my opinion.

[cacheseekers]

@-cheeto- wrote:

Go with the decals. They’re harder to remove 😉

Oh and to stay on topic, I’d never remove something from another person’s vehicle. It’s stealing in my opinion.

That’s my feelings on it. It’s like any other magnet on a vehicle.

I mean people have tattoos of TB’s w/ the ID #, do they get kidnapped? 😛

[labrat_wr]

@cacheseekers wrote:

They’re new to caching and kept saying that the rules for TB’s are to keep the moving a long and called someone who they know who caches a lot who said ‘they would have done the same thing’.

The rules for TBs is to honor the mission….

@cacheseekers wrote:

From what I gathered they did not seem willing to give it back. I sent some examples of other TB’s like this as well as some threads from groundspeak discussing the purpose of them for my mom to present to them.

I can’t understand why someone wouldn’t be willing to give it back when you ask them.

Pretty frustrated that this gift is turning into something else.

they need to be reminded that the TB is property of the owner and they need to respect that.

Disclaimer : Always answering to a higher power.

[cacheseekers]

@labrat_wr wrote:

The rules for TBs is to honor the mission….

they need to be reminded that the TB is property of the owner and they need to respect that.

Yeah, I know they are knew to the activity. I don’t want to have their experiences discouraged but I just can’t understand their thinking, even after questioned by the owner of it. What is their gain? They still get the ‘point’ for logging it… 😛

[cacheseekers]

I also was fully prepared to just have them stolen randomly. Stuff like that happens. But not from a cacher who logs it and then fails to see reasoning to give it back… 😛 lol

[Crow-T-Robot]

Tell the person that the magnet/decal should be treated like a TB tag and that whatever it is attached to is part of the travel bug. It was attached to the car, so the whole car is the travel bug.

But, I’m with you…how can someone, after it’s been explained and requested to be returned by the TB OWNER, not honor that request? Seems pretty ignorant.

[TyeDyeSkyGuy]

I have decals on my X, and the physical TB hanging from the rear-view. It’s been discovered a bunch of times and no one’s tried to take the decals. 😉

But I’ve never seen the magnetic ones, but I’d like to know where to get one. Though I’d use it prolly like it’s not intended. I like the idea of placing it on my truck and having someone take it like a TB to put on their own vehicle. This may start confusing this whole situation, but I still like the idea. Maybe I can get one made, or alter one so it reads “Please take me, I’m a TB, the tag I mean, NOT my truck!” 🙂

[cacheseekers]

@TyeDyeSkyGuy wrote:

I have decals on my X, and the physical TB hanging from the rear-view. It’s been discovered a bunch of times and no one’s tried to take the decals. 😉

But I’ve never seen the magnetic ones, but I’d like to know where to get one. Though I’d use it prolly like it’s not intended. I like the idea of placing it on my truck and having someone take it like a TB to put on their own vehicle. This may start confusing this whole situation, but I still like the idea. Maybe I can get one made, or alter one so it reads “Please take me, I’m a TB, the tag I mean, NOT my truck!” 🙂

You can order it from the link in my original post directly from Groundspeak. I was looking at options to buy a regular travel bug and ‘transfer’ the ID # to my own application (sheet of magnet or adhesive vinyl) at some point.

[TyeDyeSkyGuy]

@cacheseekers wrote:

@TyeDyeSkyGuy wrote:

I have decals on my X, and the physical TB hanging from the rear-view. It’s been discovered a bunch of times and no one’s tried to take the decals. 😉

But I’ve never seen the magnetic ones, but I’d like to know where to get one. Though I’d use it prolly like it’s not intended. I like the idea of placing it on my truck and having someone take it like a TB to put on their own vehicle. This may start confusing this whole situation, but I still like the idea. Maybe I can get one made, or alter one so it reads “Please take me, I’m a TB, the tag I mean, NOT my truck!” 🙂

You can order it from the link in my original post directly from Groundspeak. I was looking at options to buy a regular travel bug and ‘transfer’ the ID # to my own application (sheet of magnet or adhesive vinyl) at some point.

Thanks!

[bartrod]

Hmmm! Interesting thread…I’ve got a magnetic one for the geo-Jeep but I normally only put it on when I go to events. However, yesterday I stuck it on when I went out on a cemetery cache run…will have to rethink doing that again. Thanks for posting 8)

Oconto...the birthplace of western civilization:)

[The Happy Hodag!]

I was just thinking that if they don’t give the magnet back, just watch where it goes next, and as soon as it gets into a cache near you, grab it back. Either that or notify any future holders of the actual magnet of it’s true intentions and see if you can get it back that way.

Bartrod, that’s one big magnet you have, and I don’t see anyone walking off with it either.

-The Happy Hodag!

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