Something to declare: Trouble spots

Advice from our source in the Foreign Office:

Albania (above): Avoid remote areas, keep valuables secure and do not carry large amounts of cash. Take care when in rural areas. Travel with a local guide who can ensure that local customs and traditions are not inadvertently breached.

Bulgaria: Do not accept any food or drink from strangers as there is a risk it may be drugged. Vehicle theft, including armed hijacking, has become more frequent. There have also been shootings in public places between rival criminal gangs and a small number of explosions involving home-made devices.

Moldova: Avoid non-essential travel to Transdnestria (north-west Moldova), which is not under Moldovan government control and where the security situation is unpredictable.

Greece: To counter the continuing threat posed by boat thieves, the Greek authorities have announced measures to tackle the problem, including a 50-strong police unit with the specific task of protecting the coast of Corfu from incursions by criminals.

India: There is a serious risk of kidnapping in the state of Jammu and Kashmir. Avoid travel to all parts of the state apart from Ladakh. Travel to Ladakh should be by air or via Manali in Himachal Pradesh. Militants have held hostage two Britons and two other foreign nationals since July 1995 and murdered a Norwegian hostage in August 1995. Six Indian tourists were abducted from their houseboat in Srinagar and murdered in July 1996.

Travel advice for many other destinations is available from the Foreign Office on 0171-238 4503, http://www.fco.gov.uk/ on the Internet, and on BBC-2 Ceefax page 564 onwards.