Dear Reader,

BRITAIN is set to be hotter than Portugal next week. Which might come as some comfort for those of us (including me) who cancelled a trip to the Algarve shortly before the country was put back on the Government’s quarantine list, prompting yet another mad dash back home for anyone who doesn’t fancy 14 days of self-isolation.

There were more than 30,000 British holidaymakers in Portugal when the announcement was made on Thursday, many of whom would have read what the country’s ambassador to the UK wrote on this page on August 22 about how pleased he was that we could finally travel freely to his sunny nation. All change.

It’s not looking too good for Italy either, as its rate of infection pushes it into the amber zone, with Greece not far behind. But Sweden, which we feature on page 57, has gained ‘travel corridor’ status for Britons looking for a Scandi escape.

Boris Johnson’s Government keeps talking about following the science, but at times it seems like he and his colleagues are following the prevailing mood.

A week or so ago, we were told that testing arrivals at UK airports was not worth the effort. But now, after the Mail launched its Get Britain Flying Again campaign, it’s seen as an important step in helping the economy out of its malaise.

This paper hasn’t always agreed with former PM Theresa May, but she was spot-on in saying that we’re ‘lagging behind’ the rest of the world on testing and that it’s about time we began to ‘lead the world’ in restoring world travel.

Check out our new weekly guide on page 55, which includes a league table of countries based on infection levels and any restrictions. It shows Cyprus (above) riding high: a great choice and a warm one even as late as October half-term.

Our readers love a cruise, but, sadly, ships are mainly all in dock. So this might be the moment to give your sea legs a run-out closer to home with one of our suggested sailings (pages 58-59). And, you never know, the weather might even continue to behave itself.