The summer travel season is almost here, and thieves are looking forward to it as much as you are. Don't have your vacation ruined by a stolen credit card. While you aren't likely to be liable for any fraudulent charges made on your card, the hassle factor is considerable, especially if the compromised card is your primary debit or credit card.

The good news is that card issuers have systems in place to catch unauthorized use before it happens, says Marina Hoffmann Norville, a spokeswoman for American Express. "We have sophisticated monitoring to detect fraud activity, so we do a lot of this on the back end," she says. "We can see a granular level of detail, so we can pick up cards with unusual activity."

But don't just rely on the card companies to catch fraudulent transactions. There are a few simple steps you can take yourself before, during and after your getaway to help protect your information.