Bestselling author’s premonitions about a land 5,000 miles away prompt New Year’s resolution to abandon her life and move there

Premonitions about a land she has never visited more than 5,000 miles from home first inspired a bestselling author’s latest book and have now prompted her New Year’s resolution to abandon her current life and move there.

Happily settled in Edinburgh, Scotland, since 2006, when she emigrated from her native Poland, Sandra Stachowicz, 35, also a publisher, has taken ‘out with the old’ to extremes – booking a one-way ticket for January 28 to the Colombian capital Bogota – intending to set up home there and travel through South America.

Even leaving her fiancé, who she has been seeing for eight years, behind and with no intention of ever returning to Europe, she said: “In the book I’m writing, which will be called Rebel Romance, the main character has a romance with a Colombian lover.Tr

“It brought back a lot of memories from my youth, because I use a lot of my own experiences for my writing. Years ago, I dated a Colombian man and I have always wanted to travel to Colombia.

“I have precognitive dreams, also known as premonitions, and during the writing process, I started dreaming a lot about Colombia.

“It confirmed to me what I already knew – that I miss travelling, getting to know new people and experiencing new cultures.

“I had planned to get married last year, but it was such a time of uncertainty with all the restrictions, that we pushed the wedding back to summer 2022, although now with my move it won’t be going ahead.

“It’s going to be difficult to say goodbye to everyone, particularly my partner, but I also have so much to look forward to, especially at this time of year with the winter weather, it’ll be nice to escape to a sunnier place.”

Sandra, who remains guarded about her fiancé’s identity, feels her wings have been clipped by the pandemic and, a free spirit, her desire to travel again has taken precedence over everything else.

She said: “I’ve always been a free spirit and have always loved travelling. In recent years, I seem to have lost that spark.

“A lot of my books are about resilience and rebirth and I feel that it’s time for me to experience that too.

“My life has become comfortable, but predictably boring and New Year is a time for new beginnings. The time to do something like this is now.”

With a lifelong passion for discovering new places, people and things, while most people would be daunted by such an extreme life change, Sandra sees it as an exciting new adventure.

She said: “In 2006, just before my 20th birthday, I moved by myself from Poland to Scotland.

“I’ve always wanted to see the world and that was my first big leap. I didn’t know anyone in Edinburgh, but I adapted and built up a network of friends.

“When Covid hit, travelling was what I missed the most. I felt like a part of me was missing.

“In normal times, I easily travel to another country at least twice a year. I’d be lost without travelling in my life.”

Desperate to be airborne once more, Sandra is now all set for take off.

She said: “It’s a big leap into the unknown, but I’m ready to start afresh again.

“I’ve booked a one-way ticket with no intention of coming back.

“I’m leaving my old life in Edinburgh – all my friends and even my fiancé behind.”

And she continued: “I haven’t felt like myself since the pandemic hit.

“I don’t want to spend my life in one city and for the past two years, I haven’t been able to do the things I normally would do.

“It’s made me realise that I’m ready for a big change and a new chapter in my life.”

With six books already under her belt, the Colombian lover is her seventh tome, which she is still writing, has given her the impetus to explore the incredible country that has coastlines on both the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea.

She said: “I’ve got a lot to organise before I go, so this Christmas has been especially busy for me. I’m trying to see all my friends one last time before my flight leaves.”

But, despite being excited about her big move, Sandra admits it will not be easy to say goodbye to her old life.

She said: “I’ll miss my friends that I’m leaving behind deeply.

“That’s always the hardest part of any move, but I will keep in touch with them on WhatsApp and I hope that they will come and visit me at some point.

“Some friends don’t understand why I would want to do this, but they forget that I have already done it before when I left Poland.

“Starting afresh in a completely new place might seem scary to some people, but to me it comes naturally.

“I intend to grow roots and I do hope to stay in Colombia for a while and call it my new home.”

And for Sandra a one-way ticket really means she is never coming back.

She said: “When I first arrived in Scotland, I had only intended to stay for six months, but life got in the way and now, 16 years on, I’m ready to continue the journey.

“I’ve always wanted to live in that part of the world. I’ve never been to South America before so it’s like a dream come true and I won’t be returning to Europe.

“Meanwhile, I would advise other people to make the most of their New Year’s resolutions. None of our tomorrows are guaranteed, so the time to act is now.”