Cuba     Take care of you valuables at all times. Don’t carry excessive amounts of cash. Bag snatching and pickpockets are common, especially in the are of Old Havana. Leave valuables, important documents and the balance of your holiday cash in the hotel safe.       Report robberies to the police, especially when losing important documents (eg passport, credit cards, Cuban visa, etc) or large sums of money. Police reports are needed to obtain a new passport and Cuban visa. Keep a photocopy of your main passport page.       Take extra care when driving in Cuba. Beware of cyclists, potholes and cars that stop without warning to pick up hitchhikers. Don’t travel on the motorways at night if at all possible as serious and fatal accidents can happen through cattle straying on to the road.       Beware of those offering an unsolicited and unofficial guide service. They may be part of a team of thieves preying on tourists.       Bring enough funds for your stay and your return journey. Local banking facilities are not as in Europe and obtaining additional funds through local banking channels can be frustrating, difficult, and not always successful.       Check Foreign and Commonwealth Office Travel Advice before travelling.       Enter next of kin details into the back of your passport.       Don’t leave home without travel insurance. Make sure you are fully covered for medical treatment, hospitalisation and medical evacuation to the United Kingdom. Make sure it also covers unexpected losses and expenses (eg cancelled flights, lost luggage, stolen cash and credit cards, and lost passport).       Don’t get involved with drugs. Penalties are severe and Cuban law allows the use of the death penalty. Don’t carry anything through customs for someone else unless you know exactly what it contains.       Don’t bring credit cards or traveller’s cheques from American-based banks – including AMEX. They are not accepted in Cuba. Visa, Mastercard, Cabel and Visa Electron are all accepted credit cards.       Don’t leave belongings visible in your car. They will be an easy target for thieves.       Don’t buy goods outside hotels and shops. What appears to be a bargain may be illegal and could result in a frustrating and difficult situation.       Don't bring any fruit or meat into Cuba. These will be confiscated on arrival.       Don't travel alone at night. Don't stay out late at night in unfamiliar parts of town or in areas of Old Havana.       Respect Cuban law. Prison sentences are imposed for offences that might only incur a warning in the UK.       Visitors must not take photographs of military or police personnel or installations. You may be arrested for spying.       Visitors intending to drive should note that traffic accidents that result in the injury or death of third parties are treated as a crime. You are unlikely to be allowed to return home until you have been cleared by police investigation, a process that may take several months.       British nationals require visas. There is a tax of US$20 for all visitors on departure.       Although not against the law, homosexuality is frowned upon by Cuban society and law enforcement agencies.