Getting lost is part of the fun. Especially when you're in a new town or exploring a new street. But, sometimes randomly wandering around also means missing out on things. Things like the best coffee shop in the area or a coupon for a store near you. Even things like historical facts and buildings might go unnoticed. Sometimes, having a personal tour guide can be helpful.

That's where Google's Field Trip app comes into play. This app was available for Android users for quite awhile, but now it's just crossed over into iOS territory too. Field Trip is fun to use, and it's also a great way to discover any town. Going on a trip? Take this app with you.

Using Field Trip

Field Trip is highly customizable, so you can decide what types of alerts are important to you. This app can let you know about great food spots, museums, or something truly bizarre. Google is accessing more than 80 different databases to bring Field Trip users a wide array of options, so customize to your heart's content.

After testing out this app, I can tell you that it does offer a wealth of information. But, there are a few drawbacks. First of all, Field Trip doesn't cover every area of the U.S. You might find yourself in a remote town in Minnesota, only to find out that Field Trip has no recommendations for you. Or, you could find out that Field Trip simply doesn't cover your country at all, and that's the second drawback.

United States Only

Right now, Field Trip only works in the United States. So, if you are planing a trip to or around the states, Field Trip will work in most places. If you cross the border to Canada, you're out of luck. Hopefully, Google will find it necessary to cover other parts of the globe soon. Right now, though, this app is United States-centric.

One additional note about Field Trip: you have to log into the app using your Gmail account. Don't have a Gmail account? You'll have to set one up first. I don't love the fact that you have to use Gmail to use Field Trip. Why? Because this allows Google to gather information about you, and your preferences, through your Gmail info. Why is this bad? Because you can become a marketing target. Then again, this is precisely how the app sends out useful coupons, so keep that in mind.

Should You Use Field Trip?

Field Trip is a completely free app. Free is always a bonus, so downloading this app is worth it. This is especially true if you happen to travel within the states a lot. If you live outside of the states, this might be an app worth using if you are planning a trip in the U.S. Otherwise, the app won't do you a lot of good.

Sure, Google collects information that it gathers about app users, but that's why this app is free. Letting Google gather up some details about you is a small price to pay for an app that's really informative -- and it's not like Google can't already grab your details!