Anyone who travels needs a plan to avoid theft.

It occurs more often than you’d think.

To protect yourself, it pays to embrace some basic common sense.

You don’t need to travel with your expensive jewelry or your most expensive watch. Then, go through your wallet and remove the cards you don’t need. Then, pack two wallets and split your cards. That way, if one is lost or stolen, you’re not totally stranded.

Make sure to get the direct dial — not the toll free emergency numbers — of your banks and credit card companies. The toll free numbers won’t work from overseas.

And finally, before ever leaving home, scan the contents of your wallet, both the back and the front of your credit cards and the photo page from your passport. Keep one copy with you and another with a family member back home.