Travel bugs are mysterious and fascinating creatures. They find their way from cache to cache, and country to country, sometimes crawling through months of obscurity with their whereabouts completely unknown. They’re found in unlimited varieties all around the world.

Sometimes they’re small. Some are large. All of them are unique.

Have you ever had a clever idea for a travel bug? You’re in good company! Geocaching tends to attract creative, independent thinkers. Add to this the usual streak of mischief found in the psyches of all geocachers, and you have a recipe for some really interesting travel bugs.

The idea behind the travel bug (TB) is that it’s a trade item that is traceable. The idea behind the travel bug (TB) is that it’s a trade item that is traceable. Groundspeak offers official tracking tags that look like dog tags, which allow the bug to be tracked on its own page at Geocaching.com. This allows users to post notes and photos about the bug, and even generates a map of the bug’s travels.

Some cachers also choose to create their own individual travel bugs, by putting their email address or web site on an item, and asking cachers to report back on these.

TBs have proliferated in the brief history of geocaching. Some travel bugs have a specific mission, like getting to a certain destination or serving a particular function. The destination can be anyplace; like Tahiti, a casino, library, or even a person. One was recently successfully sent to actor Wil Wheaton (AKA GroundskeeperWillie). Another TB is currently making its way from its creator to its owner. Cacher 4agers commissioned one of El Diablo’s famous walking sticks, and the Caching Karma Stick was born. Rather than receiving it via mail, the stick is coming to him through the hands of cachers along the way.

Obviously, this is not the sort of item that can be left in a cache, even if it would fit. Instead, the cachers will carry it with them for a short period of time and then hand it off to the next person in the chain. Anyone is welcomed to participate(just make sure you don’t bring any bad Karma to the stick).

Many TB’s have no particular goal, but may serve a function. This may be to provide co-ordinates for a cache (a “lock and key cache”), act as a traveling cache, keep a log of the owner’s finds, or maybe even compete with other bugs in a race. Some bugs may just be a pain in the neck.

Cindy TB is a good example of the last type. She is a full sized cinderblock. Even so, for a big girl, she gets around. Created by umc, she was released in June of 2003 and has traveled over 650 miles already. Umc reports that the idea was something that had never been done, and says he is unaware of any similar bugs. He says he was surprised by the amount of interest in her and attributes this to her uniqueness (almost 50 people are watching her page).

Cindy has no particular goal. umc just wanted other cachers to have fun with her. Perhaps she has had a little too much fun, as she recently delivered twin TB’s. No word yet on when they’ll be weaned and sent out on their own.

Bugs can also be the object of a game or a race. Local TB races have been part of the sport almost from the start of TBs, but TB racing got a big boost from the First Annual TB Cannonball Run sponsored by the NY Geocachers Organiziation last year. Most of the contestants have yet to reach the destination cache in California, despite running since March. Organizers are already planning the Second Run to start later this year, and interest is tremendous. Many other TB races are in the works so keep a few spare TB tags handy for when you decide to jump in.

Although most TBs are created and set free to wander on their own, some owners choose to keep them. Although most TBs are created and set free to wander on their own, some owners choose to keep them with them as they go to each cache. What’s the point of this? Remember the mapping function for the TBs? If you log your personal TB into and immediately out of each cache you visit you can map every cache you’ve been to.

Some bugs are designed to turn the TB concept on its head. The Alien Army of Chaos was created using multiple travel bugs with the same tracking number. As they are now dispersed across North and South America, and Europe each movement of one bug in a certain locale can register as a several thousand-mile trip for the tracking number. If this is hard to understand you can at least appreciate the name!

During your caching adventures, you are certain to run across some other interesting TBs, or maybe you’ll create some of your own. When you do, drop us a line and tell us about it!