Beauty products entrepreneur Carole Jones had a shock when she stopped her car
at a junction – a stranger jumped in and demanded to be taken to the nearest
train station.
“I was driving to one of our salons and had stopped at a junction in Staines,”
she said. “I couldn’t believe it when this man jumped into the front
passenger seat. I was really rather scared. He didn’t ask for a lift, he
just demanded to be taken to the station which was about 10 minutes away.
Luckily, I’ve got a Great Dane, who is a big boy. He was sitting in the back
and just leaned over and looked at him. The dog had a collar on and I said
to the man that he had to have that on because he is quite ferocious. The
man didn’t say a word. I was unnerved but glad to have big Max in the back.
I was very relieved when the man got out to the car.”
Jones, 50, is the founder of Totally UK, which supplies a range of beauty
products online and to 950 salons throughout the UK. She has travelled on
business extensively throughout the UK and to Europe and the United States
to promote her company.
Do you always drive to meetings in the UK?
I always have done, because I’ve always had so much stuff to carry for the
salons. In the past, I’ve frequently travelled from Scotland to Cornwall and
all areas in between. I’ve spent a week on a trip covering as much ground as
possible. I’ve now got an Audi Q7, but I have had a Porsche and a Jaguar.
How do you cope with life on the road?
It drives me absolutely potty and thank goodness for the radio. When I first
started on the road in 1991/92, it was not as bad and you could even get
around the M25. Nowadays the M6 Toll is the best road because it is quiet,
but on the bad roads you just have to open the window and take a deep
breath.
Did the man jumping in the car put you off driving?
No, you have to get on with life, whatever you do. I was attacked in a park by
a man with a Taser gun in Virginia Water, near Windsor Great Park, a few
years ago. I was out with the dogs listening to the radio and felt this big
bolt in the back of my head. I was taken to a hospital on a stretcher and
had dizziness and sickness for about a year. Luckily, I’m quite fit and
strong because it might have finished off an older person. But it didn’t
stop me from going on walks.
What do you look for in a hotel?
I tend to look for somewhere modest, and it has to be clean with an ensuite
bathroom. A Premier Inn or Travelodge suits me fine. I tend not to do bed
and breakfast because you can never really be sure of the quality of the
food. I’ll just have a cup of tea and some fruit and then I’m on my way.
Any properties stand out?
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