Some other travel guides offer additional safety precautions.

Unlike Let's Go, Lonely Planet Publications urges female writers to "find companions to travel with" if they feel uncomfortable, according to Cindy Cohen, publicity manager of the guide.

Fodor's Travel Publications tries to insure its writers' safety by hiring writers who live in the countries they write about--not an option for Let's Go, which hires only undergraduates.

"The majority of our 600 writers and researchers actually live in the countries they write about," Fodor's Vice President Kris Kliemann writes in an e-mail message. "They're hired as contributors not only because they posses strong travel writing skills, but also because they have tremendous knowledge of the area's customs and culture. We hope that this knowledge and experience will help them stay safe in the event of an unforeseen danger."

Despite Gebeyehu-Houston and Johnson's concerns about safety, McCarthy says there has only been one case of violence involving a Let's Go writer in recent memory, to the best of her knowledge. A female writer traveling to Tunisia was assaulted, but escaped from her attacker.

But Stone says Gebeyehu-Houston and Johnson--and other writers who share their concerns--might be right to leave their posts.

Let's Go jobs might be more exciting than interning for a senator or researching a thesis--but they can also be riskier.