Little did she know that it would spur on a brand new dream.
After she was left heartbroken by the man she loved, Katy, 30, booked a one-way ticket to South-East Asia.
Three years on, she hasn’t looked back. Backpacking to places like India, Nepal and Thailand, Katy achieved her childhood dream of becoming an author after winning a three-book publishing deal.
The former PR worker for Manchester airport decided to sell “anything that wouldn’t fit into a large backpack” before jetting to Thailand on her own.
“Everyone did think I was a little mad, especially as I’d never travelled anywhere by myself before, but it just felt right,” she explained.
“I needed the time away from everything and everyone I knew to find myself, but it wasn’t as cheesy as that.”
Armed with her backpack and degree in English and Journalism, Katy documented her travels in her blog, Not Wed or Dead – mainly to keep her loved ones up to date with her trip.
With her untouched wedding dress still sitting in her closest, Katy believes the demise of relationship was the “wake-up call” she needed, admitting her life although “comfortable, lacked adventure!”
Now how life is the pure embodiment of adventure.
“I have climbed an active volcano in Chile, slept in a Thai jungle, got covered in Holi powder in India, skydived in France and even taken a flight past Mount Everest.”
Her life’s heartbreak spurred on a new dream.
“People who weren’t related to me started reading my blog and sending me emails, telling me how brave I was to quit it all and go,” she said.
“I received messages from other newly single men and women who said they read my blog as an inspiration – that just because you’ve been dumped it doesn’t mean you have to listen to bad power anthems and devour ice-cream!”
Adding, “You can use this as a catalyst for something much bigger and better.”
With the blog’s growing success, she decided to tie it up into a novel reminiscent of legendary heartbreak page-turners Bridget Jones’ Diary and Eat, Pray, Love.
“I started writing a few chapters, not fully aware that they would be the start of a novel, but mostly as a way to clear my head,” Katy said.
Katy is living life to the fullest.
The British native certainly has good material. She’s lived in France, travelled through South-East Asia and South America.
Katy’s first book in The Lonely Hearts Travel Club series, Destination: Thailand – is set to be released soon.
“Ironically, an editor called me on what would have been our third wedding anniversary. It is poignant to think how far I’d come through hard work, being brave and wanting to live the biggest life I could,” she says.
