Meet the team: Jo Roberts
02 March 2023
Please can you introduce yourself?
Hi, I’m Joanna Roberts – although most people call me ‘Jo’ – and I joined the JG Travel Group in July 2022. Those 7 months have flown by already! I currently live in Reigate but am re-locating to Cheltenham to be closer to the office and my family. I grew up in Cheltenham, so it really feels like coming home. I’ve been married to my husband, Pete, for 15 years and we have a gorgeous but very demanding tabby cat called Morris. I graduated in Tourism Studies from Bournemouth University in 2001 and have worked in Product roles in the travel industry ever since.
You recently got promoted from Head of Product to Director of Product – How are you finding it so far?
I’ve been warmly welcomed into the role by the wonderful team here and am really enjoying it. There’s plenty to get my teeth stuck into and I really enjoy working with people who are passionate about delivering great holidays to our customers.
What's a typical day like at Just Go Holidays for you?
No two days are ever the same for me, I’m pleased to say! Deadlines and priorities fluctuate each week and month, so it’s vital to have a very flexible approach to work. My time is split between discussing new holiday ideas with our experienced team of Product Managers, reviewing feedback from our customers to try and make improvements to the holidays wherever we can, overseeing the team who load our holidays for sale and then make the magic happen on the ground, managing the health and safety reviews of our tours and much, much more besides. It’s very fortunate that I love to be kept busy!
Are there any new tours/products for 2023 that you're particularly looking forward to and are excited to share with us?
We have a wonderful collection of new Royal tours on offer in 2023, which felt fitting as we said a sad farewell to Queen Elizabeth II in 2022 and look ahead to the Coronation of King Charles III in 2023.
Popular British railway journeys feature in some of our new and revamped itineraries too. We know how much rail journeys are loved by our customers, so you’ll be able to find the Bluebell Railway, North Yorkshire Moors Railway and Swanage Railway, to name a few.
We’ve also incorporated TV themes into some of our new tours - Gentleman Jack’s Charming Yorkshire and the World of James Herriot, Skipton & Yorkshire are well worth a look.
What's your favourite holiday destination?
In my role, it is pretty impossible to choose just one, as I’m surrounded by travel inspiration all of the time!
Long-haul - I absolutely love New Zealand and Costa Rica, but am going to Borneo in March…which may push Costa Rica off my current top spot.
European-wise, there’s nowhere quite like Italy – the historic cities, the beautiful northern lakes, the flair of the language, the food and wine - it literally is the ‘dolce vita’.
Closer to home, I love the mystery of Cornwall, the tranquillity of the Lake District, adventurous Wales and the Peak District, plus the beautiful beaches around Bournemouth. We’re blessed with such diverse landscapes and seascapes on our doorstep - you can see why it is impossible to choose!
How do you spend your free time outside of the office?
It generally depends on how busy the working week had been! Sometimes the beauty of just relaxing at home and in the garden is an absolute luxury. Other times I want to be out burning energy - walking, jogging, cycling or wild swimming. I live fairly close to London at the moment, so exploring the city and meeting up with friends is something I love to do. I’m fortunate that my friends and family live all over the UK, so it’s a great excuse to travel around the country for sightseeing and sociable meet ups.
What’s your favourite snack to eat on a coach trip?
Popcorn – it has to be the mixed bag of sweet and salty for that element of surprise with each corn!