‘I have to get back on a plane after all of this. Why am I giggling by the pool?’

Claustrophobia, panic attacks, and hyperventilation can feel even more acute at 35,000 feet. Perhaps that’s why some aviophobics never get as far as buying plane tickets, and spend a lifetime making awkward train journeys instead.

Anna P - Team Leader on Virgin Atlantic’s Flying Without Fear course - says she can help passengers with even the most debilitating nerves overcome their fears. And she should know. As she reveals to Olly and journalist Rebecca Gillie in this candid chat, she once herself suffered from extreme anxiety. After one traumatic experience, she didn’t board a flight for eighteen years...

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Find out more about Anna’s course at flyingwithoutfear.co.uk, and hear more of Rebecca talking to Olly on The Week Unwrapped, or wherever you find your podcasts.

Elsewhere, in this week’s Zeitgeist, Ollie Peart has returned from Europe’s largest VR experience with a spanking new Oculus Go. But the future, he maintains, is not in gaming and synthesised rollercoasters, but instead in Melody VR’s live music experiences and burgeoning social media simulacra.

Down The Foxhole, Alix Fox - fresh from discovering "open arse-fruit" at Ottolenghi’s new Rovi restaurant - advises a listener who is attempting to conceive about the best lubricants for the purpose. ‘You want those swimmers’, she surmises, ‘to vroom-vroom as if they’re in their Bimmers’. Who could disagree?

If, by contrast, you are keen to avoid a pregnancy, look no further than the exciting emporium operated by our friends at MyCondom.com, proud sponsors of The Foxhole. Just use the code ‘FOXHOLE’ to get an astonishing 15% OFF at Checkout!

This week’s Lifehack comes courtesy of Dr Jessica Barker from Redacted Firm, who offers up her Top 3 tips for staying safe online - protect your passwords, switch on two-factor authentication and be very very wary of public wi-fi!

The Lifehack is sponsored by Podcast Lounge - the new podcatcher app for Windows 10 devices. Get your free trial at the Windows App Store now.

Finally, our Record of the Week is ‘Arc en Ciel’ by Polo et Pan, out now on Universal:

Nice.

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And, if YOU have a suggestion for a future guest, a question of sex for Alix or a challenge for Ollie, please fill out our Feedback form.

See You Next Tuesday!

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