You've seen it before. A leader of a Third World nation stages a crackdown, and soon enough, loyalists and rebels are clashing in the streets. The evening news shows planes lined up on the tarmac at the airport, ready to evacuate all American citizens before the tensions really grow troublesome. Unless you're an expert CIA analyst, there's really no way to know where the next revolution or military coup is going to break out. However, the U.S. State Department does try to update all global trouble spots consistently and almost instantaneously, at the travel page of its Bureau of Consular Affairs at travel.state.gov. Each nation is given its own Web page and detailed analysis of safety issues. For example, the State Department was warning travelers in 2011 to avoid the Cambodia-Thailand border; a dispute between the two countries led to random gunfire and artillery shelling between armies from each side, and innocent bystanders could become victims of errant ordnance in the area.
Bloody civil wars or crime sprees aren't the only things that kill you in foreign nations. Yellow fever, cholera, SARS, malaria and typhoid can be just as dangerous, if not more. If you're traveling abroad, check with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website to see what health concerns you may face. The "Travelers' Health" page on the CDC website will detail what immunizations travelers should get before traveling to a certain country, and offers updates on potential trouble hot spots. For example, at the time of publication, the CDC was posting details of a polio outbreak in Tajikistan that was spreading into Russia and other parts of central Asia.
You may have all your shots and be heading to an industrialized nation with a very stable government. That doesn't mean you could necessarily be safe on your travels. Carjackers, kidnappers and scam artists all pose dangers as well. The country-specific information on the Department of State's travel page will detail crime activity as well. For example, travelers to Peru were warned in 2011 to avoid visiting certain Incan ruins at dusk and dawn, when roving gangs of muggers and thieves were more likely to prey on tourists. The best strategy is to sign up for the State Department's Safe Traveler Enrollment Program, or STEP. This service will send you email updates on safety concerns arising in whatever country you may be planning to visit.
Sometimes the greatest risk in traveling internationally comes not to your health or well-being, but your reputation. Seemingly innocent gestures stateside can be perceived as huge insults in certain other cultures. The OK symbol in the U.S., a circle created by the thumb and index finger, actually means "No good" in Portugal and Greece. Patting a Buddhist on the head to offer sympathy is actually a grave insult. Passing items with one hand in some Asian countries is seen as halfhearted and disrespectful. The best way to avoid such social gaffes is, of course, to be well-traveled and learned; in the absence of that, detailed travel guides for each country and dialogue with an expat from that country will help minimize any curses that an offended party may put on you.
