TravelDB.package - Is it really safe to delete it?
 

I've always been wondering what exactly the TravelDB.package in saves folders is, as it keeps growing the further I advance in a game, sometimes even when I don't travel.
Yesterday I came across this thread at the official forum where someone suggests that TravelDB.package was just another cache file and that it was safe to delete it as the game would regenerate it anyway.
Before I try this myself, is there anyone who can shed some additional light on that?

The TravelDB holds all the images from memories, photos, even prom pictures etc. This is why it continues to grow in size as you play your game. It is especially problematic if you have all memories enabled, so I recommend you either turn them off (with a mod, NRaas MasterController can do this, as well as Shimrod's Memories Disabled mod) or use Velocitygrass' memories mod to choose which memories you want to keep.

If you have not traveled, you can delete the TravelDB.package to clear out all of those images, but note that deleting it can result in memories having invalid photos assigned to them. You can use NRaas MasterController to clean those memories up. Also, keep in mind that your prom pictures and the photos that your sims took with a camera will also be deleted. I've never had problems with deleting the TrvaelDB.package, but I prefer to just keep memories disabled in the first place. Personally, I recommend just using NRaas MasterController to remove all memories and then turn off memories entirely. They are a waste of space and do nothing for your sim.

So, does this mean that it only contains photos and no essential travel data? Hm, I've already disabled memories, but my Sims take a lot of pictures. Would deleting those make the file shrink again?

Honestly, I don't know what, if any, travel information is stored in the TravelDB. I don't think I've ever deleted it after traveling. You could just make a back up copy of your save and try deleting the TravelDB and see what happens. Or just delete those photos and see how that goes. I'd do it with a copy though, so you know can test the results and see if it helps at all. I have read that some people delete their TravelDB and it bloats back up to 400mb+ very quickly.

My current TravelDB is only 1.5mb but I've never traveled, and my sims don't take photos. You can look at the TravelDB in S3PE, also. I have a couple of images in there and I don't even recognize them. And my sims' photos from the Showtime photo booth are also in there, alongside his prom photos. I do think i's a good idea if you look at it in s3pe and check out the images.

TravelDB.package was originally created to store the Sim information for tourists that visit your homeworld (or explorers that visit the vacation worlds).

Deleting it will remove that information and stop the game from being able to import sims from other worlds properly. EA populates it with default tourists from the three EA vacation worlds, even if you have never traveled.

It will be repopulated whenever you visit a vacation world again.

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The big issue is that whenever you access the "Edit Town" Library and import a family that has stored memories, an entirely new copy of *all* the memories contained in those sims is added to the TravelDB.package.

So mods such as [StoryProgression] which use the Library for immigration purposes can quickly run the TravelDB.package up to staggering sizes.

Thanks for the info, Twallan. Very useful!

Thanks to both of you. That clears up quite some things. I guess it can be said then that the information provided in that thread at EA's forums is not entirely correct.
The reason why I asked was that I somehow hoped that TravelDB also stored adventure data as I currently have some messed up adventure chains.
I also asked because I've got one pre-LN save in Twinbrook (which doesn't spawn tourists) where TravelDB is the largest file (175MB as compared to Twinbrook.nhd with 96MB and the travel destinations with roughly 45MB each). So, no memories there and no tourists except for explorers while on vacation.

thanks - i had the same question

I find my TravelDB.package has lots of duplicated images. If you open it with s3pe and arrange the list by file size, enable DDS preview then have a look at them you'll know what I'm saying. In my file I have 1 image with 3~4 copies, and I think only one of them has associated with the scrapbook.


OMG the game is really stupid. those images in TravelDB.package are in my town file Starlight Shores_0x09b610ff.nhd as well. I have no idea why it saves so many copies of these images.