Vacation Scavenger Hunt: Ideas and Ready-Made Tasks

On vacation you're in a new place with time on your hands, which is exactly what a scavenger hunt needs. The campsite, the beach or the streets around your rental all work as a playing field, and the unfamiliar surroundings do half the work: everything is new, so everything is worth looking at. You need a phone with GPS, a loaded map and about fifteen minutes to place waypoints and tasks. Pick landmarks that stay put, keep the route short in warm weather and end somewhere with shade or a drink. The tasks below need nothing beyond what's already in your bag or tent.

At a glance

At a glance
Group size	2-8 players
Duration	30-60 minutes
Age	5-12 years
Where	campsite, beach or holiday town
Preparation	15 minutes

Tasks you can use right away

Tasks you can use right away
No.	Task	How it works
1	Five things from here	At the waypoint, players photograph five things they wouldn't see at home: a foreign licence plate, a different type of plug, an unfamiliar tree. Each item counts, duplicates don't.
2	Steps to the water	From the waypoint, players estimate how many steps it is to the waterline, then walk and count. The closest guess wins the point.
3	Three local words	Players find three words in the local language on signs or menus, write them down and guess the meaning. Check the answers together at the end.
4	Postcard pose	Buy or photograph a postcard of the town, then find the exact spot it was taken from and recreate the picture with the group in it.
5	One minute of listening	Everyone stands still and silent for one minute at the waypoint and then names five sounds they heard. Sounds nobody else heard score double.
6	Shadow clock	Players push a stick into the sand or ground and estimate the time from the length and direction of its shadow. Compare with the phone clock; within 30 minutes counts.
7	Supermarket sum	At the local shop or market, players look up the price of bread, a litre of milk and an ice lolly and add them up. Bonus if they can say how it compares to home.
8	Pocket souvenir	Each player picks up one small natural object at the waypoint, like a shell, stone or pine cone, and describes it in exactly three words. The objects go on the table at the finish.

Turn this into your own hunt

Tips for the day

Load the route on wifi before leaving the accommodation so the map works when the signal drops.

Put waypoints on fixed structures like reception, the shower block or a pier, not on parasols or parked cars.

Make the final waypoint the ice cream stand or the pool so the end of the hunt is also the reward.

Invite children from neighbouring pitches; a hunt is an easy way to break the language barrier.

Check the tide times if you place waypoints on the beach; a spot that's dry at 10:00 may be underwater at 16:00.

Frequently asked questions

GPS itself works without data, but the map tiles need to be loaded. Open the route once on wifi at the accommodation so the map is cached, or download the area in an offline maps app beforehand. Test it by switching off mobile data for a minute before you set off.

Use the satellite view to place waypoints on things that don't move: the reception building, a playground, a pier, a church tower. Keep the tasks general enough to work anywhere, like counting, photographing or listening. Walk the route yourself on the first evening and adjust the points that don't work.

Keep it to 30-45 minutes and plan it before 11:00 or after 17:00. Put waypoints in shaded spots where possible and end near water or somewhere with drinks. Fewer, better tasks beat a long route in the sun.

Yes, if you give the tasks two levels. The younger child looks for the colour, the older one reads the sign or does the arithmetic. Let the older child hold the phone and navigate, and the younger one hand in the answer.

On a fenced campsite from about 8 years old, a route within sight of the tent or pitch usually works. In a town or on a busy beach, walk with them or stay at a fixed spot they can always return to. Agree on one meeting point and put it in as the final waypoint.

Yes, a short one with 3-4 waypoints around the parking area and picnic tables gives everyone 15 minutes of moving about. Use tasks that don't need a specific place, like the sound task or the shadow clock. Make it the evening before, since rest stops rarely have good wifi.