Why One Woman Is Going On a Free Around-the-World Trip With a Total Stranger

It’s the classic story of: Boy meets girl; boy and girl buy round-the-world plane tickets together; boy and girl break up; boy then goes on Reddit to find a complete stranger with ex-girlfriend’s name to take the trip with him — for free.

No, this isn’t a Katherine Heigl movie — although we are sure that Hollywood is salivating over film rights.

Canadian Jordan Axani, a 28-year-old who lives in Cabbagetown, Canada (yes, Cabbagetown), made headlines last month when he turned to social media to find an Elizabeth Gallagher who wasn’t his ex-girlfriend to join him on a two-week trip around the world. Axani didn’t want to waste the ticket, which is non-transferable, but can be used by a person with the same name since it didn’t require passport information.

While thousands of people offered their services, some of whom said they’d change their names for the trip, Axani has now selected a travel buddy. Elizabeth “Quinn” Gallagher, a student and homeless shelter volunteer, has signed up for a trip that sounds like some people’s dream and others’ worst nightmare.

“It definitely did seem a little bit creepy at the beginning but now that I talked to him it’s less creepy and more awesome,” she told Reuters. She’ll still pay for her other expenses.

The two plan on doing charity work… seeing sites… falling in love…

No, wait. Not that. It’s totally not a love trip. It’s a platonic trip.

“This is totally as friends,” she said. “I have a pretty serious boyfriend. We’ve been together for a while. We’re planning on buying a house and we have a puppy, so I’m not really looking for anything at all.”

But while romance may not be on the cards, the story still has a happy ending: Axani has used this experience as an opportunity to create a charity called A Ticket Forward, which will provide travel funding for underprivileged people.