Once again, though, we are dealing with uncertainty and, as human beings, we generally don’t like uncertainty, we much prefer predictability.

Losing control of a situation can be stressful and scary. It can cause severe anxiety – all emotions not particularly helpful for our mental and physical health. But the truth is that, although we cannot control everything that changes around us, we have complete control over how we react.

I didn’t think I was someone who liked to spend too much time looking back. I much prefer to look and plan ahead. However, I have realised it is the learnings from our past that actually allow us to look and plan ahead. And, more importantly, these learnings ensure we stay calm and focused on what is really important.

I feel these reflections provide us with wisdom, “the ability to contemplate and act using knowledge, experience, understanding, common sense and insight”.

Covid is likely to be with us for some time to come. We always knew there would be new variants, we knew it wasn’t going to go away overnight. We knew there were going to be bumps in the road. So, just like the 21 months that have gone, we will use our wisdom and experience to deal with it.

We have all learnt so much, about ourselves, our resilience and our priorities. We have all had reminders about what really is important. We have all grown, and we have all gained some wisdom along the way.

We know many clients still want to travel. So many have been deprived from time with loved ones. They want to reunite, make up for lost time, create new memories and have new experiences after such challenging times.

We are certainly seeing a rise in multi- generational travel as families come together. They want to do this safely, of course, and it is their trusted travel advisor that will help them navigate these complexities.

We will look after our customers, hold their hands, and continue to care. As an industry, we will recover, and those that offer this personal level of service will thrive.

So, if I were to offer a few words of wisdom for the new year, what would they be? The past year taught us to take things a day, week or month at a time – but not to lose sight of your long-term goals, dreams and aspirations. Surround yourself with positive people who will lift and carry you when you need it.

Try and avoid negative media, whether that’s news or social. Don’t ever be afraid to ask for help, we all need it at some point – and no one I have ever asked for help in my life has ever said no.

Celebrate the wins. Be grateful for what you have rather than what you don’t – there is always someone worse off who in turn may appreciate a helping hand.

Try to do more of whatever it is that makes you happy. Finally, avoid giving time and attention to things you can’t control and focus on what you can. Wishing you all a healthy and happy new year.

Kirsten Hughes is UK managing director of Travel Counsellors.