Woman takes the plot of 'The Holiday' to the next level — calls friend in Paris with outrageous proposal

Many people dream of planning a holiday inspired by their favorite movie. However, a woman went ahead and actually did her dream house swap inspired by her most cherished film, "The Holiday." The movie starring Kate Winslet as Iris and Cameron Diaz as Amanda Woods revolves around two women who decide to switch their houses, located in an English Village and California, for Christmas. So the woman, Lucy White, who goes by @lucywhiteart on Instagram, decided to connect with her friends and find someone from Paris interested in her NYC apartment.

"When this is your favorite movie," the text overlay read, as "The Holiday" played on TV, "and you remember you have free will." White sat up on her couch, switched off the TV and decided to have a holiday inspired by the popular movie. She shared that she has always wanted to be an artist in Paris and decided to send a text to everyone she knew. "Does anyone know anyone in Paris who might want to do a housing swap for NYC?" Someone in one of her text chains happened to know a woman named Brigitte who lived in Paris and might be interested in the exchange. White was excited by the prospect and immediately texted her, "Hi Brigitte! My name is Lucy. Wondering if you are interested in apartment swapping Paris for NYC for six weeks?"

It turned out that Brigitte was actually interested in doing just that and found the message "serendipitous," and the duo got on FaceTime to decide the details of the exchange. During a usual house swap, each person gives up their place to the other person to take care of and one can live there in exchange for house-sitting. White filmed herself getting on a flight and reaching the Paris apartment, with the caption reading, "Channeling Amanda Woods." People shared their thoughts on the exchange in the comments section of the video.

@thekennedycurate wrote, "I’ve done this several times and met some of my best friends while traveling. Do it!" @whollygracepeters commented, "Where is Brigitte’s brother? How far into the movie did you manifest?" @wordsandmorsels remarked, "The way free will and economic independence of adulthood should be used, to be honest." @gayatriisud shared, "I cannot wait until I have my own place to do this!" @belupascale expressed, "Someone in France or Spain interested in doing a house swap for Chile?" @vianne88 questioned, "But does Brigitte have a handsome single brother?"

The house-swapping trend inspired by the movie is more popular than ever, according to the Sunday Post. UK-based company, Love Home Swap, saw an 82 percent rise in memberships between the year 2021-22. But unlike the movie, the main motivation behind the swaps isn't a disappointing love life. Many people see the value in having free accommodation over spending thousands of dollars on rentals, hotels, or Airbnb. "Home swapping is based on the idea that you swap your home with another member and in the process, you save thousands of pounds on an amazing holiday," Célia Pronto, managing director of Love Home Swap, remarked. "The biggest driver for home swapping is the savings that people can make." For anyone worried about handing their house to a stranger, Pronto pointed out, "There’s a deep level of respect between our members, as unlike many rentals, these are real homes that are much-loved."

You can follow Lucy White (@lucywhiteart) on Instagram for more lifestyle content.