The Water Retaining Sea Cow | L.E. Duncan

At its most basic level, geocaching is a game of hiding caches, posting the GPS coordinates online so other geocachers can seek out and find those caches. However, there are other elements of the game that use the basic elements and build on them. One of these is the “travel bug”.

The geocaching travel bug is literally any object that has a Groundspeak tracking code attached to it. The travel bug is described on Geocaching.com as a hitchhiker. After registering the code on the Geocaching website, you can drop the travel bug into a cache and the next cacher (or another subsequent cacher) will “pick up” the travel bug and then “drop” it into a different cache. The result of this is a traveling item that you can track and follow on the Internet.

Looking through a geocache | L.E. Duncan

The tracking codes are obtained by purchasing dog-tags with the tracking codes on them. When you purchase these tags, they will come with two tags with identical tracking codes on them. “Activate” the code on the website, attach one of the tags to your new traveler and drop it in a cache.

Groundspeak (The parent company of Geocaching.com) has recently released travel bug window decals! These also come with a tracking number and can be affixed to a vehicle. So if you want to track your adventures via your vehicle, purchase a window decal! If you run into another cacher on the trail (or in the parking lot) or at a geocaching event, they can discover your trackable item and log it as well!

This discussion would not be complete if geocoins were not mentioned. Geocoins are coins that geocachers design and have had minted. They are very similar to military challenge coins as far as physical weight and feel are concerned, but that’s about where it stops as far as similarity goes. Geocoins are as unique as the cachers that create them. Geocoins also have a unique tracking number assigned to each one of them, making each one individually trackable on the geocaching website.

"DuncanClan" 2006 Geocoin

You can also give your travel bugs and other trackable things “goals”. A toy airplane may wish to “see every airport they can”. A stuffed animal cat may want to meet as many other felines as they can. You can update and view your travel bug’s goals and other information on their very own web page on Geocaching.com.

These trackable items add another dimension to the geocaching game. Children and adults love following their travels via the website. The kids can track them on a separate (paper) map, learning geography and reading about their travel bug’s adventures via the log that cachers sign. Add another element to your adventures by dropping a travel bug in your next find!