<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Mass media reports give us an inkling of the situation in trouble spots, but they concentrate on conflict while ignoring vast swaths of untroubled territory. The U.S. State Department's official warning list provides an at-a- glance guide to dangerous locations, although it is politically skewed and overly general. Specialty travel agents keep watch on their areas of interest, yet it's in their economic interest to downplay the perils. People who have traveled to a country can share their subjective impressions, which are not necessarily reliable.</font>