With all the time we spend planning a vacation, buying guidebooks and buying just the right clothes to wear, the whole point to the vacation could be ruined in a flash if you lose your wallet or credit cards due to theft or just carelessness.

Protect yourself with these simple steps:

1.  Clean out your wallet before you pack the first suitcase.

Leave behind unnecessary credit cards and other documents that might compromise your identity if lost or stolen.

2.  Make photocopies of the credit card and documents you do take, along with the phone numbers of consumer help lines and leave the copy at home with someone you trust. Then, if disaster strikes you can contact the companies from the road to mitigate problems.

3.  Consider leaving your debit cards at home. Lose one of these and it could take weeks to get your bank account back to normal.

4.  Although this sounds like a "no brainer" never, ever pack cash, credit cards or phone numbers in your checked baggage.