If you travel much, you probably understand how important having a credit card can be to a smooth trip. If you're not a frequent traveler, or have not used a credit card a great deal in your travel, the following list of advantages may be enlightening to you and help you determine whether a credit card might be a good addition to your travel necessities.

1. Credit cards make it easy to track spending. Even if you're not keeping receipts for an expense reimbursement, it is a good idea to keep track of your expenditures on any journey, whether a business trip or a family vacation. By keeping records of what you spend on various things, including not only hotel but cab fare, meals, entertainment and odds and ends, you can have a better idea of how much your travel really costs. Credit cards make this expenditure tracking very easy, because you can just check the credit card statement when it arrives.

2. Credit cards can be canceled if they're stolen. It is unlikely that you will lose your wallet, either to theft or to simple loss, but it can happen. While you'll always want to have some cash on you for incidentals, you're also well aware that you can't replace lost or stolen cash, but you can immediately cancel a credit card in the case of loss, accidental or intentional on someone else's part.

3. Credit cards are accepted more easily, at some places, than cash. For instance, if you're driving, you will find that paying for gas with a credit card is far easier than going inside, putting money down, pumping your gas, and then possibly having to go back inside for change. In a time when gas prices are rising every day and gas thefts are rising with them, most stations now require prepayment or a credit card.

4. Credit cards are a necessity if something unexpected comes up. Whether that unexpected event is a flat tire or an extra day of travel, having a credit card on hand is much easier than having to find an ATM and get cash, in a strange city, to take care of the emergency.

5. Credit cards are simply convenient. Imagine paying for all of your meals and other needs with cash. You'd need to carry a lot of cash to begin with, fuss over whether you had the appropriate cash for a tip, and wrestle with finding the right bills. No one complains about having cash, of course, but plastic is much more convenient.

If you do not currently travel with a credit card, you might consider getting a card just for travel, to make your travel expenses easier to track, reduce the threat of theft, and generally make your travels go smoothly.