Google Maps and its Street View feature are great resources for discovery. These tools let you explore cool and exotic places you might never see in person.

Google Maps is also great for scoping out places that you're a little unsure of. Using high-resolution photos, you can look around neighborhoods where leaving your car parked overnight might not be the best idea. You can even "visit" areas that are better off avoided altogether.

These 13 places are actually better experienced through Google Maps than in person. You'll quickly see why...

1. Rocinha in Rio De Janeiro. It's currently Brazil's largest favela.