At the same time, the essentials of travel – deciding where to eat and sleep, rationing your clean clothes – is a great way of eroding the thousands of decisions that clutter your life back home.

“I believe a lot of our own energy goes into thinking too much,” says London-based jewellery designer Arabel Lebrusan, who travelled around Polynesia and Central America last year. “Travelling is like going right to basics… after a few months [into the trip], I had this incredible burst of creativity.”

Travel simplifies things, and the effect is enhanced when you’re alone – the onus is on you to make the trip work. You untether yourself from the stress and obligations associated with people who know you, and blitz the brain fog that may well cloud your everyday life.

Solo travel: the mental health benefits of travelling the world alone