Create a Valentines Day Scavenger Hunt!

The first step in creating your Valentines Day scavenger hunt is deciding what prizes you want to leave along the way. You'll have to decide whether you want to give away one big prize at the end or scatter small prizes throughout the hunt. I like to stick to a ton of small gifts because then I can make them personal and really get my Valentine smiling. It also lets you keep your big gift ideas for other holidays like birthdays and anniversaries.

So what gifts should you pick up for the hunt? Here are a few ideas:

• Flowers
  
• Chocolate
  
• Poems
  
• Hand Written Notes
  
• Jewelry
  
• Pictures
  
• Candy
  
• Drawings
  
• Stuffed Animals
  

You should focus on what your Valentine likes. If they are into certain hobbies then get them some accessories that they might be missing. Also try to find out what type of candy or treat they really like and be sure to get some. Making handwritten notes and little drawings are always winners. Don't worry about how good you write or draw, your loved one will love the effort you put into creating something just for them.

So write down a list of everything that you want to get them or you think you might want to get them. Now it's time to move onto the next step.

Now comes to the real meat of the scavenger hunt, creating the clues and riddles that you'll be using. First come up with a spot that you want to start the scavenger hunt on Valentines Day. You have to make sure you'll be able to set everything up before it starts. Try and set it up in a location where you have lots of memories. You can call on these memories on order to lead them to the next prize (Where did we first kiss? etc).

Next decide where you want to end the scavenger hunt. The easiest scavenger hunts are ones that end close to where they started. However if you really want to impress you could use the scavenger hunt to lead your loved one somewhere for a special date. Perhaps to a restaurant where you have a reservation or your apartment where you have a candle light dinner waiting. Now that you know where your scavenger hunt starts and ends you can set up the clues that will lead the way.

Creating the clues for the scavenger hunt is where your creativity comes into play and is a step that most people find difficult. The key is to jump right in and start writing clues. You might find that some of your first ideas are lame but by actually writing clues you'll come up with more ideas. It's also good to include a lame clue once in a while for a laugh. I like to use textclues.com scavenger hunt planner to outline my hunts because it's really easy to use and helps keep my ideas in order. Also I like to use their text message clue service which I'll talk about later.

The number one key to remember with clues is to make them personal! Just like your gifts make sure they are tailored to your significant other's interests. Here are some examples you might want to use:

- Lead them to a spot where you share a memory (There's a gift hidden where we first kissed)
- Use trivia related to their subject of interest (photography, cooking etc)
- Write a clue that has to be read in a mirror
- Lead them with directions (take 10 steps to your north and turn right..)
- Design a riddle for the location where the gift is hidden
- Get creative with your own ideas!

Ok now you've got a bunch of clue ideas it's time to design the final hunt and set it up!

The final step in the process is actually setting up the hunt. I really like using the Text Message Scavenger Hunt Service I mentioned earlier. The service allows you to send clues to your loved one's phone using text messaging. When they have the answer they can text back an it either tells them to try again or gives them the next clue. You can create a small scavenger hunt for free you just need to sign up. I like using the service because it always takes people by surprise and gets them asking "How did you do that!". I also like it because I can ask trivia questions which is a little more difficult with a traditional hunt.

Once you've decided whether you want to create a text message scavenger hunt or a traditional one it's time to set it up. Of course first you'll need to get all the gifts you want to leave your Valentine. Then if you're using the service just input all your clues and answers into the service and set the time you want the hunt to start. If you're sticking to the traditional methods write out your clues by hand and make sure they're ready to go.

Now the last step is to hide all the gifts and clues without your valentine finding out. Try to do it as close to the hunt as possible to avoid any of the glues or gifts getting moved/discovered. Once you've set everything in place get ready to see a massive smile cause you just gave them a Valentines gift they will never forget!

You can check out more treasure hunt ideas on the TextClues blog articles.

Read all the articles on Mothers Day Scavenger Hunt Ideas, Scavenger hunts for kids, Religious and Easter Hunts, Treasure Hunts for Adults and Lists of Riddles

Thanks!