Every person defines the word “exploration” differently. For one person, it’s spending a night in a tent on the ice shelf in Antarctica. For another, it could be trying a new food or hiking to a view of the world’s most beautiful fjords. Define what exploration means to you with a special Hurtigruten trackable. Show us how you Connect with Your Inner Explorer and you could win an expedition cruise for two in Norway!
Category: Trackable Items
Get free trackables + win prizes with Mountain Warehouse!
Mountain Warehouse and their trackable animal friends have teamed up with Geocaching to bring you the ultimate geocaching adventure this summer! Starting June 13, stop by a participating Mountain Warehouse store to pick up a free Meryl Sheep, Moose Willis or Jimmy Talon trackable while supplies last. Snap and share their journey on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest or Twitter using #MWGeoTrail #Contest for the chance to win exciting prizes.
4 Legendary Trackables Every Geocacher Should Find
Article written by Katie DiJulio
In the last 12 years, over four million geocachers have participated in one of dozens of geocaching-based Trackable promotions in partnership with adventurous brands around the globe. From John Grisham fans seeking gold ingot Geocoins to Jeep enthusiasts on the hunt for toy Jeeps, there are unique experiences for every type of geocacher.
Trackable promotions give geocachers a unique opportunity to engage with some of their favorite brands on a digital and physical level while spending time enjoying their hobby. Partnerships have included free Trackable giveaways, pre-release sneak peeks, and photo contests with prizes ranging from a set of new tires for your vehicle (road trip anyone?) to all expense paid trips. Each branded trackable builds a unique story as it travels. Trackables continue to generate engagement for years as geocachers discover and display these pieces of history at events, on social media, and online via their collection of unique digital icons (who wouldn’t want to collect a fancy little achievement for your profile page?) How many of these promotional Trackables have you spotted?
This was one of the first branded Geocaching promotions and the first time digital icons were introduced on geocaching profile pages. Over 24,000 Trackables were attached to Matchbox Jeeps and released in different color batches from 2004-2007. Jeep trackables have traveled over 16 million miles to date and have become a staple within the geocaching community. The first Yellow Jeep in the promotion was even inspired by the Yellow Jeep Fever, locationless cache, which was a life size jeep! Throughout the promotion Geocachers submitted photos and essays about the Trackables for a chance to win the top prize: a full size Jeep vehicle.
Want to discover a jeep for yourself? Follow their latest movements or stop by Geocaching HQ’s museum!
2. John Grisham Hunt for the Gold –
Doubleday publishing group’s 2012 Geocaching partnership focused on John Grisham’s new book “The Racketeer.” 5,000 custom gold ingot trackable geocoins were distributed to geocachers who then placed and moved them from geocache to geocache to mirror the book’s plot, in which ill-gained gold bars are moved around the United States. In addition to moving the ingot trackables over 17 million miles, geocachers showed off their photography skills for a chance to win the grand prize of a real gold ingot! The trackable program was paired with Facebook ads and geocachers flooded the John Grisham Facebook page, which gained 72,000 new Facebook fans and an increase in reach of 220% (according to Marketing Sherpa.)
GEICO’s 2011 Geocaching promotion released 9,000 Trackable tags designed in the shape of the iconic gecko mascot into the hands of geocachers across the United States. The tags were sent on their way while spreading awareness for the “Find the Gecko” sweepstakes in which one Magellan Explorist GC GPS unit was given away to a lucky geocacher winner each week of the 20 week promotion! The gecko trackables were moved by geocachers over 73,000 times and remain one of the most popular trackables being discovered around the world, averaging 29 touchpoints a day years later.
4. Michelin Quest for Adventure
In 2014, Michelin celebrated their 125th Anniversary by launching a geocaching campaign to promote tire safety via a social media based photo contest. With 2,000 Trackable tags designed in the shape of a tire and attached to actual Michelin Man tire pressure gauges, geocachers were destined for success on the road. Geocachers across the United States tapped into their inner photography talent by submitting over 1,000 photos portraying a sense of adventure to the official photo contest by using the hashtag #MichelinQuest on Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook. The Michelin Trackables have traveled almost 1.3 million miles in just 4 months and have saved many tricycle tires from getting too low on air.
These are just a few of the many examples of promotional trackable history. You can locate these promotional trackable types by looking up their latest movements on each of their home pages. Keep an eye on the Geocaching Facebook page and join 3.9 million other people who have subscribed to the geocaching weekly newsletter to learn when new contests and new free trackable series are available.
The Travel Bug that Survived a Wildfire
When CarpeCrew and #36 set out in search of GC3CZ72, they weren’t expecting to find anything. The geocache was placed in February of 2012, on National Forest land just northwest of Colorado Springs. 13 finds and four months later, the Waldo Canyon Fire tore through the region. It was one of the most destructive fires in the state’s history. There was little to indicate that the geocache had survived—no finds, no DNFs, no comment from the geocache owner.
Two years later, a forest road near where the geocache was placed was reopened, and CarpeCrew and #36, saw their chance to explore the area, visit an old personal landmark, and perhaps find an EarthCache in honor of International EarthCache Day. When they saw that GC3CZ72 was supposed to be nearby, they took a chance and trotted toward where their phones were putting it.
And there it was…right on the spot. The charred and blackened ammo can was spotted and opened, though not without a bit of difficulty. The identifiable geocache inventory was as follows:
- Charred remains of a logbook (visible in the photo)
- Several key rings
- Pens and pencils
- A button that belonged to a local geocacher
- A charred and pockmarked Travel Bug tag
After a full treatment of sprite, baking soda, and vinegar, the Travel Bug’s tracking code was almost complete. It only took a few guesses as to what the last number could be, for the TB to reveal itself. CarpeCrew and #36 posted their story to the Geocaching Colorado – GCCO Facebook page, immediately generating dozens of comments from other geocachers.
The bug had originally been placed in a geocache in Colorado Springs in 2007. At the time, it contained the clues to a Mystery Cache in Colorado Springs. That Mystery Cache has since been archived, and the original owner of the TB doesn’t play much anymore.
CarpeCrew and #36 have yet to decide what they’re going to do with the trackable, but re-releasing it into a geocache nearby is definitely an option. So unless this was an elaborate experiment to test what type of trackable was the sturdiest, we think this was one lucky Travel Bug. Keep an eye out for it if you’re geocaching in Colorado in the next few weeks…and if you’re concerned about the fire safety of your trackable, a TB tag might be a good investment. 😉
2 Steps to Help Keep Your Travel Bug Traveling
2 Steps to Prep Your Travel Bug® for Its Journey
Everyone is doing the Travel Bug® 2-Step. Here’s how. It begins a bit like dropping your kid off at school for the first time. He may cry and stomp his feet, refuse to walk into the classroom, but in the end you know he’ll make it through just fine. Your Travel Bug is much the same. It might be difficult to part, but because you’ve taken the two key steps to ensuring his journey is successful you know you’ll see him again (online):
1. Seal the Travel Bug in a small plastic bag to prevent damage from moisture.
No matter how cute that little toy might once have been, if it’s icky now most people will take a pass. Nobody likes picking up a dirtied, smelly Travel Bug…queue the Ziploc. Some Travel Bugs are even sent off with provisions: sewing kits, an extra key chain, or superglue. You decide what goes in your Travel Bug’s luggage.
2. Include a note with a description of your Bug’s goal
Put yourself in the place of a first-time geocacher. You probably know slightly more about rocket science than about trackable etiquette. As a trackable owner, it’s difficult to fault a newbie for accidentally moving your Bug in the opposite direction it wants to go…but you can certainly prevent it! Make it clear that your Travel Bug wants to visit every country in Europe with a monarchy by writing this clearly on a note. Not only will this ensure that your TB isn’t accidentally brought to Fiji, it will also introduce new geocachers to the idea of Travel Bug goals, so they look out for them in the future.
Geocachers who do the Travel Bug Two-Step help create the beautiful global choreography that unfolds in this Travel Bug® Travels video.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2nJ_GHVY7aI]
Can’t get enough of Travel Bugs? Read more about how you can help keep others’ TBs on the road: 3 Travel Bug Travel Tips
