A necessity: Earplugs. I travel a lot on trains and get annoyed with people speaking loudly on their mobile phones while I am trying to read. It's a control-freak way of ensuring peace where ever I go.

A luxury: My Jo Malone amber and lavender perfume because it makes everywhere I go smell amazing.

A good luck charm: My husband because he makes everything go well, never loses his cool and is the perfect travelling companion.

If only: I could find the perfect mosquito repellent or even if mosquitoes suddenly found me repellent.

Pastures Nouveaux, by Wendy Holden, is published by Headline at £10