Whenever I go abroad, it’s hard to adjust. I always experience a vague uneasiness if the hire car’s waiting for me at the airport or the hotel knows I’m arriving.

This week I’ve renewed my passport, changed car insurance, sent a tax return and attempted to pay an electricity bill. Each could have been handled with one call or email. Each turned into a long, drawn-out saga riddled with hidden costs.

Living in Britain, I’m conditioned to expect this. That’s why, when visiting a foreign country, it takes a while to settle in, a while to get used to efficiency.

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