My bags were packed and loaded into the hold for the long coach journey through France. I realised too late that my iPhone and headphones would now be parted from me for several hours. Why hadn’t I remembered to keep them in my pocket? I now faced the prospect of several hours of boredom, as well as possible travel sickness.

A large number of people were about to set off on the same journey as me, and each had found a different form of entertainment while waiting for the signal to leave. I joined a friend into a small glass-fronted room for a catch-up. I was appalled to discover that she was undergoing therapy to overcome her fear of insects in what turned out to be a shed. From the moment I walked through the wooden door I too was covered in all manner of creepy crawlies, from harmless woodlice to stinging wasps.