A good treasure hunter knows two things: where to look and how to look. If you don't have an idea of what you're hoping to find, then you don't stand a chance. Yes, you might find an old coin here, but you are not maximizing your possibilities of finding something really worthy.With something worthy I'm talking about something that you would show off to your neighbors: A 300-year old sword, an abandoned gun or a bag of gold.Information is more commonly available than you probably think. Good places to look for hidden treasures are:Side roads:Especially where armies were known to cross. In many states and countries gold detecting in government property is allowed, and with so much land to cover you can find some really valuable stuff.Known battle sitesAlthough in many countries metal detecting in famous battle sites is illegal, many other countries allow it or simply don't care. Other battle sites are mostly unknown or so remote that nobody would object. Yet other sites are private property where you can easily ask for permission even if you have to pay the landowner a few dollars (this works well). If you happen to find a good battle site, then you're probably sitting on a gold mine. dozens of guns, swords and even gold and could be all around you.The beachYes, the beach is a good place to look, especially after a storm. Many objects from deep within the sea are often moved to the shore. Although time consuming and very difficult to find, they are among the best treasures. It's predicted that there are several million gold coins spread around the sea, not to mention other very valuable objects lost during shipwrecks.Abandoned Cities, houses, towns, etc...This is my favorite place to look. If you know about an old abandoned church, relic, etc... you might find something really good. Remember to be cautious and make sure nobody is around. Ask for permission when necessary, although it's abandoned for a reason, right?Where not to LookYour front yard, your school yard, newly-built areas... you get the point. Anywhere that's new is not worth the time or effort to search. Also avoid very public areas. If somebody realizes that you've found a treasure they may want to take it away from you. Treasure hunting is lonely work, yes, but you might take somebody with you. Besides it's fun to relax and have the ongoing feeling of not knowing what your next catch will be.How to LookIf you remember at the beginning I wrote that there are two things a good treasure hunter knows. We covered the first one. Knowing how to look is equally important as knowing where to look.You need a plan. Grab a map and draw your whole route. Since you have already researched the location and know that an army or another interesting group of people was there, you can stop worrying about the logistics.Very important is your metal detector itself. There are many brands and some are way better than others. It is beyond the scope of this article to explain which metal detector is better than another, but finding the right metal detector is a good article to read.