Jordan Axani was supposed to go on a 21-day global adventure with his girlfriend, but they broke up even before the round-the-world journey began.
However, he can't just call off his travel plans as he had already booked their tickets, and they're non-transferable. Since his ex-girlfriend understandably will no longer be accompanying him on the trip, he decided to have another companion who had the same name as she, so the paid-for ticket, which bore his erstwhile ladylove's name, won't go to waste. He then launched a search for a Canadian Elizabeth Gallagher in early November.
And now, more than a month later, the 28-year-old real estate developer has finally picked his travel buddy replacement, CNN said.
"After threw out the offer in early November for a free round-the-world trip, social media posts avalanched down at the hashtag #ElizabethGallagher," the news source noted. "Elizabeth Quinn Gallagher from Nova Scotia quickly tweeted Axani a photo of her passport. Scrawled on the shot in hot pink, the words 'Take me!!!'"
And so he did.
"On Sunday, Axani embarks from John F. Kennedy airport in New York with his new friend, former stranger, avid volunteer and fellow Canadian, Elizabeth Gallagher. They'll go to Milan, Prague, Paris, Bangkok and New Delhi," USA Today said.
When Axani returns, he will be starting "A Ticket Forward," a crowdfunding charity that will help raise funds for those who don't have the resources to go on such "transformative trips."
"The first four he hopes to fund are a victim of Lymphoma, a single mother with an autistic son, and two women who fled violence in their native countries," CNN said.
Axani had since said that he didn't want his Elizabeth Gallagher search to go viral because he's not "a fame-seeking guy."
"But I'm really getting to make lemonade with what could have been a bad situation," he shared.
Business Insider had reported last month that Axani's search, which he posted on Reddit, had gone viral. Why wouldn't it, when it involved doling out a free plane ticket for a round-the-world trip? Well, only if you fit the following criteria, as noted by the site:
"Be sane, smart and (hopefully) interesting; have always wanted to travel, but maybe haven't had the opportunity or cash to see much of the world; be named Elizabeth Gallagher and have a Canadian passport; be ready for a rather spontaneous life experience that will, one day, be an epic story that you'll tell your kids; pay it forward. I've been lucky in life and this is me giving back to the universe. Do something similar someday."
Axani had clarified that he wasn't expecting "anything in return" for taking on the offer and that he wasn't "looking for companionship, romance, drugs, a trade, or to take selfies with you in front the Christmas Market in Prague."
Apparently, the lucky Elizabeth Gallagher fit the bill. Plus, she's got a solid track record for giving back, being a volunteer at a homeless shelter. She also is looking to be a social worker someday.
The pair will be leaving for Italy on Sunday from New York City.