I'm not sure that the world is presently any crazier than it has been historically. Without question, however, information moves much quicker. When travelling far afield there is a certain heightened exposure by virtue of distance from most of your resources, perhaps language barrier and certainly a lower familiarity with surroundings.
If you travel enough, eventually you're certain to get trapped in something unpleasant. Often times, though, you can spare yourself some unneeded complications by knowing the situation before arriving or perhaps not arriving at all. I receive a daily e-mail from Medex, a global travel insurance and safety firm. It's free to sign up for here. It contains information by country on anything likely to disrupt or interfere with travel, things as disparate as a government shelling its own people and a taxi driver's strike. It also rebroadcasts any consular warnings being issued by Western nations and provides a listing of upcoming national holidays around the world. [Knocking on Wood] I've never had to use the information to adjust travel plans, but if I have a trip upcoming I always peruse it for a week or so in advance and while I'm in country. It's also a decent additional source of news information on the political goings on around the world.
So, if I need to arrange a car from the hotel because cabs won't be running or to acquire some Kevlar and a helmet because the local military is getting itchy, then hopefully I'll have some forewarning. Not perfect, but worth the two minutes it takes to sign up and glance at the e-mail before travelling.
