els, is the subject of an elaborate briefing on ``driver safety,'' including a list of ``key motoring terms,'' such as Benzin (gasoline), Lastikci (tire repair) and Kismet (fate). State Department officials insist that their travel information is not influenced by political or diplomatic needs; unflattering information on such allies as Israel or Saudi Arabia is entered in the consular information sheets, they say. But several private risk-management companies think they can make money by selling competing travel alerts to businesspeople and tourists. ``We can call it like we see it,'' says Ellen Tidd, a former top CIA analyst who now heads Kroll Information Services. ``We think our competitive edge is that we can say it a bit more bluntly [than the State Department].'' Kroll sells detailed advisories on foreign cities for $19.95 each and runs a ``Travel Watch'' Web site that has registered 2.8 million visits since Oct. 1. Its latest report calls Moscow ``a high-risk city, with increasing organized and petty crime and poor infrastructure.'' Private companies say they can move more quickly than the State Department bureaucracy. Last week, echoing a warning from the Israeli military, Pinkerton alerted its clients that hitchhikers who look like Israeli soldiers might be terrorists in disguise. Numerous other Web sites and publications are available to prepare travelers for just about any destination. Much of the advice is common-sensical. Don't flaunt your valuables. Avoid trouble spots, especially after dark. Don't mess with illicit drugs. Act like you know where you're going. Make eye contact, but don't stare or glare. Telephone for a taxi instead of picking one up on the street. Tourists looking for safety can sometimes find it in remote corners of even the most troubled countries. Although Indonesia is racked by financial crisis and political unrest, especially in Jakarta, the capital, travel agents still send clients to tranquil Bali....
