When I announced to friends and family that I was going travelling to New Zealand, there were lots of comments of 'You're so lucky.' Well, I'd worked really hard to be able to afford to go, so there wasn't really any luck involved. And I know from experience that travelling isn't the walk in the park that many people seem to think it is.

Admittedly the image of swimming with dolphins and relaxing on faraway beaches doesn't exactly seem like hard work when everyone at home is braving dismal weather on the daily commute, but taking time out to travel is a different kind of challenge.

Struggling to believe me? Here are a few things they don't tell you about taking time out to travel.
You'll blow your money
No matter how good you are at managing money, you'll spend way more than you intended, especially at the start of your trip. There are a number of reasons for this. Figuring out a new currency generally leads to overspending, and the excitement of being away can make you forget the money needs to last a few months, not just a few weeks.

They'll be lots of fun activities to spend your money on, like boat trips, sky dives and jungle treks, and you'll be out socialising to meet the locals and fellow travellers. Then your plans to keep food and alcohol costs to a minimum will soon go out the window when you need a break from pasta and cheap beer.

Unforeseen expenses such as medical bills will also blow your budget because you'll need to stump up the cash and claim it back on your travel insurance later.

When the money runs out, travellers are generally faced with four options: credit card; loan from mum and dad; go home or get a job.

It can test relationships
Travelling might not seem like the most stressful thing to do with a friend or partner, but it can put a strain on even the most stable relationships. Spending a lot of time with the same person can quickly cause friction, particularly if you find yourself in unfamiliar situations, such as getting lost in a strange city or getting sick from eating or drinking something you shouldn't.

Money is often a contentious issue and can become even more so far away from home if one of you needs to borrow some and struggles to pay it back.

You'll get paid peanuts
With a few exceptions, travellers on working holiday visas generally work in unskilled jobs in hospitality, tourism or harvesting that don't pay well. Many people intend to work for a short period in order to save and travel further, but soon rethink their plans when wages are just enough to cover living expenses.

If you want to work in the same industry as you do in the UK, it's important to research the employment market of where you are travelling to before you leave and attempt to make some contacts. Employers are generally reluctant to take on temporary foreign workers for professional positions, as they are unlikely to stick around for long.

Returning home is hard
Going home after an incredible trip overseas is never going to be fun, but it really is a horrible wrench. Unless you're super organised and have arranged a job and accommodation to come back to, this has to be dealt with this as soon as you get back as you're likely to be pretty poor.

Swapping the laid back lifestyle of living in flip flops and having no worries, for applying for jobs and finding a place to live is a hard a adjustment to make; especially if you've got to stay with your parents in the interim.