Random acts of terrorism can chill tourism. In fact, tourists rarely are the targets per se. But they can be. Muslim extremists who attacked and killed 58 tourists in Luxor, Egypt, last year put an estimated US$1.5 billion dent in Egypt's economy. The recent car bombing in Northern Ireland in August that killed 28 people (including two tourists) no doubt gave prospective travelers pause to ask themselves: "Is this trip to Northern Ireland necessary?"

After the U.S. military strikes against terrorist targets in Afghanistan and Sudan, partially in response to the embassy bombings in Kenya and Tanzania, the U.S. State Department urged U.S. citizens traveling abroad "to review their security practices, to remain alert to the changing situation and to exercise much greater caution than usual. Large crowds and other situations in which anti-American sentiment may be expressed should be avoided." That statement came on 20 August in what the DoS called a "Worldwide Caution."

Actually, the worst thing Americans can do is hunker down in their back yards and not travel. The best thing Americans can do is prepare them- selves regarding places they intend to visit. And prepare their own mindsets.

As we now know, any place can be a terrorist target. One need only recall the 1993 World Trade Center bombing and the shooting at the Empire State Building in New York City and the 1995 federal building bombing in Oklahoma City, by totally unrelated terrorists. In reality, any street in any U.S. community can be a target.

Undersecretary of State Thomas Pickering said during a new briefing days after the attacks on Afghanistan and Sudan, "In live, there is no perfect security."

When terrorists embark on their journeys of random, wanton killing, they don't leave road maps and timetables for us. We live in a big world with- out any guarantees. Now that the U.S. stands ready to launch its own war against global terrorists who target American interests, what will the consequences be? A recent New York Times report said: "Terrorism experts wonder if the U.S. is ready to add itself to a roster of nations, including Britain, Ireland and Israel, that have curbed cherished civil rights in order to combat terrorism waged on their own soil."

Meanwhile, Americans need to take precautions no matter where they travel, but especially abroad. You can brief yourself on any country by subscribing to the ERRI World Situation Report, and if you need specific information ERRI can research your destination in-depth and disseminate a special report to you, at extra cost.

As the U.S. State Department points out, terrorist acts occur at random and unpredictably, making it impossible to protect oneself absolutely. The State Department says: "The first and best protection is to avoid travel to unsafe areas where there has been a persistent record of terrorist attacks or kidnapping." A perfect example of that is one should not go bird-watching in the jungles of Colombia.

The U.S. Department of State also says: "Most terrorist attacks are the result of long and careful planning. Terrorists look for defenseless, easily accessible targets. The chances that a tourist traveling with an unpublished program or itinerary, would be the victim of terrorism are slight."

The U.S. State Department advises the following:

-- Schedule non-stop flights and if possible avoid stops in high-risk airports or areas. (i.e. Beirut or Kabul.)