I love adventure stories and grew up with so many different ones. As I got older, I got to live quite a few of my own adventures and have had quite a lot of fun. From all these wacky experiences, I’ve been able to write quite a few books.

But we don’t all have the same adventures, and we can’t always live out some of the cooler of our adventure fantasies. That’s where books come in! That’s what fiction is for!

Here’s a list of 101 short-form adventure prompts to get your juices flowing! They’re in no particular order, so you might have to dig around to find one (or more than one) prompt that you can write on! Use them however you will, and please be sure to become a writer on InklingsFiction.com to submit the story you come up with too!

But, you can use any of these prompts however you want. You’re free to do whatever you want with any of them!

Writing prompts are a great tool to get your writing juices flowing. Sometimes we just run out of ideas and nothing will help you quite like a prompt. So, if you’re stuck, here’s 101 writing prompts for adventures!

Want to see the video I made where I read off a few of these prompts? Check it out below!

101 Story Prompts for Adventure Stories

1. Your vacation on a tropical island goes south when you fall into a cavern and discover a lost city. You found something you never thought you’d find, but now you have to figure out how to get out.
2. You’re an adventurer heading out to explore a new island that was discovered recently due to an earthquake. When you arrive, you find out there’s a lot more there than just a barren rock.
3. You and a group of friends are heading out to explore the forest behind your school that you were always told not to. After getting lost, you find out just why.
4. The endge of the world isn’t what anyone ever expected it to be. Rather than being some sort of a cliff, it’s a…
5. The Fountain of Youth is real. Problem is, it’s a little hard to get to.
6. You always wanted to fish on the open ocean. When a tropical storm strikes, thoughts of taking it easy disappear.
7. You’re on a cruise ship enjoying life and sipping neat juices made of fruits you’ve never seen. Then the power goes out and your vacation becomes a little more life or death.
8. You’re on a cruise ship and the captain gets lost. After far too long, the captain admits their mistake, but by then it’s too late. You’re out of fuel, out of power, out of food, and you’re running alarmingly low on drinkable water. Now what?
9. You’re on a cruise ship and stumble across a survivor from another ship. That survivor tells you a chilling tale and then dies. Not too long after that, the very events that the survivor told you about begin happening on your ship too.
10. You’re kidnapped by a group of people who said they were with the government. A few hours later, you’re on an island, weapon in hand. All they told you was that you were going to have to fight to survive.
11. For generations, your family has been pursuing the same treasure. A treasure that some distant relative swears they saw lost. Armed with the latest technologies, you’re finally able to unlock the secrets behind that lost treasure and you begin to wonder if you should even retrieve it.
12. You work at a food bank at a local church. One day, a homeless man tells you that someone is following him. He keeps telling you that every day… until he doesn’t show up one day. You decide to find out what happens and you quickly find out that everything he was talking about was real.
13. You’re window shopping at a local mall when you realize that two men in black suits are following you. You slip in and out of stores trying to lose them, but you can’t. After a few hours, they…
14. Your job is to survey for natural resources around small towns that are dying out. The discovery you make ends up changing the world.
15. You never wanted to be a mountain climber, but life has a way of guiding you to things you didn’t want to do. Now you’re a guide for mountain climbers and you crest summits for a living. One day, an attractive adventurer requests a guide to help them up a mountain that you’ve never been up.
16. You find yourself in the catacombs of Paris. You’ve heard for years that there are tunnels that people haven’t been in for many years. You slip off the main track and quickly find out that there’s a lot more in the catacombs than just bones and rats.
17. You’re paddling down a river that you’ve always dreamt of kayaking on. You watched hours and hours of videos of people visiting this river on the Internet. As you paddle along, you notice a small cave that you never saw on any of those videos…
18. You’ve never gone hiking before, but you decided one day that it was high time to go out and see God’s creation. After getting lost, you begin to wish that you packed your bag a little better.
19. You wake up one day and decide that it’s high time to get away from your abusive parents. With very little thought, you throw everything you think you might need in a bag, grab your Teddy, and slip out of the back door.
20. Waking up at midnight, you notice a few strobing lights outside. Curious, you peek outside and watch as a bunch of government workers fiddle with something you never saw in your neighborhood before. Then one of those people notice you and begin approaching your home…
21. Your family has a stack of journals that your grandfather passed down from his grandfather, from his grandfather, from some other distant relative. No one has ever really read them though, they never took the time to put together everything and discover the secret that you just figured out.
22. There’s a painting of some old and forgotten rich man on the mantle of an abandoned house you just bought. You moved in and decided to leave the painting up because you thought it was cool. One day, you decide to take it down to take it to an expert to find out who the person is–that’s when you notice a map on the back of the painting.
23. You decided to forego college and went to a trade school instead, now you’re repiping a mansion for some local billionaire. As you’re ripping out a wall to put in new pipe, you find a secret room that’s empty except for a small stack of notes on a wobbly old table.
24. You work for an oil drilling company and are out on your own on the job. As you’re trudging through some dense foliage around the drill site, you find a small object. Picking it up, you find out…
25. Your grandfather has just died and you walk into his old library. You faintly recall spending hundreds of hours in there and laugh as you remember how your constant questions kept him from his reading. Downstairs, your family is looting the house and taking out their inheritances. Your grandfather gave you his library. That very library holds a secret no one could have dreamed of.
26. You’re spending the night at some obsolete, dated rental in the woods. You wanted to enjoy your vacation in a hotel, but you ended up here instead. Around midnight, you hear some scratching in the walls and you begin poking around. Before long, you find a secret passageway.
27. You’re the assistant to some high and mighty politician who you once had faith in but have since grown to despise. One day, you find a classified document that they left out and you read it. Then that same politician catches you reading it and they send their bodyguards after you. Knowing what you now know, you run…
28. You’re driving down the road and a sinkhole opens up beneath you. When you recover from being knocked out, you realize you’re at the bottom of that sinkhole, water is pouring into your car. Slipping out just in the nick of time, you swim to the nearest bit of dry land and find something awe-inspiring.
29. You’re exploring an old mineshaft and your flashlight dies on you suddenly. The one day you didn’t bring extra batteries. There’s a faint light not too far from you, and you work your way over to it thinking that it’s your way out. Once you get there, you find out that thought was wrong.
30. There’s a package left on your doorstep and you open it. What you find inside makes you question everything you know about the world.
31. The world is about to be hit with something that would end all life on Earth as we know it. You’re on a team that’s building bunkers to try to save at least some of humanity when you discover the secrets of a lost, technologically advanced civilization.
32. Stepping outside one morning on your way to work, you witness a murder. The murderer is part of the mob and they’re not about to let you talk. You’re now on the run and you know that you have to survive on your own long enough to be able to testify in court.
33. Standing on the edge of a cliff in Taiwan, you can’t help but feel like you’ve made it. Who would have thought that taking a year off from college would land you here.
34. Standing in front of a cheerfully crackling fire your mind begins to wander to what you might kill tomorrow on the hunt you’ve been saving your whole life to do…
35. Pulling your coat tighter to your body, you can’t help but shudder as a blast of antarctic air blows against you. You don’t know why you signed up for the expedition, but here you are.
36. You’re in the Navy and your lightly-manned ship sinks. Fortunately, the whole crew survives. Unfortunately, there are only fifteen of you and there’s no land in sight.
37. You’re chopping down a tree for your grandparents who live in the middle of nowhere. Once the tree is down, you notice that there’s something embedded inside of it…
38. You always thought that piracy was a thing of the past. When pirates raid the oceanside village you’re in and take you hostage, you realize that piracy is alive and well.
39. You’re babysitting for a random family in suburbia. Out of nowhere, a group of people kidnaps those kids and they’re gone before you can react. Before long, you find out that family was keeping a few too many secrets from you.
40. Your home was just destroyed in a wildfire and everyone you know also lost their homes. Problem is, the fires aren’t stopping and there isn’t a whole lot of area for you to run to at this point.
41. You’re taking a road trip across the nation when your car suddenly dies on you. The repair bill is a lot more than what you can afford, but the mechanic has an ultimatum. You work around town for him until you pay off the debt. But the town has a little secret.
42. You’re on the hunt for a species of bird that’s thought to be extinct, but you know better. As you track down the critter, you find something that you’re sure the world won’t believe–even with photographic proof.
43. You’re chipping away at a slab of concrete for the small construction company that you work for. Before long, you break through and find something beneath the slab…
44. You’re spelunking through some old lava tubes when you come across a section of the tunnel that is flooded and it looks like no one has been around there for quite some time. Your friend pulls out some scuba gear and smiles at you knowingly. You’re going exploring.
45. You’re working at a medical research lab and make a major breakthrough. The company you work for shuts down the project and explains that new government legislation prohibited them from continuing on. You decide to press on on your own, and find out that the government isn’t the best group to make enemies with.
46. You’re volunteering at a retirement home that has some of the most… interesting… of people. One of them is a veteran who was the sole survivor of some ill-fated journey. He shares a secret with you that you just have to check out on your own.
47. You’re living your life and feeling like no one is against you–then the government makes an announcement that makes you, and everyone like you, a target.
48. You’re exploring a section of desert that you have always wanted to buy for some reason. You’ve always called it a God thing. As you explore, you notice a few birds circling over a particular section of the land, and you can’t help but check out what they find so interesting.
49. You’re at a school dance on the fringe of the crowd. It wasn’t that you didn’t feel like you belonged, you just weren’t a dancer. An Earthquake strikes and you suddenly find yourself and your classmates sealed inside of the old school. You find some old passageways as well.
50. Curiosity killed the cat. You always thought it was just a saying until you find out that your cat which recently died did so as they explored something you had never noticed before.
51. You’re slashing through the jungles of the Yucatan Peninsula and quickly find that you’ve lost your way and lost your team. As you search for them, you find one of the lost Mayan cities.
52. You’re in Egypt exploring the pyramids and taking lots of pictures. Your brother notices something sparkling not too far away and calls you over. When you arrive by his side, you’re both caught as the ground beneath you collapses…
53. Below, one of the unreached people groups of the world are living their lives. Up in a plane, you strap on your gear, grab your Bible, and prepare to parachute in. You’re in for the adventure of a lifetime.
54. Your cousin is accused of a crime he isn’t guilty of it, and you both know that the courts won’t see it that way. Taking matters into your own hands, you both make a run for it and try to put together a case to defend yourselves as you go.
55. You’re a pizza delivery driver and you make a stop at the local history buff/conspiracy theorist. The man tips you well, and you leave. As you count the tip, you notice that there’s a note in there as well…
56. Looking down at the Grand Canyon, you suddenly feel very small. But small in a good way. As the day wears on, you explore the Grand Canyon and find a cave. In the cave, you find a race of giants, and they make you feel small in a very, very bad way.
57. You visit your great-grandmother who lives in Hungary. After a flight that takes just about forever, and then a drive that feels even longer, you finally arrive. She lives in a small house in a small village in a small valley. Nothing special whatsoever. But, while you’re there, you find something much larger than anyone would have ever expected.
58. You enter a sweepstake that was on a food item that you seldom buy. You end up winning, but the ticket you won to a resort destination is to a country you’ve never heard of.
59. You go to the doctor and they knock you out for a surgery. When you wake up, you’re nowhere near the doctor’s office. Not only that, you’re surrounded by strangers.
60. You work for a company that’s mapping the bottom of the ocean. You’re in a submarine that you took part in building. A sudden current catches your sub and sends it straight into a tunnel that you weren’t planning on going into.
61. You’re a lifelong fishing fanatic with a small YouTube following. To bolster your numbers, you’re touring the nation on a fishing trip for the records.
62. Your sister who was disowned by the family suddenly shows up at your doorstep. She’s got quite the story and she says she needs you to come along to prove to the family once and for all that she isn’t quite as crazy as they always thought.
63. You’re a house cleaner in a secluded neighborhood. One day, you walk in on your boss who is in the middle of a meeting with some really sketchy people. You heard a few things you shouldn’t have.
64. You’re going through an estate sale and find a stack of old books. You’ve always been an old book fan. You buy the stack and go through them when you get home. When you get there, you find those books contain a few secrets.
65. You’re clearing a plot of land in the forest to build a cabin. As you dig, you find a secret treasure.
66. You heard that an old prospector used to dig in the hills behind your house. Curious if you might be able to strike it rich too, you head out.
67. You work for the US Forestry Service and you go on strike as your wages and retirement are cut. You, along with other Forestry Service folk nationwide, begin falling trees across roads throughout the National Parklands and prepare for a long winter.
68. Having finished your shift with the local sheriff, you start heading home. It had been a long day. When you get home, an unfamiliar car is parked in your spot in your driveway.
69. The economy collapses entirely and things get worse than they were in the Great Depression thanks to the current “Bubbles” that have formed. You lose your job, home, and car. With nothing left, you hit the roads to find a new life.
70. Bombs fall on your hometown as war finally reaches the US shores. Knowing that the bombs are coming your way and knowing that there isn’t much left to go back home to, you prepare to take on the new world you’re about to encounter.
71. You’re diving and are deep beneath the waves when your respirator stops pumping air. You check your tank and find that it’s empty. If you try to get back to the surface, you’re dead. If you keep diving, you might just find an air pocket…
72. You’re enjoying a day at the beach and are the only person as far as you can see. You’re reading a book as you lounge in the sun when something catches your eye. Looking up, you see a ship wash ashore that looks like it’s been at the bottom of the ocean for centuries.
73. You’re playing in a small lake at the base of a waterfall when you suddenly wonder what might be behind that same waterfall. Slipping behind the cascading spray, you discover…
74. You’re on the Big Island of Hawai’i and are caught on the southside of the evacuation zone for the latest eruption. You can see that there’s no chance of getting back to Hilo, and there aren’t any roads that will take you to civilization besides the ones that are already covered in lava. You’re stuck. Now what?
75. A small cascade of gravel falls underfoot as the small mountain trail reminds you that you shouldn’t be this high up. Looking up the trail, you can’t help but wonder if what’s at the end is actually worth the risk.
76. You’re draining the swamp behind your family’s longtime ranch in order to gain a bit more land. As the water level falls, generations of secrets are uncovered.
77. When you went on your mountain biking excursion, you never considered that your wheel might break on you while you were in the middle of nowhere. Knowing that there was no way to fix it out here, you begin heading back the way you came. Fearing that you might take too long to retrace your steps, you decide to take a bit of a shortcut…
78. You’re clearing away some sand in the desert as you work to excavate one of the lost sites from the Bible. What you end up unearthing makes you realize that the Bible hadn’t mentioned everything…
79. You’re crossing the Russian tundra on a mission trip to one of the countless villages that dot Siberia. Your guide assured you that they knew a better route to the village, but you’re beginning to wonder…
80. You’re diving in the Dead Sea searching for old wrecks dating back to Bible times. You know that others have done as much in the past, but you’ve got a feeling that you’re going to have better fortune.
81. You’re following a backwoods train in a nation that doesn’t allow foreigners to share the gospel. But you’ve got a calling. You’ve got a mission. And you’ve got the drive.
82. Knowing that there were a lot of secrets in the old ghost town that is tucked away in the mountains behind your town, you decide it’s high time someone either prove or disprove them.
83. You’re on the beach and are walking along the stone shores at the base of some coastal cliffs. As you wander, you find a cave that you haven’t ever noticed before. You wander in and find a stack of small chests.
84. Starting a fire as your friends watch, you can’t help but feel like something is watching you and your campsite. In the middle of the night, you and your friends all wake up and decide you need to check out whatever it is that had woken you.
85. The heiress of the large business that you work at shows up at your doorstep one night. You wouldn’t have recognized her if it wasn’t for the one time you met her maybe a year ago. You didn’t think that you made that good of an impression, but she seems to think that you’re the only one who can help her save her family’s company. All you have to do is help her find…
86. You’re in an old castle in Europe on a tour when you accidentally lose your tour group. AS you try to track them down, you notice something…
87. You wake up in the back of an Ambulance. Waking up in one is scary enough, but your real concern is the fact that you’re alone. You slip out of it and find yourself alone in the city as well. Where did everyone go?
88. You find an old bunker from some war that had long since been forgotten. Knowing that no one had been in there for many years, you can’t help but explore. What you find makes you wonder what else in your life is a lie.
89. You’ve been taken hostage by a crew of brigands who think they’ll be able to get a few million dollars for you. Problem is, you know all too well that there’s no chance someone would pay that much for you. Before too long, you realize that they think you are somebody who you aren’t. Now what?
90. You open up your phone and see a text message from someone you don’t know. Opening it up, you see they’re asking you to help them with something. You ignore it, figuring that it’s a scam. When you leave your home, they’re waiting for you and are ready for your shared adventure!
91. You’re in an abandoned theme park and keep asking yourself why it went out of business. It was so stinking cool! After a few hours, you stumble across the hidden secrets that closed the park.
92. You’ve always loved horses, so you saved up some cash–and vacation days–so you could rent one for a week and camp with the horse. You go through all the training and are eventually allowed to mount up. The horse you mount has a look in its eye, but you think nothing of it. When you’re out of sight of the horse ranch, the horse bolts and takes you somewhere very unexpected.
93. You’re climbing a tree just for the sake of climbing a tree. It was the biggest one in the forest, therefore, it had to be climbed. Once you’re a hundred or so feet up it, you find something unexpected.
94. You wake up one night and have no idea why. Figuring that it had something to do with the world outside of your home, you go to the nearest window and look. In your front lawn, you see a woman burying something.
95. The wind is blowing and the snowflakes that had once seemed so fluffy and harmless suddenly feel like needles flying straight at your face. You can’t help but wish that you stayed inside but you know that you saw something and knew that you had to check it out.
96. You never believed in witches, then you found one. Or, more accurately, she found you. Evidently, you’re her human sacrifice. She’s taken you to the middle of the woods and you can hear people chanting something that makes your skin crawl. If you are going to survive, you have to get away now.
97. You’re a spy for some country that few people have heard for. The national pride within you aches at the thought. The spy within you reminds you that no one knowing where you’re from only helps you. Your job? You have to bring down the corrupt government of a nation on the other side of the world.
98. You never went anywhere without your dog, at least not anywhere meaningful. One day, you wake up and find that your dog is gone. At first, you feel betrayed, like they abandoned you. And then you decide to follow their tracks.
99. You always wanted to be an inventor as a kid. One day, you decided to make the leap and start working on a project. After years of work, you’ve got it finished. Not too long after you file for your patent, several men in suits show up at your door…
100. You’re wandering through some open fields when you find a charred hunk of metal. The kid within you is convinced that it’s from space. You call the police, they come to investigate, and you think that’s it. A few nights later, some scary-looking people show up at your home and they’re shouting at you in a language you don’t speak. It seems you found something you shouldn’t have.
101. You’re investigating the homicide of one of your neighbors. For some reason, the police dismissed the case and said it was suicide. You’re convinced that they’re wrong. You quickly find out that your neighbor was involved in something dangerous and you realize that you’re in just as deep now.