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Group Invites Random Stranger with the Same Name to Join Them After Friend Bails

April 11, 2017
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2 min read
Cala Llombards
Group Invites Random Stranger with the Same Name to Join Them After Friend Bails
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A group of friends in the UK about to embark on a getaway to Mallorca, Spain, for a 30th birthday celebration hit a snag in their plans when one of their pals, Joe McGrath, dropped out at the last minute, with his plane ticket and hotel reservation already listed under his name. Instead of letting his part of the vacation — which included a flight from Bristol (BRS), UK, and a stay at an all-inclusive resort — go to waste, they took to Facebook and soon managed to track down another Joe McGrath who lived in Manchester, UK, and sent him a message to see if he'd like to join them — despite the fact that they'd never met.

Joe Mcgrath No. 2, who works at a radio station, was able to take off a few days, and made the three-hour drive down to Bristol to meet his new companions, telling The Telegraph he'd had "a mad three days with complete strangers that I think I can call my good friends."

The folks who invited him got in on the fun, posting their own statuses on social media — Lucy B. posted this photo of McGrath saying, "When your friend can't make it on holiday so you troll the internet to find someone with the same name."

Well, it sounds like Joe No. 2 had a blast with his new friends. Though, with an all-expenses paid trip to Mallorca, it seems like it would be hard not to. Spontaneous travel with strangers also worked out pretty well for these two back in 2014 — a recently-dumped 28-year-old from Toronto managed to find someone with the same name as his ex-girlfriend to take over her part of the round-the-world itinerary — so maybe there's something to it.

H/T: The Telegraph

Image of Mallorca, Spain, courtesy of Dennis Fischer Photography via Getty Images.

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  • $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card to dine at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible Resy purchases. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
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  • Explore over 1,000 upscale hotels worldwide with The Hotel Collection and receive a $100 credit towards eligible charges* with every booking of two nights or more through AmexTravel.com. *Eligible charges vary by property.
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