Image Credit: Koryo Tours

When it comes to travel, what’s your fear factor?

What’s a list of places where you think you’re at risk and don’t want to visit?

What keeps you from going somewhere? Is it crime, a natural disaster, or a pandemic?

In the 1950s, the most someone worried about was Montezuma’s Revenge after drinking the water in a foreign country.

More and more Americans, in the wake of terrorism, are forgoing Europe this summer.

Others are avoiding Ecuador because of the recent earthquake, and tourism has essentially flatlined in Egypt.

In my case, I’m traveling to Paris, Quito, and Cairo this year. Why?

Because the metric I apply to whether I’m going somewhere is who is in control of that country.

If I know who is in control, then I go.

Would I fly to Iran or North Korea? Yes, I know who is in control.

The same goes for most other destinations.

But would I travel to Syria, parts of Chechnya, or the Congo? Count me out.

As long as you know who is in control and you pack some basic common sense, the odds are overwhelmingly in your favor. You’ll travel safely and have a great time.

When you let fear motivate your travel choices, you lose.

For more information about international travel safety, check out:

• What a Worldwide Travel Alert Means for You
• How Travel Security Could Change After Recent Terrorist Attacks
• Is It Safe to Travel After the Umbrella Uprising & Arab Spring?

Keep reading for more travel tips.