Take a trip someplace that's unlike any other on Earth.

A big part of travel is that feeling you get when experiencing something completely new,

something you haven't seen or done before. Many travel destinations offer an amenity or

two that other places don't -- but there are only a few locations in the world that offer a

truly unique experience.

Some of these places are wonders of nature -- a spot where the flora or fauna can't be

found elsewhere, or where the mountains stretch the landscape to impressive formations.

Other destinations are unique because of man-made features -- entire islands created out

of sand, underwater museums designed to decay, or hotels shaved from ice.

Hot or cold, undeveloped or overly elaborate, these locations offer something you can't get anywhere else, which is as good a reason as any to plan a trip.

The Azores

Explore the dramatic natural beauty and bounty of crater lakes in this collection of nine

volcanic islands in the middle of the North Atlantic. Portuguese by language, it has a

culture and cuisine all its own. Feast on the geothermally heated hotpots called cozido

das furnas, which consist of mixtures of meats and stews and are a feature of the

area near Sao Miguel.

Bhutan

High up in the Himalayan Mountains sits the world's newest democracy, whose

30-year-old king has been instrumental in developing the country's parliament,

and injecting a democratic voice into Bhutanese affairs. The term "gross national

happiness" was coined by the country's former king, who began the Buddhist

country's path to modernization. It now straddles both the old world and the

new, and has earned the nickname, "the last Shangri-La."

The Blue Lagoon

Grindavik, Iceland

Anne Banas, executive editor of SmarterTravel.com, recommends the stark beauty

of the Blue Lagoon in Iceland. "They call it 'The Land of Fire and Ice' for a reason,"

says Banas. "It's one of those