American swaps homes with Briton after feeling inspired by The Holiday
‘I have been feeling lately like my life has been stuck in a certain routine,’ says Grace, from Boston
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.An American influencer has taken her cues from the 2006 romantic comedy, The Holiday, and chosen to swap homes with a woman in Britain for two weeks.
Grace Gagnon, 25, shared a TikTok video earlier this month to see if anyone would be willing to trade houses, with her and was inundated with responses after the clip went viral.
Gagnon, who lives in Boston, Massachusetts, eventually agreed to swap homes with a woman named Florence Patterson, 22, who lives in Bath, Somerset.
The swap will begin on 29 December, with Gagnon claiming she will be looking for love when some comes to the UK.
“For the first few days, I couldn’t stop shaking with excitement - this is the coolest thing that has ever happened to me,” said Gagnon of the moment she confirmed the swap.
“I enjoy living life on a whim, however I have been feeling lately like my life has been stuck in a certain routine.
“It’s serendipitous timing because I haven’t been spontaneous since before the pandemic started.
“This experience is exactly what I’ve been craving!”
Gagnon added: “I’m keeping my mind open, meeting someone would be like living out my ultimate fairy tale dream.
“My trip isn’t centred around falling in love - this is more just me living out an adventure.
“If I happen to meet someone along the way, it’ll make everything even more exciting!”
Patterson described Gagnon as “absolutely hilarious” and said she is also looking forward to the swap.
“We really get on which helps the whole situation.”
As for her intentions to date, Patterson, who is also single, said: “We’ll see, but I think in this day and age I don’t have plans for that, but Kate Winslet wasn’t, was she?
“You never know what the future holds!”
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments