Australian woman takes to Reddit to find a travel partner — with the same name as her ex

Be careful when booking nonrefundable tickets for a significant other. You might get stuck vacationing alone — or with a complete stranger.

Earlier this year, Australian Aurore Lassus, 20, made plans for a graduation trip across Europe with her boyfriend.

She booked the flights and accommodations — and then they broke up.

Because the airline refused to refund her ex-boyfriend’s ticket, or to even change the name on it, now Lassus is stuck with a ticket for Andrew Grant.

Determined to still carry through with her travel plans, Lassus posted her dilemma on Reddit, hoping to find a travel partner with the same name as her ex.

"I am now asking the Reddit community this bizarre request: if you are called or know a friend called Andrew Grant who would like to come with me on this trip, send them my way. Serious offers only. If you need more specific information, ask away and I will answer the best I can. If it’s too personal, message me or I’ll ask you to do so if you want the response," she wrote under the username Silvanic.

"I am serious. This isn’t a joke. If my ex saw this he would think I’m crazy when in reality I just want to go overseas to see my family for the first time and explore Europe with a like-minded person. It would be a lost opportunity going by myself since it’s all booked for two and cancelling it would be a big loss for me."

"I initially told my ex before the split was ‘official’ that I would use Reddit to crowd-source a potential candidate to come with me," Lassus told CTVNews.ca. “He probably thought I was bluffing, but I wasn’t.”

No Andrew Grants have stepped forward (so far), but that doesn’t mean Lassus hasn’t had a few offers from people not very attached to their current names.

"I have also received several serious offers from people who are willing to change their name to accompany me on this trip," she said. “I’ve had a chat with several and even met one in person today.”

Lassus insisted that she’s being careful to screen the next “Andrew Grant,” and wants to ensure that their personalities will mesh well. They are, after all, going to be going on vacation together.

"The (Reddit) community is surprisingly warm and welcoming, and people seem genuine in what they say," she told CTVNews.ca. “That is not to say you can be so naive as to take the first person who says yes. You have to be smart about this sort of request.”

The flight leaves Brisbane on November 26, leaving potential candidates enough time to make the name-change if need be. Cost of the round-the-world tickets: $6,000. (Lassus is willing to pay for half of the name change, if it proves necessary.)

Lassus and her travel partner will visit Paris, London, Amsterdam and Singapore before returning to Australia in mid-January.

Lassus’ odd request is getting plenty of attention online, some of which looks to be helpful.

One Redditor explained the processing of transferring tickets, something she can likely do since she’s the one who bought them in the first place. If she can transfer the ticket to anyone she’d like, she won’t be stuck traveling with an Andrew Grant after all.

Would you travel with a stranger?