I absolutely love Mexico City and have been there twice. On my first visit, I was actually approached by the “infamous” American scammer who preys on tourists in downtown D.F.- I posted my story http://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/message.jspa?messageID=13656649 and found out that he’s fairy well-known and has been operating for years. I found it pretty ironic that the only “threat” I faced during my time in Mexico City was from a scuzzy American expat!

I’ve visited alot of African countries and haven’t heard much about Congo…either one of them. There is Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Republic of the Congo. Still civil war and slavery there. Not conducive to tourism, not even the most adventurous tourist.

These bombings were not even perpetrated by Balinese – they were perpetrated by an Islamic terrorist group with roots in other parts of Southeast Asia. They chose Bali as a target because Western tourists go there…but Western tourists go to many places in Southeast Asia, and tourists are no safer in any of the tourist draws across this region of the world. In fact, they are arguably safter in Bali because Bali is, in fact, a predominantly Hindu society (93%), so Islamic extremists cannot mingle in their society as easily as they can in, say, Phuket, Jakarta, Singapore, or Bangkok – all places heavily visited by Western tourists.

After the bombings tourism dried up, prices plummeted, and the large percentage of the population that survive on tourism suffered terribly. It was heartbreaking to see such decline on that peaceful, spectacularly beautiful island. Although, from a selfish perspective, this worked in my favor, as the prices were incredibly cheap! But I would rather pay fair prices and see the island’s lovely, friendly, peaceful people be able to make a living.

The truth is that Bali is no more or less safe than pretty much ANY region in the world that draws Western tourists…and in fact, due to the fact that some non-local terrorists once targeted it, security is taken even more seriously than ever. The Balinese government knows where its financial support comes from, as do the people who live there. You are no more likely to get harmed by a terrorist in Bali than you are in New York City…or London, or Madrid…all tourist draws that have been targeted by terrorists in the past.

There are benefits to traveling to places that have a reputation for not being safe: 1) fewer tourists, 2) lower prices, and 3) more “authentic” experiences, as the fewer toursts mean less “Americanization”. We just returned from a trip to Peru, which is a country that has a history of home-grown terrorism. It happens to be a quite time politically there right now, and while tourism is growing, it is still very small compared to other South American nations. Consequently, we were able to experience some truly amazing things that few Westerners ever see…all for really reasonable prices compared to similar, but more heavily-touristed regions.

Something to think about when planning your next trip!

And I totally agree about safe travel – if we listened to the naysayers, no one would ever go anywhere. Many countries that are on the tourism up-and-coming track are hugely protective of their visitors – nothing crushes a nascent tourism industry like widespread reports of criminal activities towards tourists.