Q: What is the difference between a scavenger hunt and a treasure hunt?

A scavenger hunt is a game in which individuals or teams try to locate and bring back miscellaneous items on a list.

Traditional scavenger hunts are non-linear meaning players are presented with a master list of items to acquire and/or actions to take in any order they choose.  The scope is known from the start.

A treasure hunt is a game in which individuals or teams try to locate hidden articles by means of a specific sequence of clues.

Traditional treasure hunts are linear with each clue leading to another at a specific location that contains another clue. The full scope is unknown at the start and is instead unveiled along the way.  Treasure hunts require more planning to create clever clues that consider the collective demographic of the players as well as the routes and distances between locations.