As for gifts, it is an important part of human interaction but it’s in a greyer area. For my part, I like to buy very inexpensive gifts that show a lot of thought. For example, one client told me that she loved making curries so I mailed her some peppercorns that I brought back from my wife’s family in Goa. Cost: nothing. But I think it was appreciated. I’ve bought small, but well-chosen, books on Amazon for people as well. A gift that is friendly, well-timed and costs less than a couple of drinks at Starbucks creates no obligation but lots of goodwill.

However, I’ve been on the receiving end of some very awkward gifts in my time. One plane company flew me to Geneva in their corporate jet and being a travel journalist is a ticket to an endless free holiday. It was one of the things that made me very uncomfortable about being a journalist and one of the reasons why I stopped in the end. I couldn’t afford to test fly the planes or go on the trips my clients wanted me to write about and I couldn’t take the freebies without feeling grubby and compromised. Still, it was a very nice plane.