The unpredictability of the British summer time has been perfectly encapsulated over the past month or so. One moment, I’m picking which umbrella to take to work and the next it’s deciding whether or not I’d get away with shorts in the office.

But with every cloud comes a silver lining. The inconsistent weather is one of the key driving forces behind an increase in bookings for shoulder season holidays, as consumers look to escape the drizzle.

This burgeoning trend is highlighted by Virgin Voyages’ UK sales director SJ Walker on page 25 in the first instalment of our new column series with the line, The Red Report.

We also take a deep dive into the state of cruise holidays, in, around and from our transatlantic neighbours, and how President Trump’s controversial take on immigration and diversification is impacting attitudes towards travelling to the US.