Scavenger Hunt.

I once organised one of these for a boyfriend’s birthday which turned out to be a whole lot of fun. I think they are a great idea to do with a group of friends or for a work activity and you could even have your hunt end at a camping / weekend away destination or picnic spot.

So what is a Scavenger hunt? A treasure hunt or your very own Amazing Race. Basically it is a list of clues given to everyone involved and the goal is to be the first to solve all the clues and make it to the final destination before the other players. You could make the teams up as pairs / couples or car loads, it’s up to you. To make it that extra bit competitive organise a prize for the winning team.

The list should be cryptic clues that requires the teams to solve and work out how to get to each check point along the way until reaching the final destination. So that there is no cheating along the way it is best to make sure each team has to collect some sort of proof that they have been to each check point.  They may have to take a photo or collect an item at each point. Items can either be planted by the scavenger hunt organiser or they can be pre-existing, or a combination of both.

 Some items they may need to collect along the way could include:

- A take-out menu from a Chinese restaurant
- A business card from a real estate agency
- The name of the person working at the service station
- Activity pamphlet from Hotel lobby
- A photo of a team member outside a building or with someone in uniform at that location.

You need to make sure you also give each team a map and “emergency envelopes” that they can open if they get really stuck. Make sure you tell them that time will be deducted from their final time if they open any envelopes. If you didn’t want to do emergency envelopes you could allow teams to call you for a clue if they get stuck (but time will be deducted if they take this option)

Make sure you tell everyone what to pack before arriving at the start point. (Picnic gear or weekend away gear etc) They won’t know if it’s a beach or mountain location either so you may even need to tell them what sort of clothing and items to pack.

When everyone has arrived to meet you at the starting point to collect the clues, maps and envelopes they will all need to be given the same start time. Once they have all taken off you can then drive straight to the destination place to greet the first team and take calls from anyone needing the extra help. Once all teams have arrived at your final destination you can award your prize and have a great laugh sharing stories on everyone’s adventure.