CoolThingsinRandomPlaces.com shows you little-known wonders around the world

CoolThingsinRandomPlaces.com is more fun to read than the name suggests. Many travel blogs want to take you to a destination you already know you want to visit. This one will surprise you with photos of places beyond your wildest imagination.

What’s hot: It’s all about the photos. A giant hand in the desert. The Door to Hell. A building that looks like a crossword puzzle. Where are we? The Atacama Desert in Chile, Darvaz in Turkmenistan and L’viv city in Ukraine, respectively. This unique travel blog takes you to unusual things in random destinations. Most will leave you scratching your head and wondering where in the world it is (maps, please!), and others will remind you of oddities you might have heard about but aren’t yet on your list of must-see places. Occasionally there are lodging recommendations for those who are taking travel to these curiosities seriously.

What’s not: If you’re new to the site as I was and are cruising through archives that date to fall 2007, note that the photo won’t show up with the post title as it does on the home page. Just click the “continue reading” link to get to the main page for the blog post and you should see the photo and text. I’d also like to see an interactive map where you can find the “cool things” by region.

-- Jen Leo