Fortunately, flexible working now enables more people to be hands-on parents and have a career.

But it’s not just kids that love a good story – we all enjoy them, whether it’s a plotline in a soap, a good book or a snappy headline that grabs our attention.

Every travel salesperson will have an example of how they have done something special for a customer. In an industry where businesses are focused on data, profit and margin, we must remember what makes us different – the ability to create and share these stories is that differentiator, and it is more relevant than ever.

A recent study by researchers at Oxford University and Deloitte suggested that about 35% of current UK jobs are at high risk of becoming computerised over the next 20 years.

You can Google “will a robot take my job?” and a list of suggestions will appear on how to futureproof your profession, or indeed those your children may be considering. I tried out the BBC’s robot calculator and thankfully “travel agent” scored a relatively low 26% chance of being automated. That’s a relief.

However, if an agent just does a booking for a customer, the risk of automation is actually high. That outcome is already upon us, with some websites supported by online virtual travel agents.

But while robots may be able to recount a story, they can’t create one.

The travel advisers who stand out are those with the stories of how they have helped people. Most studies show that people buy based on emotion, not logic, and stories stir emotions more than anything else.

So great agents are also great storytellers and social media gives us the ability to collate our stories and share them across a global network of current and potential customers.

Earlier this month, two of our customers missed a flight for their Caribbean cruise. Their Travel Counsellor, Nikki, went above and beyond to get them rebooked and she received a huge bunch of flowers as a thank you.

A picture of the flowers shared by Nikki on Facebook turned out to be her most engaged-with post to date and led to new enquiries from people who liked the sound of her service.

These stories are free PR – the clearest sign of what you are about – and they create the narrative and personality for the business and your personal brand.

The message for us in this industry, and those we want to encourage to join it, is simple: ramp up the care for customers; focus on how you make them feel, more than the price of what you offer; and bring it to life by sharing the stories of the things you do naturally for customers because you care.

So, when you’re telling those bedtime stories tonight, remember that it’s all good practice for the office too.

Steve Byrne is chief executive of Travel Counsellors