Jordan Axani Offering Free Trip Around The World, But There's A Catch
Toronto Man Offers Free Trip Around The World, But There's A Catch
Jesse Ferreras— The Huffington Post Canada
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Just months ago, 28-year-old Toronto man Jordan Axani was looking forward to taking a trip around the world with his sweetheart, Elizabeth Gallagher.
Taking advantage of an error on Priceline, they booked a Christmastime trip that would take them from New York to Milan, Prague, Paris, Bangkok and New Delhi before they return home in January.
Then, the couple split up. Gallagher is no longer going on the trip.
Rather than wasting the extra ticket, Axani turned to Reddit and Imgur in an effort to find a "Canadian named Elizabeth Gallagher" who can travel in his ex-girlfriend's place.
Takers must meet the following conditions, "more or less," as outlined in the Reddit post:
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 someday.
Axani said he's not seeking "companionship, romance, drugs, a trade, or to take selfies with you in front [of] the Christmas Market in Prague." Whoever is awarded the trip will have to book their own hotel stays and any travel beyond the flights themselves.
If the taker doesn't travel with Axani, they only place they'll see each other is on the planes.
He told reporter Monica Heisey that people are attracted to "the idea that we can take what would otherwise be a sad situation and make it into something adventurous and positive."
Ultimately, Axani sees the trip as "my own way of putting some good karma out in the world."
CRUISESCruises have long been notorious for their “single supplements,” charges that required single passengers to pay 50 or even 100 percent extra to compensate for their solo status. Norwegian Cruise Line’s new studio cabins not only come sans surcharge but also allow access to a singles-only lounge, mostly on boats that depart from New York City. A better upside: Cruising alone means fewer fights over where to have dinner on the way to Bermuda or the Bahamas (Norwegian Breakaway has 38 different eateries on board).
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DO A YOGA RETREATLike meditation, yoga is a personal endeavor that benefits from solo practice. Even better, it’s something you can do in Hawaii. Join the cooperative spirit at volunteer-run Kalani on the Big Island, where they host a beginner’s week for complete newbies. In Bali, Como Shambhala Estate has daily yoga classes in a luxe jungle setting.
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HIT THE TRAILThe wilderness is ideal for personal reflection; just ask Cheryl Strayed, who hiked the Pacific Crest Trail by herself, wrote a best-selling memoir, and will be played by Reese Witherspoon in the upcoming film Wild. Fewer than 3,000 people have done the entire 2,600-mile PCT from Mexico to Canada, but hikers can attack shorter sections, like through Oregon’s volcanoes. On the east coast, the famed 2,180-mile Appalachian Trail offers similar rustic challenges.
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VOLUNTEERPeople travel alone for many reasons, but not everyone wants to focus on the self. Working vacations give a solo globe-hopper an exterior goal, like surveying coral in the Cayman Islands or tracking penguins in Patagonia as part of Earthwatch’s volunteer scientific expeditions. Cross-Cultural Solutions sends volunteers as far afield as India and Brazil for as little as one or two weeks and as long as several months.
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