For many young people gap-year backpacking is their first extended stay abroad and obliges them to deal with many new issues, including currency changing between nations and finding a place to sleep each night often in a different town. What many don't expect to deal with is to have their credit card cancelled in the middle of their trip by card companies who suspect fraud.

This though, is what has happened to numerous young travellers according to a gap-year advisor. Tom Griffiths explained that many are even turning to pre-paid credit cards to avoid the hassle.

Card companies often pick up on large expenses put on the card in a foreign country, which breaks the pattern of everyday moderate use, and cancel the card, fearing fraud.

"What we are finding from backpackers last season is that they are heading off travelling and are notifying their companies, but unfortunately whether or not they do that, loads of them are them are having their credit cards stopped. This is because the computer sees a card that hasn't been used much in the UK suddenly being nailed in Ecuador or Fiji. It's just looks like fraud ,” Said Griffiths.