People who are logical and good with statistics quickly learn that traveling abroad is as safe or safer than driving to work each week at home, that the average tourist destination has a lower murder and armed robbery rate than their own home town.
Nevertheless, it does pay to keep an eye on the news and figure out if there's some flare-up of some kind where you are going. Here are travel safety sites that can help you navigate strange places and move around safely--just keep it all in perspective.
To really know what's going on in the world, and to figure out which travel dangers are real, it pays to turn off the TV and read solid international news. The best sources covering the whole world are The Economist, International Herald Tribune, and The Week magazine. It also pays to look up the online version of the English-language newspaper in the city where you will be traveling. News from there will generally be more in-depth and timely.
Also check out the Thorn Tree message board on Lonely Planet's site. If something dicey is going on, people will be talking about the reality of traveling safely there.
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