New Zealand? It is too scary because of the earthquake in Christchurch on the south island. I got emails from people who cancelled a trip to Auckland, which is on the north island, because they felt it was too close for comfort.

Egypt? Things seem way too uncertain.

Italy? They've cozied up to Libya for years and they could be flooded with terrified refugees.

South America could be safe but......what about Venezuela and its lambasting of America. Bolivia? Too dicey.

Mexico-out of the question for many. The drug cartels have committed heinous murders, and innocents have been caught in the crossfire.

Guatemala? The drug wars from Mexico are spreading there.

Africa? Is it worse to die from horrible tropical diseases or be vaccinated against them?

Beautiful Bali was plagued by terrorism.

Honduras seems unstable.

India has religious strife.

How about a nice, safe trip to Wisconsin? Not if you belong to a union.

New York City. Hmmm. It's been a while since they have caught a mad terrorist, but you never know.

California? There were tsunami warnings this morning.

I think you get the picture. If you make your travel decisions based on fear, you may not travel farther than your hometown. And do not forget that there is plenty of crime where you live.

Here is the truth: there ARE spots that are potentially dangerous, but usually the danger is short-lived. You have to read beyond the shrieking headlines and follow the story over a few weeks or a month. You will get a good idea of whether or not the fearful situation has passed. And another truth: the media loves bad news. It sells. It drives traffic on the internet, on T.V., in print. As the saying goes: if it bleeds, it leads.

Some days it is almost unbearable to watch the news, because it is all horrible.

So instead of watching, you can turn it off. Take a media holiday. You can be sure the world will still be there when you come back, and there will probably be many new tragedies to learn about.

There are other ways to find out what is going on in a country. Google is your friend when it comes to searching for discussion groups, locals' blogs and websites and people on the ground you can ask about the safety of the situation. Locals have honestly told me when they think it is a bad time to travel to a particular destination-even when they had something to gain by having me cover it.

The good news it that, as a traveler, you benefit from great deals and reduced rates after travel has been way down to a destination. They want to draw tourists back, so they make it very appealing for you to come.

If you check the state department warnings for travel to certain countries, you will see that they often recommend being cautious, staying away from inflamed situations, checking in with the American embassy if you have concerns. That makes perfect sense.

It is difficult for me, as an international travel journalist, when people write to ask if I think they should go somewhere they perceive as dangerous. I try to tell them what I would do in their situation, but I cannot know how much fear they have and what it would take to reassure them. I suggest they do research beyond media headlines. And I also suggest they look at a world map to see how far their desired destination is from trouble spots. Arizona is not near New Jersey. Turkey is not near Libya.

Most often, the human situation on the ground is very different from the way it is reported in the media. It is much calmer, more welcoming, and there is little to fear in daily interactions and visiting important cultural sites. I have contacted people I know who were traveling to or lived in a country which was the focus of media hysteria. In many cases, they had no idea what I was talking about.

When there are horrific natural disasters, the human community tries to rally and unite to make the effects as short-lived as possible. Sometimes, as with Katrina and in Haiti, there is such incompetence and dishonesty that it takes a long, long time. But, with a little probing, you can get an idea of when it is safe to go.

You probably put a lot of time into thinking about hotels, sites, restaurants. I think it's a good idea to spend an hour or two researching the real-and not perceived-safety of a city or country.

People always ask what they can do to help a destination that has had a lot of problems. My answer is: as soon as you feel safe or can anticipate safety and stability, go there. They need the income, the support, the contact with the outside world.

So the question comes back to you: how safe do you feel about traveling? How important is the fear factor for you when you make vacation plans?

It may upset you to know that many foreigners are afraid to come to the U.S. because of perceived violence and the ubiquity of guns. They may even be afraid to come to your hometown. They cannot imagine walking down a street in the U.S. without worrying about snipers. "I would like to visit America," a Swiss man recently told me," but I don't want to die doing it."

We need to take a deep breath, research beyond the headlines, and trust our smart, reliable, in-our-best-interest guts.

Copyright 2011 Judith Fein