My Just You Story: Karen Goodall

Just You traveller, Karen Goodall, has enjoyed more than 15 tours since 2001, spanning Europe and the USA.

Where it all began...

My first trip with Just You was to the USA where I visited the National Parks and the Grand Canyon. Everything was so well organised and the Grand Canyon was certainly a highlight of the trip. We were on the southern rim and the group just stood there in awe. We couldn’t believe the views we were witnessing. Since then, the fantastic experiences have kept on coming!

Travelling to Phoenix and taking part in a traditional barn dance was brilliant. We also went to Nevada and ended the trip in Las Vegas, another jaw-dropping site to behold. Fremont Street was amazing - everyone was wide-eyed at seeing all the sights and the glitz and buzz of the Strip.

Another memorable moment for me was going to see where John F Kennedy was shot. It was so emotional walking around the museum and it was incredible to experience the atmosphere.

I also loved the New England in the Fall tour. The scenery was just amazing and all the colours were beautiful. After that I went to San Francisco, Los Angeles and Las Vegas and stopped off in Palm Springs. The San Francisco boat trip around the bay was definitely the highlight of that trip for me.

Incredible experiences

If I had to pick one experience that really stands out above all others, it would be whale-watching in Cape Cod, which I did on The Great Eastern USA tour. We were on the boat, just trundling along, then all of a sudden we were surrounded by humpback whales. It was incredible to see them all - there were hundreds of them! And that’s all I could talk about, it was a one-off experience that I’d always wanted to do.

As well as the incredible experiences, what I like about Just You is that everything is organised for you and you can just relax and enjoy your holiday. It’s also great to meet new people and share these moments together.

Creating memories

One memory in particular, that was amazing to do as a group, was Niagara Falls. We explored the tunnels around the falls together and being so close to them was fantastic.

I’ve made some great friends along the way and I’m still in touch with some of the people from the first trip I went on. During my most recent holiday to San Marino, there were a few people I just clicked with as we all had the same sense of humour - we’re planning to meet up before Christmas!