Jamie’s 2019 Round-Up
2019 Highlights From The Boss
Whew, 2019 – what a year! I’m sure that you are all feeling the same. But for the team at TJ’s Travel and me, it’s been a bonkers one. We’ve had one of our busiest years to date, and I don’t just mean for travel bookings! We’ve had four swanky new coaches, new team members, trips locally, tours abroad, naked men on our back seat and a takeover at Doncaster Races.
To top it off, we were chosen by the IFAF as their official coach group for the Championship Finals. But the most celebrated achievement happened in the last month. Read on to see my personal twelve highlights, month by month!
My 12 Month Highlights
Just click on the cross to reveal my 12 special moments of 2019
January – Footie Style!
With the start of the new year, I wanted to give back to my local area. So, because I live Pontefract myself, I sponsored Pontefract Town Football Club. They’ve had a fighting year of football brilliance, made all the better by their great-looking kit 😉
February – Papped!
Grandad Dennis received his moment of fame and was photographed on his trip to Heathrow on the M1. Looks like this February Half-Term airport trip were transformed into social celebrities!
March – Media Takeover!
The TJs fleet took over at the National Science Media Museum. Oh yes, from memory I believe we took a whopping 280 passengers to explore image and sound at Bradford’s film and sensory museum.
April – Jo Jo’s Makeover!
April saw my old, trusty Jo Jo get a much-deserved makeover. She’d done us proud in her old colours but it was time for a refresh. So we upgraded her for new 53-seater Yutong model and she’s been better than ever! Go-go Jo Jo!
May – Magic Weekend!
Every year I arrange a few coaches for the Magic Weekend. I love this Super League epic battle weekend, made even better by seeing our local teams in action. Now, I can’t wait to see what happens 23rd & 24th May 2020! Oh, and if you want to book a seat this year, CLICK HERE!
June – Naked Dave!
Hen parties and stag parties go on throughout the year, but there is one that stands out in 2019. Oh yes, I will never forget seeing “Naked Dave” on the backseat of Maisy-Grace 2! Yet this delightful hen party considered safety first and made sure Dave was belted in!
July – Dominating Doncaster Races!
July was a crazy month with endless race days. I think we virtually lived between York and Doncaster racecourse. However, the day I recall best is the one where our entire fleet was out at Doncaster. Now that was an interesting all-nighter for me and the cleaning team!
August – The Twins Arrive, John & Doreen!
One of the things that I’m especially proud of this year is our growing fleet. That’s because becoming Euro 6 compliant is close to my heart. So I’m aiming to bring all my vehicles into line (read more about Euro 6 HERE).
So da-dah, we welcomed the Twins! My two new touring coaches joined our family; John & Doreen, AKA The Twins. These two larger coaches were especially useful this month due to the IFAF’s Ladies Championship Final. As you can imagine, those basketball stars needed a lot of legroom!
September – A Mammoth Record!
September was insane with so many school trips. Although the day I will never forget is the 27th of September. This day saw a record for us as it was our biggest school trip ever and required a staggering 31 coaches! I’m still getting over that day although endlessly grateful to my industry partners for the hired in help.
October – TJs Travel Arena Renews
As you can gather, I like doing my bit for the local area. So that’s why I’m chuffed to have my name on the TJs Travel Arena. September is always a memorable month as I renew my sponsorship of Glasshoughton AFC. Glassy Welfare has battled through some challenging matches this year, but I’m fully behind them for a storming 2020!
November – Temsa, Temsa!
The fourth of my 4 fleet upgrades happened this month, and this was my super-comfy new midi coach, the 34-seater Temsa. Sadly I’ve been so busy that this member of our family remains unnamed. However, the grand naming remains on my list for 2020!
December – We Hit 15!
This month I’m celebrating the team’s most significant achievement; TJs Travel got our 15th badge! So now we can have fifteen TJs Travel vehicles out on the road at any one time. Now that’s a spectacle I can’t wait to see! Well done to all the TJs gang, every one of you has made this possible!
Final thoughts
So there you have it, my emotional and rejoiceful look back at 2019. In conclusion; the journey’s been hard work but worth every moment!
I couldn’t have achieved all of the exceptional work this year, without you lovely customers and, of course, my dedicated Team. From Mike, Jim, Louise, Jo, Jo and the rest of the Team in the office to my brilliant service mechanics and top-notch drivers. Even on the epic-breakdown day at York races; Team, you pulled it together and kept every vehicle on track and on time!
Thank you friends, customers and TJs Travel crew; you’ve been awesome! And Thank you for taking the time to look back over this momentous year with me.
Work hard, stay safe and see you again in 2020 peeps!
