This would be nice... Perhaps have it so when you've summoned your Chocobo Companion, you can "Dig" while riding it, similar to Chocobo Digging in Final Fantasy XI. Just throw in the odd chance to find a Treasure Chest (perhaps have the Digging animation/noise act as a Hot/Cold hint to follow towards a Chest) for an allowance-less Treasure Map style encounter, with reduced rewards to balance it out. Enough Tomestones to make it rewarding enough (but not so rewarding that it can replace dungeons/etc., this is still a MMO, not a solo adventure), but nothing like the crafting materials and minions that give current Treasure Maps their 18 hour allowance, maybe throw in a Chocograph if you're lucky... Though what Chocographs could result in I'm not sure... Either something like the Unhidden Maps we currently get, or perhaps something new entirely... I'd quite like the idea of Chocographs granting you access to special instances, for a Chocobo Dungeon style mini-event; More Tomestones, but a lot of Companion EXP thrown in as well.
You'd basically summon your Companion, ride around farming Fine Sand (not since Culinarian Desynthesis have we had such a Fine Sand boon!), happen upon a Treasure Chest, dismount and fight the mobs, get some Tomestones/Companion EXP for it. Remount and continue digging for Fine Sand (stuff like Duskborne Aethersand would be nice too) until you finally get a Chocograph, then you go to the location and enter a fun little instance.
