Take your dates to the next level with a scavenger hunt
Not all dates are equal. They should all be fun, and we’ve spoken many times on our podcast about how much we love theme night and favourite night, but it’s definitely possible to be a dating zero or hero.
Let’s look at an at-home date. What’s more impressive:
- Frozen pizza, a staple DVD
- Cooking your partner’s favourite meal, having fresh flowers and lit candles, renting that new movie they’re desperate to see, and pampering them for the evening
Hopefully you opted for 2. If you didn’t, we’d suggest evaluating some life choices before continuing this post.
The point is your effort greatly influences a date, and today we’re going to share how to turn it up to God Mode.
Introducing the Scavenger Hunt!
But, but, I’m long distance!
We hear you. Don’t worry. The beauty of the hunt is it can work in any situation – so all you married folks reading this, stick around.
Whether you’re stuck at home in quarantine, dating long distance, or want to plan an epic hunt in the city, you can. So before we dive into the specifics, let’s define what a scavenger hunt is:
One person gives clues for the next person that leads them to the next location. That’s it! (It’s good to have an end point though, and not send them on an infinite hunt.)
Scavenger hunt at home
While the coronavirus lockdowns are in effect, knowing how to do a hunt at home is key. In episode 74, we share the details of a hunt Aindrea did for Rich earlier on in our marriage for his birthday – you can find that episode at the end of this post.
The premise is simple. Write a series of clues, not too difficult but ideally requiring a little thinking time to solve. As an example, you might put the first clue on a note by the coffee machine so they see it first thing in the morning. There’s a clue on the note that leads them to their car, then a rock in the garden, under the dog’s collar, in their favourite CD case, ending in the bedroom where you’ve laid out rose petals and lingerie.
Scavenger hunt outside
If you’re able to plan a hunt in the outside world then the sky is the limit – literally. You have an incredible array of options. You can:
- Retrace past dates
- Send them to their favourite places – leave a note under the chair they always sit in at Starbucks; ask the barista to give them a coffee and muffin that you’ve already paid for while they ponder the clue; talk to the concierge at a theatre about giving them the next clue
- End at the hotel you stayed in together – where you’ll be waiting at the bar with cocktails, packed bags, and a booked room
- Do it as a challenge, each of you racing to tick off a list of items first
- Challenge another couple
You can put in so much more effort when you have this many options, so use that to your advantage. You’ll earn huge brownie points too, for initiative, showing you pay attention to the things they love, and remembering your milestones.
Long distance scavenger hunt
Okay, there’s no way around this: if you’re doing a scavenger hunt while in a long distance relationship, you’re more restricted. But don’t let that scare you!
If you’ve been to their town before, then you can still orchestrate an outdoor hunt. For a special touch, have an Amazon item delivered to their nearest Amazon pick-up point, and have the hunt end there.
Or you can quietly talk to other people in their house to hide clues.
Or message them clues every time they get one right – they can send you a message on whatever platform you use with the right answer, and then you can reply with the next clue.
Or, use an online quiz builder to make a quiz where all the questions would be the clues. “Where was our first date”, “Where was our first kiss”, “What’s my favourite band” – whatever you want to put in there.
Go nuts!
We’ve given you some guidelines and ideas, but fill in the blanks however you want. You know your partner better than we do. The real beauty of the scavenger hunt is there’s a personal touch to the – they take time to think up, they demonstrate to your partner they’re important to you, and they’re something special to remember.
Have you done a scavenger hunt before? Leave a comment and share the details!