I realise that forty years is a long time but the difference between Prague when I visited in 1978, and now, is astonishing. Back then the Czech Republic was Czechoslovakia under Communist rule, grim times with not enough food and nothing to buy. We camped outside the city and the first night had all our food stolen from under the tent flysheet. Heart-breaking to think people needed to steal food, it was really nothing very exciting.

Today, despite it being extremely cold (-8 this morning) the old town was packed with tourists wandering the cobblestone streets, admiring the architecture of this beautiful city which was first established almost 1000 years ago.

The difference between travelling then and now is so dramatic, first the ability to use Smartphones as we do at home with GPS and translation apps. To be able to find your way around easily, find accommodation, get train timetables, book an Uber. I use the translation app that hovers over foreign text and translates to English (how clever is that?!) so you actually know what you’re buying at the supermarket.

All these innovations have taken some of the adventure out of it and made the experience of travel more comfortable – I just can’t decide if that’s a good thing, or not.