I’m a big fan of travel quests—a goal of visiting a particular set of places, usually one that involves “visiting all the ________________.”
➡️ Here are some of my own quests, here’s a guide for how to get started on your own, and here’s a directory of 1500 quests you might enjoy.
So it catches my attention when someone writes a book that, well, could be a quest.
Here are a bunch of ideas for any authors who are writing such a book:
- Include an actual checklist of all the sites, perhaps with a date field for when you’ve been there. You could also make this a downloadable file that readers could keep for themselves.
- Or expand the idea and include a journal-style page layout for each visit (perhaps with several related prompts or text fields to fill out). Again, this could be bonus material, or perhaps even a companion product.
- Suggest a hashtag that people can use to connect with others pursuing the same goal (here’s what I’ve done over at GoQuesting.com)
- Host an online community for questers around your topic
- Include a “finishers list” on your website (and perhaps even in future editions/updates of the book)
- Allow readers to show proof of purchase to get any future updates to the book (helpful if new objectives pop up after you’ve published)
- Offer stickers or other swag for both questers, and finishers
- Offer a contest with a prize for people who finish them all
- Make sure the quest appears in the GoQuesting directory and send me the link to the book when it’s released
- Allow readers to sign up as official participant/quester on your website. Perhaps even allow them to track their progress on your site, or submit photos or posts on their progress
- Include a scavenger hunt for photos of something specific at each place
- Offer “junior ranger” style workbooks that participants can complete at each location
What other ideas do you have? Tell me in the comments.