When traveling, a certain amount of browsing goes into the adventure. We like to walk along foreign boulevards, browse through local shops, and experiment with ordering a “black and white,” the giddy words rolling off our tongue like a seasoned New Yorker. Exploration is tantamount to travel, and much of the time we enjoy the idyllic wanderlust that weaves lazily through the day from sunrise to sunset. Sometimes, though, a concrete place in mind is preferable to the agonized, directionless search for a place to eat, or perhaps a way back to those boutiques easily found yesterday but not today.

For those who just absolutely need a guide to nearby amenities, look no further than Earthcomber, a location-based iPhone service app that will find you everything from bars & clubs to beauty spas, in a very easy to navigate setting. Being a local to Petaluma, I’m familiar with most of what this quaint, Sonoma County town has to offer, putting me in a good position to gauge just how helpful Earthcomber can be. After polishing off that stack of Cornmeal Blueberry Pancakes at Hallie’s Diner just downtown, if I were a visitor, unaware of what else Petaluma has to offer, I could simply consult Earthcomber for what objects or places of interest are within comfortable walking distance.

Perhaps I feel like taking a stroll around a park? According to Earthcomber, Oak Hill Park is a mere 0.3 miles away, and Liberty Park, Hill Plaza Park, and Walnut Park are just as easy to reach, a negligible extra effort of walking required from each. However, when I think “park,” I think an oasis of grassy terrain, a few benches, a panorama view perhaps, and people lounging in the grass – rarely would I consider Putnam Plaza – located in the heart of downtown Petaluma – as anything akin to a park, with its semi permanent residents being the local teenagers cloaked in studs and head to toe black, an unpleasant, acrid aftermath of cigarette smoke, and litter cluttering every nook and cranny of the once pretty grey brick pathway. For parks, at least, Earthcomber includes only the name and distance of a place of interest, with the ability to view directions, a map, and perhaps sending the location to a friend via email, but no description, not even a one-liner detailing how one park differs from another. A bit unfortunate, really, because when you think about it, having a list of parks to visit without any distinguishing features will usually leave the person choosing just the most convenient, meaning the closest, when it very well may not be the best or most interesting option.

While it may not have distinguishing descriptions, or user-rated reviews (note: if you register with Earthcomber.com and start a profile for free, you can see where your friends are) Earthcomber is very, very thorough with its categories. When searching for Parks, I used the wide link “Outdoors,” which led me to another list of anything you could imagine: Park, Trail, Lodge, Beach, Lake, Festival, State-Local Park, Scenic Overlook, Picnic Area, Wildlife Park, National Park, Scuba Diving, and Wildlife Area. Each of these sub-categories contained another large list of everything considered to fit within that particular group – for instance, under Wildlife Area there is listed San Francisco Bay Model Visitor Center, Rosie the Riveter WWII Home Front National Historic Park, Lake Berryessa, John Muir National Historic Site, and Salt Point National Park. I’ve lived in California for a long time and I was never aware of a Rosie the Riveter site; now I know it’s 27 miles from where I stand in downtown Petaluma and I’ll probably pay it a visit soon enough. Thankfully, Earthcomber includes thorough descriptions on each of these points of interest: The John Muir Historical Site (one of my favorites to visit) is described as preserving “the 14 room mansion where the naturalist John Muir lived from 1890 to his death in 1914,” then goes on to give a quick blurb on John Muir, himself. Incredible.

The next item I simply had to search for was Spas, since an upcoming Bachlorette party this weekend will have me in the throes of potential facials, manicures and pedicures, a wild ride of estrogen complimented with hors d’oeuvres and apertifs. Unfortunately, Spatini – the delightful and small spa were the event is planned – failed to pop up on Earthcomber’s database. All the other Petaluma mainstays, like Florencia Skin Care and Lauthr were shown, and even, to my disappointment, tanning salons and laser skin care sites all the way far away in Tamalpais were shown. For what it’s worth, though, Earthcomber still gave me plenty of places to choose from.

Earthcomber allows you to search without registering on their website, but if you wish to use the other navigating tabs – My Rader, My People – you must register. Really, these other options aren’t necessary to what Earthcomber offers, and unless you’re a social butterfly heavily reliant on location-based services rather than social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter, simply exploring Earthcomber is all you’ll really need. Compared to iWant, Earthcomber is more hip and easier to understand, and gives plenty more lists and choices, even news stories and a brief history lesson or two. It’s your all-in-one travel and rendezvous companion.

For all your wanderlust adventures, your starry-eyed travelogues, Earthcomber will be your guiding companion safely tucked in the back of your jeans, your ever wary consultant to the best planned day.