The State Department in the US regularly issues travel warnings for countries which are considered too dangerous for American citizens to travel to. Most of the warnings come as a response to civil war, terrorist attacks or outbreaks of life-threatening diseases like Ebola. The British, Canadian and Australian governments also issue travel warnings, and it's a good idea to look into these as well. They are often a bit more detailed and nuanced than the American ones.

I've just updated all the current US State Department travel warnings that have been issued for countries in Africa. While most countries on the list aren't exactly tourist hotspots some may surprise you. Kenya's travel warnings have been updated in the last few months and citizens of Canada, Australia and the UK are warned against travel to Ethiopia.