This works especially well for those collectibles that only appear in one place, like the turtle shell, coral, and tablet in VV3, or the bugs and rocks in VV2. I finished my tablet and turtle shell collections in two tribes using this method.
That's not a bad idea, I will give it a try in my next game!
It's also a very good idea to get a mod that makes the collectibles stand out. Make them stand out like sore thumbs! The corals, especially, are very easy to miss.
I don't have a problem with that part, and as you suggested, I will focus on the area where that certain collectible are bound to show up.