Travel fever? With the Olympics under way this weekend in Beijing, travel abroad is on many Americans' minds. But with a dragging dollar and a sputtering economy, it's on hold for many of us.

The dollar's slide against world currencies, though, hasn't dampened enthusiasm for overseas travel much. A survey of 1,000 Americans who have traveled abroad in the last three years shows that 74 percent hope to go again in the near future, if financially feasible.

So if you're headed overseas, or only contemplating it once the economy perks up, here are some financial security tips to pack with you.

• Make copies: That's for every personal document you're carrying – passport, credit cards, driver's license, travel itinerary. Tuck a copy in a safe place, separate from your cards and passport. Leave copies with friends or family members back home.

• Rent a phone: Because many U.S. cell phones don't work overseas or incur hefty roaming charges when used abroad, yours may be better off left at home.

Companies like Phonerental Inc. of San Diego rent cell phones, satellite phones and BlackBerries at daily, weekly or monthly rates. With its typical cell-phone plan, the first week's rental is free with a minimum $25 in calls. After that, it's $3 a day, which includes the phone, an international charger, instruction manual and return shipping box. Shipping is extra (www.phonerentalusa.com).

Rates for incoming/outgoing calls vary by country. In most Western European countries outside Britain, for instance, Phonerental's charge for incoming calls is 99 cents a minute; outgoing calls to the United States are $1.29 a minute.

• Credit card alert: Don't leave home without informing your credit card company that your card will be used in a foreign country. If you don't and try popping the card into an ATM in Mexico, for instance, your credit card company may deny the transaction, thinking it's fraudulent.

We know of one U.S. college student whose U.S. Visa card was confiscated last month by a British ATM machine, leaving him stranded in London with no cash.

It also pays to know how much your card charges for currency conversions. If you're charging a hotel room in France, for instance, the cost is in euros but will appear on your credit card statement in U.S. dollars. The bank charges a fee for that currency conversion. At Wells Fargo, for example, it's 3 percent, so be sure to compare rates if you have several cards.

And always bring two credit cards: If one gets canceled or lost, you've got a backup.

• File a police report: Unfortunately, thefts happen. A pickpocket grabs your purse, fleeces your pocket, hustles your bag off the subway train. If you become prey for thieves, head to the local police department and file a report. Don't leave without getting a copy, even if it's in a foreign language.

Visa, for instance, will provide full reimbursement for theft, if the item, say a camera or cell phone, was stolen within 90 days of its purchase.

To get full reimbursement, you must provide a police report, a receipt showing the original purchase and proof of insurance.

When traveling, keep your credit card company's toll-free number to report a stolen or lost card.

• Laptop security: Computer security experts recommend that you "scrub" any important files from your laptop before entering a foreign country. If you must bring critical files, be sure they're encrypted.

David Perry, a former computer security adviser for AOL who's now with Bay Area-based Trend Micro, logs about 300 days a year on the road with his laptop, about half the time overseas.

Despite constant laptop use, he doesn't store any critical information on it. "I don't archive my e-mails, I don't use Quicken, I don't access my bank account, I don't shop from my laptop. My laptop and my credit card are unacquainted," said Perry.

The reason? Laptops are inherently less secure than your PC at home, he said. Speaking from a computer hackers' convention in Las Vegas, Perry said the means of stealing personal data from a laptop are endless and insidious.

His advice: "Before you leave on a foreign trip, clear everything off your laptop that you wouldn't want publicly broadcast. Take off those tax forms; your list of passwords; your business proprietary information."

He also recommended getting knowledgeable about the security safeguards on your laptop.

And remember: Starting Aug. 16, you can avoid the hassle of removing your laptop from its case in airport security lines, if it's in a "checkpoint friendly" bag. Under rules announced last week by the federal Transportation Security Administration, a laptop-friendly bag has a clear window and can lie flat on the airport's X-ray belt. Bags cannot have any metal snaps, zippers or buckles and no pockets on the laptop side. (For more information, go to: www.tsa.gov)

Have a personal finance question? The Bee's Claudia Buck can help find the answer you need. Contact her at (916) 321-1968 or via The Sacramento Bee; P.O. Box 15779; Sacramento, CA 95852.