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Similar to RJ, when I release a trackable, I expect it to go missing; it’s only a matter of time. If it doesn’t go missing, then it’s exceeded my expectations and I’m glad. If it does disappear, I’m disappointed somewhat but life goes on, and I’ll still release more trackables.
I have found however two proven techniques to make them last much longer. 1. For travel bugs, I have learned to NOT use a super cute or desirable object. That way there’s less temptation for some kid to take and keep it. 2. For TB’s and geocoins, I now use a geocoin buddy or travelbug buddy tag in addition to the normal tag. It’s a stark reminder for the recipient to move the trackable and not keep it.
I am in the midst of a (so far) 3 year experiment with trackables. In 2011 I released a series of 9 geocoins, each a different color and tracking number but otherwise the same. In 2013 I released 9 more, identical to the first 9 but with different tracking numbers, and, most importantly, this time with geocoin buddy tags attached that ask to not keep the coins. See picture below.
So far, 8 of the 9 coins without the extra tag vanished within two years, but only one of the 9 coins with the extra tag has disappeared in 2014 (15 months so far).
Tentative conclusion – the “don’t keep me” geocoin buddy tags are helping to prolong the longevity of trackables in the wild.
Next time I send out TB’s they will likely get the “don’t keep me” extra tags too. That won’t prevent those who want to steal them from taking them, but it will likely be helpful for those times when someone might have innocently kept it because they didn’t understand what travel bugs/geocoins were all about.
