90 minutes prep

Outdoor Adventure

Kids or one-on-one

Planning your own jaw-dropping treasure hunt for your friends, kids, or partner, is easy using this guide or a printable map template!

It starts when they ‘find’ a hidden treasure map that foretells of an upcoming event. Before they get to that mysterious ‘X’, however, they need to solve clues, navigate to the destination, and hunt for the loot when they get there!

Sounds like an adventure? Let’s go:

Step 1:

Where to ‘bury’ the treasure

You need to plan a treasure hunt in reverse – starting with where to stash the loot. This lets you make the map and clues to match.

Choose a place to hide whatever the reward will be. Don’t worry about the exact location right now just choose either outdoors, in the CBD or at home:

Outdoor

In a natural forest or reserve
A nearby park
At the top of a lookout
Use a Geocache as the destination. This also makes it easier to prep since the loot’s already there!

City / CBD

Down a laneway
Ask a cafe owner to stash it behind their counter until they come in and asks about it
Behind some reference books at the library
Random bush

At home

Actually bury it somewhere in the backyard when the kids are out
Remove the contents of a cereal box and stash it inside
In the roof cavity
In a travel bag

Step 2:

Make a treasure map

One of the best moments of this date is when your partner unrolls an epic treasure map! It gives you both permission as adults to get into the role play and enjoy yourself!

Here’s how to make the coolest treasure map she’s ever seen as well as 5 mods to customize it how you like! To save time you can also downloaded the map pack

Here's the printable map pack

How to make a Basic Map:

You’ll need a reference image to draw the map from so bring up your destination in the satellite view of Google maps. When you zoom in it will give you the layout and key landmarks.

Start adding these landmarks to your map using a pencil. Don’t worry if they’re not 100% to scale since your teams imagination will fill in the detail.

If you’d like to be precise just take a screenshot of the map and hold the piece of paper over it and you’ll be able to see the paper to trace over the map (just turn the brightness up on your screen).

When you’re happy with it go over the lines with black marker. Also add a dashed line, as the walking trail, and a large X to mark where the loot is!

Add some mojo by

Making it look epic:

Although a plain white map is 10x cooler than doing nothing with a little more effort you can totally WOW the kids/team! So why not go the extra mile and try one of these tricks to add some more authenticity:

Tea Dye the paper

Tear Edges

Burn edges

Mod #1:

Use Google Maps

Rather than hand drawing your map you can simply print it out from Google Maps! Simply find your destination int this Treasure Map Generator and print it on A4 paper.

To make it fit perfectly on your page you’ll need to try a few zoom levels as well as adjusting the page print margins to avoid the white space around the image.

Once the treasure map is printed you can also draw landmarks, arrows, hints, and clues on top! You can even tea dye the paper and rip the edges to give it that real life treasure map feel!

Here's the Map Generator >

Mod #2: An easy hack is to

Just Print a map template

The easiest way to get a cool looking map is to download and print one of the templates in the Treasure Hunt Game Pack. They’re designed so any office store can print them as 8×10 photos or A4 color. There’s also a version that can be printed in black and white onto Tea Dyed paper!

Download all 16 maps here >

Mod #3:

Add clues and riddles!

A great way to add some more intrigue is to make the map harder to follow and add some riddles that help makes sense of it.

Try adding one of these clues next to a landmark on your treasure map (or make up some of your own!)

Write a hint in code like a=1, b=2, c=3
Have her find a Decoder Ring at one landmark which helps solve a clue
Go 40 steps north-west (use a compass app on your phone)
Pass 17 trees and turn left
Write in invisible ink with this pen
Here’s some more great clue ideas

Mod #4:

Draw some 3D landmarks

Although most your map will be 2D you can add some serious mojo by making some of the landmarks actual pictures. Don’t worry there’s a trick for how to do this even if you can’t draw that well!

Trick: Simply find a photo of the landmark you would like to use on your iPad or computer. If nothing comes up load the location in Google Maps and switch to Satellite/Earth view and check the landmark photos. Then place your treasure map over it and you’ll be able to see the image through the paper!

Then all you have do to trace over the picture and add an arrow or note where to go!

It doesn’t have to be perfect!

This was just a quick free-hand version!

For an extra challenge you can just have 1 picture on your map with arrows on it. Take your team to the general area where they need to explore until they find what’s in the picture then. They then keep hunting until they find the bounty! If they’re an XBOX/PS gamer they’ll recognise this kind of map, from Elder Scrolls games and love it!

Mod #5:

Tear the map into pieces!

After making the map tear it into several parts with one landmark on each piece. This adds the extra dynamic of an adult scavenger hunt and is a lot of fun!

When you head out to stash your loot also hide each of the pieces where they will be found by someone following the rest of the map. Then, on the day give, your team/kids the first piece of the map and explore together until you get to the end!

Step 3:

Grab some loot

The focus of this date is to have a fun experience as a couple so keep the present small and grab one of these cheap presents to use as treasure (unless it’s your anniversary).

Small Lego pack
Print some photos or get a photo book made
Use someone else’s treasure by making the map end at a Geocache!
Give her one of these romantic love notes
Skip the present and stash a picnic + ciders at the destination

Or make a Memories Map (In the Pack)

Step 4

Hide the Treasure

Finding the treasure is going to be the climax of the event! It’s way more fun than even opening the treasure! To make this experience totally unforgettable choose one of these crafty ways to stash the loot at the final landmark:

Bury it

Hide a small shovel nearby that she’ll easily find.

This will prompt her to look for a recently disturbed patch of earth!

CAMOUFLAGE IN PLAIN SIGHT

Stash in bushes

Leaving the treasure in a bush, where anyone could find it seams, risky but it’s not. People just don’t look that closely at their surroundings (unless their a hitman… but in this case just let them have it)

Step 5

Telling her

What makes this date hunt even better is giving your partner time for her to get into the story – and it’s really easy!

You want them to randomly ‘find’ either the map or an invitation. Set this up by stashing it in the cereal box, her makeup back, or the mail box. If they discover it themselves it totally sets the atmosphere for an adventure date!

Note: As adults we usually feel nervous about role plays but if you start to get excited about what’s going on it will give her permission to do so as well!

Give her an epic invite!

Print one of the themed date invitations from the Treasure Hunt Pack:

Step 6:

The hunt begins!

Time to get out there any find that treasure! Drive to the starting location together to help your partner find their bearings. Also give her a hint occasionally – I’ve found it’s actually much harder than it looks to follow a treasure map if you didn’t make it!

Clues like ‘hotter’ and ‘cooler’ work really well however let her work a lot of it out so there’s a stronger accomplishment feeling at the end.

When they find the loot it’s time to celebrate. Either bust out the picnic, if that’s what the treasure was, or head out for dinner/drinks. This is a great chance to talk about the adventure!

Don’t forget to grab the Arrgh Treasure Hunt Pack to make this date totally epic!

Make it even more epic by downloading the