Monday 30 January 2012

Who doesn’t want to find a good treasure hunt?

By Tom Snow


Whether solo or in a group, for profit or for fun , with amateurs or with experienced veterans, a treasure hunt is a good way to be active in the outdoors and get exercise through participation in a pleasurable hobby. Best of all, a treasure hunt is a customizable activity that may be custom-made to virtually any occasion and can be enjoyed by virtually anyone. The next time you plan a party or are just searching for something to do, think about making a treasure hunt part of your plans.

If you're forming a party or perhaps a business event, treasure hunting is a great group activity to entertain good chums or to introduce colleagues to each other. Jot down a list of objects to pick up or places to snap pictures, then find their GPS coordinates and issue your group with a catalogue of "treasures" to find and the matching GPS data. See how good your group's satellite technology abilities are and encourage folks to bring their own GPS units to plug the coordinates into. If your treasure hunt is happening in the wild, make certain to have at least one GPS unit with a receiver adequate enough to get a satellite signal whether or not the sky is obscured by trees.

Add an element of competition to your treasure hunt event by splitting the group into teams and pitting them against each other. See who can retrieve the most treasure from the list in a set amount of time of time or who can retrieve all of the treasure on the list the quickest. Remember that in a competitive treasure hunt of this type, all teams must be equipped with a minimum of one GPS unit with a receiver that may get a satellite signal in whatever area the event is happening.

You'll find ideas on precisely what kind of "treasure" to hunt nearly anywhere. Do you live in New York City? Be sure to make one of the requirements on the treasure hunt list a photograph of a team member in front of the Statue of Liberty. Are you planning a treasure hunt in an isolated area? Give each team a catalogue of items to find in the forest and the GPS coordinates of your camp so that they can all find their way back. If you do select a location off the trail, also provide each team with a map, such as you can print from Google Maps , in the event that a GPS unit goes wrong or can't find a satellite signal.

Another excellent place to start your treasure hunt is on the internet. Certain websites, for example SatelliteTreasureMaps.com, overlay GPS coordinates onto maps, such as Google Maps, of areas where rare metals are known to have been found and there are numerous websites dedicated to the high-tech hobby known as geocaching. In this pastime, geocachers plant an item â€" usually containing a record of all those who have located it â€" somewhere on earth, then list its GPS coordinates on the web so treasure hunters from all over the world can attempt to track it down.

While there are various levels of adventure one can enjoy, remember, that most of all to just have fun!




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