Search for Elizabeth Gallagher ends with world trip, new charity

This story about a trip around the world has a happy ending for a guy who was left without a travel partner and a new beginning for others hoping to see the world.

That’s because Jordan Axani of Toronto not only found a woman with the same name as his ex-girlfriend -- Elizabeth Gallagher -- to take her non-transferable tickets, he also founded a charity aimed at helping others take their dream trips.

Axani and his then-girlfriend, Elizabeth Gallagher #1, planned a trip around the world that included stops in Milan, Vienna, Paris, Prague, Bangkok, and New Delhi.

But she broke up with him, leaving the 28-year-old with a couple thousand dollars' worth of tickets he paid for that required a Canadian passenger with a certain name.

So he posted a query on Reddit and said he was looking for another Elizabeth Gallagher from Canada to take the ex’s place.

Quicker than he could say “voilà,” he was flooded with inquiries from people all over the world including 18 of the correctly-named lasses from Canada.

One of those was from Elizabeth Quinn Gallagher, 23, from Nova Scotia.

Here’s her tweet heard around the world. Or seen at least by Axani.

On Wednesday, Axani announced that he had chosen her as his travel partner.

Gallagher #2 told the Associated Press that the whole idea about traveling with a stranger seemed weird at first.

"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 said.

It also didn’t sit well with Gallagher’s boyfriend who she said is not thrilled at the idea of her traveling the world with another guy. But he is being a good sport about it. (Kudos to you, you really good boyfriend, you.) Besides, they plan on buying a house together and they recently got a puppy.

"He understands that I've always wanted to travel so while he's not happy I'm taking off for nearly a month at Christmas with a random guy, he's smiling through it," she said. Axani said the trip will be strictly platonic.

But the story does not end there.

Axani said he was so moved by people’s desire to travel that he and his brother founded the crowd-funding charity A Ticket Forward.

Axani likened it to a “Make a Wish Foundation” for travel.

On his website he wrote he wanted to take all the attention he received and turn it into something for the greater good.

So far, the charity is featuring four deserving people looking to discover new places. You can read their stories here.

In the meantime, Elizabeth Gallagher #2 is traveling to New York to meet up with Axani.

And people on Twitter were wishing the travelers, and the new charity, well.