I said that it was important to push myself to take on certain anxieties at a pace I can manage. On reflection, changing our destination has made less of a difference than taking longer to prepare for our next big holiday and being a bit more mindful about following our own advice.

I think it's worth explaining why this anxiety and travel blog has a category dedicated to cool bugs. They're a useful way to talk about resilience. Not in the sense of how much bugs can overcome, though you really should read just how much the African Midge can endure, but in the little ways we can try to build our own resilience to phobias and anxieties.

This sloth lives in Bocas del Toro, Panama. Chickening out of our holiday plans cost me the chance to see them in person, and now it's cost me £3 to buy their handsome portrait too We’re going on holiday again this week, but we won’t be going to the place we’d originally planned. No Panama for us: no sloths, no red frogs, and no first chance to sample how Central America does vegetarian food. Panama, as with all our best ideas, was a Liz suggestion. She’d put together a typic