Man Finds New Companion With Same Name as Ex-Girlfriend

Looks like there's a happy ending to the sad tale of the boyfriend who was dumped by his girlfriend and left with a round-the-world itinerary in her name: he's now found a (platonic) taker for the free trip, a young woman with the same nationality and name.

Jordan Axani, a 28-year-old guy from Toronto, recently parted ways with one Elizabeth Gallagher before the couple could take an already-ticketed trip around the world. The tickets came with a strict no-transfer policy, but as no passport information was required for booking, he realized he could theoretically give the ticket away to any woman who shared his ex's exact name and nationality. He took to Reddit to search for any Canadian woman named Elizabeth Gallagher who would be willing to go along for the journey, and among the thousands of emails he received were 18 from actual Elizabeth Gallaghers with Canadian passports.

He has since chosen one—a 23 year-old student and part-time office administrator named Elizabeth Quinn Gallagher from Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia—to be his travel partner. Prior to this decision, Gallagher and Axani spent several hours on the phone getting to know each other, and have agreed that their trip will be platonic, as this Gallagher already has her own serious boyfriend. A boyfriend, by the way, who sounds more begrudgingly patient than outright thrilled that his girlfriend will soon be traveling the world with a random guy.

The 21-day journey of Axani and Gallagher 2.0 is scheduled to begin on December 21, 2014 in New York City, and will continue on to Milan, Prague, Paris, Bangkok and New Delhi before ending in Toronto on January 12, 2015. After his breakup, Axani stopped making plans for the trip, including hotel reservations. However, seizing the opportunity for some good press, Marriott offered free (and separate) rooms to the pair for their entire itinerary. Axani apparently plans to take a lot of photos and share his travel adventures on his blog and Twitter.

Inspired by the outpouring of emotional, heartfelt emails he received from his Reddit posting, Axani and his brother Shaun have created an organization called A Ticket Forward to help people who want to see the world but lack the finances to do so. I love this idea, though I can't help but hope that such an impassioned traveler will soon brush up on his points and miles strategy—and find himself a devoted girlfriend.

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