Axani and Gallagher in Bangkok
I hate watching the news. The world seems to be an increasingly violent and depressing place and each new day brings stories of cruelty, hatred and injustice that leave me feeling helpless and in despair of humanity. However, every so often I will see a story that reminds me that there are still wonderful people out there…
Last year, Canadian Jordan Axani and his girlfriend, Elizabeth Gallagher, booked a three week round-the-world vacation for the Christmas holidays, but then they broke up before the trip took place. However, instead of letting the spare ticket go to waste, Jordan turned to Reddit in an attempt to find another Canadian girl with the same name as his ex who was willing to join him. Asking for nothing in return, his criteria was simple:
1. Be sane, smart and (hopefully) interesting.
2. Have always wanted to travel, but maybe haven’t had the opportunity or cash to see much of the world.
3. Be named Elizabeth Gallagher and have a Canadian passport.
4. Be ready for a rather spontaneous life experience that will, one day, be an epic story that you’ll tell your kids.
5. Pay it forward. I’ve been lucky in life and this is me giving back to the universe. Do something similar today.
The story went viral, Axani received thousands of applications and the lucky recipient was a 23 year old student, Elizabeth Quinn Gallagher, from Nova Scotia. Gallagher, who has a boyfriend (apparently he wasn’t hugely impressed with her plans to spend Christmas with a complete stranger), initially thought the idea was a little crazy, but was quickly put at ease by Axani in a number of conversations over the phone. They met in the airport departure lounge at Toronto on 21st December and visited eight different places – New York, Milan, Venice, Prague, New Dehli, Khao Lak and Hong Kong, before returning on the 8th January. Because Axani stopped planning the trip further when he and his ex broke up, there were no hotel rooms booked, but when Marriott International heard about it, they provided separate rooms at each stop of their journey.
Paris
New York
Hong Kong
It seems that they developed a great friendship, joking on their return about Axani’s fear of heights and Gallagher’s frequent ability to get lost, they had a wonderful time and I’m pleased for them both.
However, the beauty of the story doesn’t stop there. Axani was inspired by incredibly touching message that he received from and eight year-old boy who was losing his sight and wanted to see the world before he lost his vision completely, and has now set up an charity organisation with his brother called A Ticket Forward to help people travel but don’t have the money.
What a wonderful story, created by a kind and generous person. Perhaps there is hope for humanity after all!
If you wish to make a donation to A Ticket Forward, simply click this link
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How cool is that? 🙂
It’s great isn’t it! What a lovely story to read at the start of a new year!
Definitely 🙂
There is definitely hope for humanity, and not just because of this story. News organizations are notorious for highlighting tragedy to grab attention. Sometimes I worry about the state of things as well. Had I seen Jordan Axani’s ad I might have been tempted to forge myself a Canadian passport and put on a wig.
The facial hair may have been a bit of a give away Phil 😉
Thanks! I felt really good after hearing about this story so I thought I’d share…
Great post, very inspiring!
Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it – it made me smile so I thought I’d share
That is such a lovely story! Who would have thought Marriott had a heart? Thanks for sharing!
Haha! I’ve never stayed in a Marriott but have played at weddings in various ones with my string quartet – they’re beautiful!
They are lovely hotels, no question. I’ve stayed in some for business travel. Pretty corporate; pretty soul-less. Who knew there was a beating heart under there?!
The world never ceases to amaze me. It just goes to show that it doesn’t matter if the good deed your gonna do is small. Be it a small giveaway. If your lucky that small thing you did will have a chain of events following it leading to a bigger change in the world. The smallest of things can be the start of the biggest wonders. Thanks for sharing this story it really brighten up my gloomy day 🙂
Absolutely! Thank you!
Wonderful.
Thank you!
I agree with Phil Taylor.
Media has two sides – Nedia, as we know it, TRP driven; Pedia, which circulates only positive vibes! Somehow, negative news travels at the speed of light; positive trudges along like a bull-cart! Our collective mental disposition is to blame!!
Absolutely – thank you as always!
What an amazing story! Humanity: Almost restored! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Thanks Amanda!
That was a sweet story, although it did sound like the set up for a very scary Hostel type horror movie. 🙂
Haha! Absolutely! I think the girl was a bit creeped out herself until she spoke to him!
And she didn’t end up falling for him in the end???
No she has a boyfriend… I’m making the decision to believe that it was all purely innocent and that two beautiful people alone on a foreign tour didn’t indulge in anything but friendship…
I know, but I just thought the wonderful vacation might lead them to fall for each other. It does sound like something you’d see in a Hollywood romcom… 🙂
Me too… I’m in a long term committed relationship so I’m trying to imagine The Bloke’s face if I told him I was going on a three week trip with a complete stranger over Christmas to some of the most beautiful places in the world. I’m also trying to imagine how I would behave if I were single and on a trip like that…
Exactly.
What an amazing story! Jordan is an awesome guy. I look forward to one day reading that he found “Mrs. Right.” I learned about the possibility of platonic relationships early in my life. When significant others are acknowledged and brought into the mix, the true beauty of the relationship comes out.
Absolutely loved your comment – I have lots of platonic relationships with men and it makes my friendships with them really nice – no expectations, just lots of laughs and interesting perspectives!
Great story – and now a great cause too.
I was pleased to hear they’re Canadian as well!
Haha! Everything I’ve ever heard about Canadians is that they are nice people…
Wonderful story! It’s so nice to hear something so positive instead of something negative! Thank you for that lovely post!
Thanks Taylor – really pleased you enjoyed it!
The Bloke sen me this story by email but it was lovely reading it again with the added part about the charity being set up for the little boy :0)
It’s so nice to see good things coming out of something like that – one person really can make a difference!
A lovely tale. But, I do think the left-behind boyfriend now needs to go on a world trip with the ex of the same name and then the circle is complete!
Haha! Now that would be an interesting story!
That is so lovely!! Like you, Im so sick of hearing all the horrible stories in the news right now. This has cheered my sunday night up! Thanks for sharing Suzie 🙂
Thanks my lovely – really pleased you liked it!
What a great story in so many different ways! Thanks for sharing…we need to keep the profile of these types of stories up….
Thanks Joy – really pleased you liked it!
This story makes me so happy! It would be an inspiring film. My day was made so much brighter after reading this. Thank you for sharing. 🙂
Thanks Rebecca – you never know, they may make some sort f film about it one day…
You’re welcome! Yes, there’s always the chance they might.
The news is very depressing at times – like a death roll. It’s great to hear stories like this for a change. The background love story has to be the trusting boyfriend waiting at home!
Haha, absolutely! He must have been an extremely trusting man – I’ve been with my bloke for years and I know that he trusts me, but I can’t imagine that his reaction would be positive if I told him that I was going away for three weeks over Christmas with another man!
Yay! Thanks for this great story. Much needed on a gray and rainy day.
Thank you – it’s good to hear these sorts of stories amidst the violence and anger out there…
As you say, there is so much tragedy and hatred in the world. It is ALWAYS good to hear of a wonderful story like this. Thank you for sharing. 🙂
Reblogged this on chrllrobb and commented:
I can’t help but not to share this. Does that make sense? Anyway I love hearing good stories for a change. Enjoy!
Stay Safe and God Bless!
❤
Thanks my lovely, and thanks for the reblog too!
I loved this story when I read it in the paper, thanks for sharing, It’s lovely to hear that they had such an amazing trip and that it spurred him to do something so generous afterward.
You’re right, maybe we’re not a lost cause after all. 🙂
Haha! Thanks Hayley – occasionally I hear something that makes me remember that there are actually still lots of good people out there…
I watch the news because I want to know what’s happening, but I try not to make the mistake of believing that it accurately represents what most people are actually doing in their daily lives.
It’s difficult to gain a rounded perspective from most media sources – this is why I like hearing positive stories that are based on real interviews that are given…
this story…. almost cried! beautiful despite the sad beginning but the end was interesting! Good-feel story
Thanks my lovely – pleased you enjoyed it!
Lovely story – illustrating the fact that sometimes you’ve got to do something bold!
Absolutely – it’s all about taking that risk isn’t it!
This story warms my heart 🙂
It’s lovely isn’t it!
I was already familiar with this story, but I wanted to coment on the “news.” I never watch the news on holidays, holiday weekends, birthdays, or other special days. I am happier and non the worse for wear for missing the latest disasters and atrocities! I recommend the practice of blocking out the news. I also never watch it on Sundays.
It’s so easy to feel really angry and depressed when watching the news, which is why I often avoid it.
It’s stories like this that I keep a link to in a folder on my computer for days when I can’t find anything else to brighten up the day.
That’s such a great idea – thanks Martha! I’m going to try that myself…
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Thank you! Beautiful story – just linked it on my blog 🙂
Thank you!
Thats amazing 👍
It’s great isn’t it! Thanks so much for linking up to it!
What an amazing story – thanks for posting this 🙂
Thanks Louise – it really made me smile!
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I’ve never lost hope… I have friends like you, Suzie!
We’re lucky aren’t we! There are so many arseholes out there!
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