Monday afternoon brought an intensely calorific charity challenge in the form of our very own take on the Great British Bake Off. The gauntlet thrown down to the Just Go! staff was to bring along their finest confection in order to impress the judging panel made up of a lucky group of sweet-toothed managers.
The entries were split between the 3 different rooms in the Just Go! offices, with five cakes eventually making it through to the Grand Final. As you can imagine, the competition was intense with a range of mouth-watering offerings on display, each one impeccably decorated. There were even one or two coach-themed entries hoping to curry favour with the judges...
Fortunately everyone was able to keep their greedy mitts away from the cakes long enough for the judges to do their bit and pass their verdict on the assorted treats. Then it was crunch-time (or not), with Chairman & CEO, Luis Arteaga and Finance Director, Anthony Phillips - the Paul Hollywood and Mary Berry of the coach holiday world - making the difficult call as to who took home the ultimate prize of 'Best Cake in Show'.
Much deliberation was required until, eventually, the white smoke emerged and a worthy winner was chosen. The proud champion was Claire Preece of our Admin Operations department with her selection of coffee and walnut cakes, elegantly presented to evoke the perfect, civilised British teatime. A more than honourable mention went to the second place entrant, Keely Harkin for her mighty, triple-layered chocolate, lemon and vanilla cake - also decorated with an array of pick and mix.
More importantly, the competition raised over £100 for Comic Relief and continued a long tradition of charitable fundraisers held at Just Go! There might even still be some cake left...
New to the business in September, Head of Logistics Jon Henley challenged the Just Go office staff to field a team against his Market Harborough Veterans squad and this match duly took place in January on a beautiful winter's day in South Leicestershire.
Just Go United with an average age of almost half that of the Harborough Vets were relying on their fitness, speed and youthful enthusiasm whilst teamwork, ball possession and old fashioned know how is where the Vets were placing their faith.
From the off it was evident that the teams were extremely evenly matched with both sides moving the ball well and creating chances.
However, with the score 0-0 at half-time it was still all to play for with Just Go United continuing to bomb forward and the Harborough Vets just managing to have their weary bodies in the right places at the right time to prevent a goal. With minutes to go the Vets hit the post but the ball stayed out. Immediately afterwards Just Go hit the bar but the ball once again didn't cross the line. The whistle for the end of the match sounded with the score deadlocked at 0-0 and it was onto the drama of the penalty shoot-out.
The first series of penalties were taken by each side and all were calmly and confidently dispatched. 5 all and still the teams couldn't be separated. Onto sudden death and it was the Veterans who sealed the victory 6-5 when Just Go put their penalty wide of the post.
So it was the experience that counted in the end. A very entertaining and enjoyable afternoon for all of those involved and a re-match in Cheltenham is already being planned.
Halloween at Just Go!
31st October 2012
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National Trust Press Release
31st January 2012
"National Trust coach tours take off"
Following a successful trial last year with Just Go! Holidays the National Trust can announce it has rolled out a range of National Trust coach breaks across England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
With an estimated nine million people taking a coach tour last year Just Go! Holidays and the National Trust are anticipating big demand from people eager to explore National Trust places a little further from home.
There are twenty unique National Trust breaks to choose from and with a national network of more than a thousand local pick-ups the tours are designed to make travelling to new places as easy as possible.
Tours vary between three and seven days and include: Society Scandal in the South East, taking in Basildon Park, The Vyne and Cliveden, a tour of Northern Ireland with iconic sites such as Giant's Causeway and Carrick-a-Rede island to discover, Landscape Gardens and Ghosts in the South West, and Romans and Rugged Northumberland which stops at historic Hadrian's Wall, as well as Seaton Delaval Hall, Wallington, Cherryburn and Cragside.
Rod Hebden, Head of Corporate Partnerships at the National Trust said, "With the support of Corporate Partners like Just Go! Holidays the National Trust can continue its work protecting historic places and green spaces, and opening them up for ever, for everyone."
He added, "In these carbon-and-credit conscious times National Trust coach tours will enable more people to explore the amazing places in the National Trust's care. With coach breaks visitors can turn a few hours into a few days and discover parts of the country they may not normally travel to."
As a charity completely independent of Government the partnership will raise valuable revenue for the National Trust with Just Go! Holidays giving £10 for every person that books a tour.
National Trust members also benefit from the partnership with savings of up to £55.00 when booking a National Trust Just Go! Holidays tour. Standard holiday breaks will start from £179.99 and including bed, breakfast and dinner in a quality hotel, three full-day excursions and return coach travel.
Luis Arteaga CEO of Just Go! Holidays, said "We are delighted to be expanding our range of National Trust coach breaks in 2012. Half of the customers that travelled on the National Trust breaks last year had never travelled by coach before and with it now costing upwards of £70 to fill up at the pump, holidaying by coach is the best value option for millions of people."
"These tours offer the opportunity to visit some of the National Trust's most spectacular houses, gardens and beautiful landscapes as well as other great attractions, as part of a relaxing holiday experience."
For full details of tours and itineraries, go to www.justgoholidays.com/nt or call 08448 22 34 60
Click here to download the full press release.
National Trust Breaks
21st January 2012
Following a hugely successful trial last year we have extended our selection of fantastic National Trust breaks. We now offer pickups from all over England and Wales.
This exclusive collaboration allows you to really explore some of the National Trust's spectacular properties a little further from home.
So why not venture further afield and discover Cornwall's Spectacular Estates and Gardens, or find A Warm Welcome in Northern Ireland?
To find out more about these breaks click here.
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High Stakes & Glamour at the Just Go! Awards
7th January 2012
January 7th saw coach operators and suppliers travel from all over the UK to attend the 7th annual Just Go! Holidays Awards Ceremony. The Thistle Hotel in Cheltenham played host to guests from across the travel industry as they came together to celebrate the successes of the last year with us.
A sophisticated drinks reception was followed by the award presentations. A slightly less controversial choice than Ricky Gervais at the Golden Globes saw Head of Commercial Partnerships, James Massey compere the evening with Chariman & CEO Luis Arteaga joining Transport Operations Manager Darren Loftus to pay tribute to the dedication of all the drivers and to present the winners with their awards.
Upon taking their seats, guests found they had each been given the chance to become a millionaire with a lottery ticket for that night's main draw. That wasn't the only chance to strike it lucky as, following a pleasant three course meal; everyone was invited to take part in a Las Vegas style casino tournament. The winner walked home with the only prize worthy of a room filled with drivers: swapping a coach for high performance sports cars on a fabulous driving experience day.
This superb evening of entertainment was enjoyed by all and, although sadly there were no jackpot winners, everyone is very much looking forward to working with us in the busy year ahead.
Best New Operator
Belle Coaches
Operator of the Year
W & H Motors
Overall Driver of the year
Simon Oakley, Belle Coaches
Employee of the Year
Dawn Brignull
Award Winners
Best New Operator - Belle Coaches
Best New Operator runner up - Carol Peters Coaches
Operator of the Year - W&H Motors
Operator of the Year runner up - Johnsons Bros
Most Skilful Driver of the Year - Sergio Despirito, Johnson Bros
Groups Driver of the Year - Stuart Darby, Skyline
Best Communicator - Brian Smith, Darleyford
Overall Driver of the year - Simon Oakley, Belle Coaches
Employee of the year - Dawn Brignull
Employee of the year runner up - Rob Mason
Employee of the year runner up - Nigel Jones
Outstanding Contribution Award – Paul Mason
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Just Go! Holidays and the National Trust
26th September 2011
It was great to meet some of our customers on our latest National Trust tour,
Churchill's Cultural Kent, attended by our Chairman and CEO Luis Arteaga. The weather was fantastic and a good time was had by all. Here is everyone at Bodiam Castle.
Click here 
to view a larger version of the photo.
Click here to visit the National Trust Breaks section of our website.
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Inspiring Breaks to National Trust Houses and Gardens
11th April 2011
We are proud to announce a new partnership with The National Trust.
We have teamed up to offer you a selection of inspiring breaks to National Trust properties.
We are making it easier for you to visit some of their most interesting houses and beautiful gardens, as well as taking in historic cities and other exciting attractions.
Click here for more details and to make a booking.
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Just Go! Holidays features in Coach Monthly Magazine
21st February 2011
Just Go! Holidays features in February's edition of
Coach Monthly magazine.
Investing to succeed
Last month, theCOACHHOLIDAY.com re-branded itself as Just Go! Holidays. It's a bold step and one that the industry will be watching closely. In this exclusive report, Stuart Render headed to 'Lake Garda' to witness the birth...
View a PDF of the full magazine article
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Just Go! Holidays Launch Party & Awards Ceremony
Friday 28th January 2011 - click on any of the photos to enlarge.
On 8th January, we invited our hoteliers, coach operators, suppliers and a selection of our customers to join us for our Annual Awards Ceremony at the Centaur at Cheltenham Racecourse to celebrate the success of the last year and announce publicly for the first time our new brand Just Go! Holidays which we had previously kept a closely guarded secret.
As our guests enjoyed a drinks reception, a group of magicians kept everyone entertained and baffled with their tricks.
We sat down to a 'destination' themed meal as the speeches began. Founder Mike Merron started off the evening talking about the growth of the company over the past few years as The Coach Holiday.com and then urging everyone in the room to keep their phones on. He then passed over to Chairman and CEO Luis Arteaga who, along with Marketeer David Barker, declared our ambitions for the next 3 years before introducing Just Go! Holidays 
As we announced our new brand, our coaches in their new yellow livery were unveiled and our new text alert system was announced with staff and guest's mobiles ringing and buzzing.
Our awards were then presented by Mike and Luis, see below for photos and details of the winners.
After the awards were all handed out, we finished the night with drinks and dancing with music from the Motown band Hitsville . We gave out special goodies to our guests as they left including our own branded Just Go! Holidays sticks of rock and huge Just Go! Holidays umbrellas as well as handfuls of our new brochure.
Everyone leaving told us what a great time they had and how much they're already looking forward to working with us for the year ahead and next year's Awards Ceremony.
Driver Awards 2010
The Driver awards recognise the hard work and skills of our drivers, with Mark Adams of Perry's Coaches being awarded the Overall Driver of the year. Our previous year's winner, Dave Elcoat, won Driver with the Best Communication Skills, showing our driver's consistent high standards and showing how huge a part they play in the enjoyment of our customer's holiday.
Most Helpful Driver of the Year
Philip Hoffman, Tranzcare Coaches
Most Skilful Driver of the Year
Brendan Greene, Skyline Coaches
Driver with the Best
Communication Skills
Dave Elcoat, W & H Coaches
Continental and Groups
Driver of the Year
Sergio Desperito, Johnson Bros
Overall Driver of the Year
Mark Adams, Perry's Coaches
Coach Operator Award 2010
Coach Operator of the Year
Johnson Bros
Our Coach Operator of the Year award was given to Johnson Bros. They have received consistently excellent feedback from our customers for their clean coaches and good drivers as well as being a pleasure to work with.
Hotel Awards 2010
We then announced our best hotels with Britannia winning the Hotel Chain of the Year and The Holliers Hotel in Shanklin, Isle of Wight for Independent Hotel of the Year.
Hotel Chain of the Year
Britannia
Independent Hotel of the Year
The Holliers Hotel,
Shanklin, Isle of Wight
Visitor Attraction of the Year 2010
Visitor Attraction of the Year
The Eden Project
We awarded The Eden Project with our Visitor Attraction of the Year award. The Eden Project is undoubtedly one of the most popular excursions that we offer and is a memorable day out, not only as a beautiful global garden but an unforgettable eco attraction as well.
Wholesaler of the Year 2010
Wholesaler of the Year
Northern Holidays
Northern Holidays won our Wholesaler of the Year award. We have a brilliant working relationship with them and they have been instrumental in helping us develop our highly successful Spanish tours.
Supplier of the Year 2010
Supplier of the Year
Ray Mullis & John Orchard,
Alpha Response Print
The next award was for Supplier of the Year. This was given to Ray Mullis and John Orchard at Alpha Response for the high standards of print production for our marketing materials and the outstanding service that they offer. They are endlessly flexible and helpful and will always go the extra mile.
Customer Awards
Our customers were next awarded with Harry White winning Group Organiser of the year and Pat Darrall receiving the Customer Loyalty Award. We wouldn't be where we are today without our customers and inviting some of our best customers to Cheltenham to meet us and show them how much we appreciate them was a great way to say thank you for their loyalty over the years and our hope they will travel with us for many more.
Group Organiser of the Year
Harry White
Customer Loyalty Award
Pat Darral
Employee Awards
Employees of the Year
Our final award was our Employee of the Year award. This award is voted for by every member of staff. The overall Employee of the Year winner was our Business Intelligence Manager Andy Cheshire. He joined us in May 2010 but the amount of votes he received is testament to his impact on the company for what he has brought to us and help us become what we are now.
The 3 runners up were: Marie Adam, our Administration Operations Manager, Dawn Brignull, our Reservations Manager, and Adam Palethorpe, IT Manager.
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Just Go! Holidays radio advertisments now airing on Heart FM
Thursday 27th January 2011
<<< Click the play button on the media player to listen!
We now have 3 adverts airing on the
Heart FM radio network.
Use the media player to hear these now, or listen out for us on the radio!
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Gloucestershire coach holiday company transforms
Tuesday 11th January 2011 - Featured in local newspapers and websites SouthWestBusiness.co.uk and ThisIsGloucestershire.co.uk - Written by business editor Bev Hawes
A CHELTENHAM-based coach
holiday company, which is now
one of the biggest in the sector,
underwent a brand
transformation at the weekend.
The Coach Holiday.com, which
employs 65 people, has been
renamed Just Go and launched its
new look at Cheltenham
racecourse.
The company's striking new logo
will go on 55 coaches initially, with
the livery emblazened on all the
company's 100 coaches by the end
of 2011.
Just Go has been providing value
breaks by coach for the past 15
years and operates in 750 locations
all over the country.
In 2008 it took 56,000 bookings but
by 2010 the number had reached in
excess of 200,000, placing Just Go
as the second largest coach holiday
company in the country.
It was founded in 1996 by Mike
Merron and began life as The
Coach Holiday Warehouse. With
the steady growth of the company
it changed its name to The Coach
Holiday.com and now Just Go with
the company moving to its current
offices at Pate Court, Cheltenham,
in 2005. The growth in turnover
has been significant. In 2008 the
company achieved £10.4 million
turnover, rising to £19.1 million in
2009 and £29.5 million last year.
Spanish-born Luis Arteaga joined
the company in 2002 as financial
director from a large Spanish
multinational company.
Mr Arteaga became managing
director of The Coach Holiday.com
in 2005 and then bought out the
business at the beginning of 2009,
becoming both chairman and CEO.
Originally from Madrid, he now
lives in Cheltenham with his wife
and two children.
Mr Arteaga said the size of the
company workforce had grown
from 19 two years ago to 65 now.
Despite the effects of the recession,
coach holidays are more popular
than ever, especially in the 60-plus
age range.
"We provide an easy, affordable
and social way of enjoying the
country," he said. "The coach is
also the most environmentally
friendly way of taking a holiday.
"The social aspect of coach
holidays is absolutely fundamental.
People share interests and feel
comfortable. They also like having
everything done for them."
Although 95 per cent of Just Go
holidays are in the UK it also takes
people to such destinations as
Spain, Belgium and Italy. The most
popular destination in this
country is the Isle of Wight.
Mr Arteaga was kept waiting six
days as he attempted to fly out of
the weather-hit UK to get back to
his Spanish homeland at
Christmas. But he is proud that all
21 of his company's coaches going
out to Spain on the 19th of
December reached their
destination on time.
"The flying experience is getting
worse and worse," he said. "We
offer a great hassle-free service."
The coach drivers can make or
break a holiday, which is why Just
Go has established its own
academy for drivers. This covers
everything from customer safety
on board to disability awareness.
Mr Arteaga said in hard times
value for money was more
important than ever, which is why
he believes his company has
continued to grow during the
recession.
"People have worked hard and feel
they have earned these breaks," he
said. "My goal is to have a million
customers by 2014 and the
rebranding is the first step.
"We had to find a name that
represents who we are and what
our vision is. We want to
transform this industry.
"In hard times companies that
have a belief in the future invest. It
is the perfect opportunity."
View a PDF of the newspaper article
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Just Go! Holidays features on regional radio - listen to the clip
Sunday 9th January 2011
<<< Click the play button on the media player to listen!
A Cheltenham-based travel company has become one of the leading coach operators in the country. Just Go! Holidays is the new name for TheCoachHoliday.com. The Chairman, Luis Arteaga, says the coach holiday companies can compete with other travel operators.
"Doing holidays by coach is not only the safest, the simplest, the easiest, it's the most environmentally friendly, and everyone is very very aware of the environmental consequences of travelling. 95% of our holidays are within the UK. We're basically not competing with EasyJet and Ryanair. And what we do is offer a different type of service."
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Just Go! Holidays features on regional radio - listen to the clip
Tuesday 4th January 2011
A very warm welcome to our new website and the beginning of an exciting new era for us as Just Go! Holidays
After 15 successful years of business as theCoachHoliday.com we have changed our name and our logo. But please don't worry! We are still the same people with the same values and commitment to you, our customers. We have put together our most comprehensive selection of holidays ever. We believe there is a break (or two or three!) for everyone so I hope you enjoy browsing through it as much as I have.
Our philosophy here at Just Go! Holidays is pretty simple: we believe you've worked hard all your life. You've raised children and maybe even grandchildren. You've paid your mortgage and your taxes. You've made sure the dinner's on the
table and the chequebook is balanced.
So you know what? It's time you treated yourself. After all, you deserve a few breaks in life!
Travelling with us is simple, sociable and great value. So Just Go!... Get out more in life!...
With very best wishes,
Luis Arteaga
Chairman & CEO
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