Before your next trip, take these 7 steps to protect your finances

Picture this: it's the last night of vacation, everyone's gathered around the dinner table, and when you try to pick up the tab, your card gets declined. Or maybe you're attempting to send money to a family member abroad, only for the transfer to stall without explanation. Frustrating as these moments can be, they're often a sign that your bank's fraud detection system is working exactly as intended. According to Jennifer White, senior consultant in the Banking & Payments Intelligence practice at J.D. Power, the issue usually comes down to one thing: your spending behavior suddenly looks different. "When a customer is traveling, the way that they move money is different than their everyday spending experience," she tells CNBC Select. That change in pattern is often enough to trigger automated fraud alerts. So what exactly raises those red flags? Here's what travelers should know, plus the steps to take before departure to avoid financial disruptions.