From a career in banking to a job as a tour manager for a singles holiday company, Julie Jones has transformed her life. She talks to Women's Editor Christen Pears.

TWO years ago, Julie Jones was at a low ebb. Her mother had just been diagnosed with cancer and the threat of redundancy was hanging over her head. These days, life couldn't be more different. She is tanned, relaxed and, above all, she's happy.

"For the first time in my life I'm not planning. I'm taking it as it comes and just enjoying it. It's the most amazing feeling," she says.

Julie, who lives in Darlington, works as a tour manager for Solo's, a travel company specialising in singles holidays. Just back from Mauritius, she has trips to Crete and Madeira coming up in the next couple of months. It's a far cry from her job as regional liaison manager for Barclays in the North-East.

The 42-year-old had been with the bank for 27 years, working her way up through the ranks to a senior position. Following a divorce, she threw herself in to her career. Working long hours became routine and although she had started to question what she was doing, she ploughed on.

It was the death of her mother from lung cancer in late 2002 that acted as a catalyst for change. The five months Julie had spent nursing her has taken both an emotional and physical toll on her but it also made her re-assess her life.

She says: "When something like that happens, you think very carefully about yourself. I'd got as far as I could at Barclays but I thought, 'so what?'. I realised I was on a treadmill with my life and career and didn't want to end up doing that for the rest of my life."

When Barclays restructured its regional offices in early 2003, Julie had the opportunity to take redundancy. She knew she wanted to leave; it was just a question of finding out what she wanted to do instead.

A few months after her mum died, she had been on holiday to Mauritius. As a single woman, she didn't want to travel on her own, and signed up for a trip with Solo's - a company specialising in singles holidays.

"I had an amazing time and I met a lot of people in the same boat as me - both men and women. I got talking to the tour manager and asked her how she got involved. She used to work in training for British Airways and was really enjoying herself. She said she'd been watching me and thought I would be a natural at it."

The seed of an idea was planted in her head and when she left Barclays, she trained as a tour manager for Solo's, making her first trip to Kos last year.

"It was very scary because it was such a huge change. I'd had the security of the bank for a long time and this was something completely different. I'm enjoying myself and I have absolutely no regrets."

During the summer season, she workd pretty well flat out. Winter is quieter, although Julie has just learned to ski so she will have more opportunities this year. When she's at home, she works towards an interior design qualification - something she would never have had time to do while at Barclays.

Going on holiday alone can be a daunting experience, particularly if you don't speak the language. Chances are you'll also pay over the odds for your accommodation because of the single supplement so many hotels charge.

Solo's was set up 22 years ago. Every holiday is organised as a group although people don't have to follow a set itinerary. Apart from drinks and dinner every night, holidaymakers can do their own thing, although there is always someone around if you want to go sightseeing or even just have a chat around the pool. It doesn't set out to matchmake people, although everyone is in the same situation and romance does blossom.

Tour managers are an integral part of the group, bringing everyone together and offering advice and organising excursions. For Julie, who is naturally gregarious, the best part of the job is meeting new people.

"I've always been a people person and my favourite job at Barclays was as a personal banker. I've made some wonderful friends and obviously I get to travel the world too. It works really well for me because I have no ties. I just get up and go. What more could you ask for?"

* For more information about Solo's, visit the website at www.solosholidays.co.uk