Over 7 million people in the United States last year alone were victims of identity theft resulting in almost $50 billion of fraudulent credit card, bank, and other financial charges. A significant number of these victims were tourists, business travelers, and people on their holidays. Here is some valuable information that may save you a ton of grief when you travel.

It is very easy when people travel on their vacation to let their guard down. They have a lot on their minds, remembering everything they need to take care of before they go and what they need to take with them on vacation. Not only that, they want to relax, unwind, and have fun. Is not that what vacations are supposed to be all about? When they travel, they do not want to have to be on guard all the time and constantly concerned about getting ripped off every second of their holidays.

There are three major sources of identity theft that you should be aware of when you travel: your wallet, your laptop or PDA, and Internet cafes.

Research shows that most identity thefts occur when peoples wallets are stolen, usually by professional pickpockets. Whether you travel on vacation or business, you must guard your wallet at all times because you are at more risk than in familiar surroundings. Never carry your wallet in your back pocket - it is not called the sucker pocket for nothing.

It is best to carry your wallet in a fanny pack. Some travelers prefer a fanny pack with a Velcro closure instead of a zippered one, because you can hear it being opened. The usual places you find pickpockets are in crowded areas such as airports, train and bus stations, hotel lobbies, restaurants, and sporting events.

Most people carry more personal information in their wallets than they need. The first thing that you should do before you travel is to go through your wallet and take out any personal information items that you do not need when traveling such as bank checks, checkbooks, credit card receipts, bills, and memberships cards such as library cards. You also do not need to take your social security card, as you probably have that number memorized by heart.

Debit cards are a convenient way to take small amounts of cash out of ATM is when traveling, but are also a great way for thieves to clean out your bank account if they get a hold of them. One way to reduce this risk is to open up a separate account at your bank before you go and only put as much day-to-day cash in it as you think you may need for your holidays. Take only that debit card with you.

Credit cards are protected by Federal law so are a much better choice to take with you, as you are generally covered for any fraudulent charges incurred. In addition, if you are over-charged or find an error on any of your credit card transactions when traveling, it is easier to get the charges corrected or reversed from the card companies.