{"id":79349,"date":"2025-12-23T18:03:09","date_gmt":"2025-12-23T18:03:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/79349\/"},"modified":"2025-12-23T18:03:09","modified_gmt":"2025-12-23T18:03:09","slug":"exclusive-the-holiday-irl-new-yorker-and-londoner-swap-lives-how-it-went","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/79349\/","title":{"rendered":"Exclusive | \u2018The Holiday\u2019 IRL: New Yorker and Londoner swap lives \u2014\u00a0how it went"},"content":{"rendered":"

Londoner Marie Draxler had always dreamed of the perfect day in New York City<\/a>\u00a0\u2014 not as a tourist, but as someone who actually lived there.<\/p>\n

So when the adventurous Brit found herself strolling through Bushwick, grabbing breakfast in Williamsburg<\/a> and striking up heartfelt conversations with colorful Washington Square Park<\/a> habitu\u00e9s, it felt surreal \u2014 especially because she was doing it from a stranger\u2019s apartment she\u2019d swapped for her own, back across the Atlantic.<\/p>\n

Draxler and Brooklynite Lohanny Santos, both in their 20s, pulled off a modern-day version of \u201cThe Holiday,\u201d<\/a> trading homes and daily routines between the Big Apple and the Big Smoke for two weeks, after connecting on social media.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Marie Draxler swapped her cozy flat in London\u2019s Notting Hill for an apartment in trendy Bushwick, Brooklyn, as part of a real-life experiment based on the 2006 romantic comedy \u201cThe Holiday.\u201d Jam Press\/Marie Draxler<\/p>\n

Draxler swapped with Brooklynite Lohanny Santos (pictured), who made the Londoner\u2019s home her own during a recent multiweek stay.<\/p>\n

No hotel concierges, no sightseeing checklists and no whirlwind romances for this pair \u2014 just two women living inside each other\u2019s lives and documenting it all online.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt felt right from the very beginning,\u201d Draxler told The Post of agreeing to the swap after just two FaceTime calls<\/a>. \u201cI trusted her instantly. It never felt risky \u2014 just exciting.\u201d<\/p>\n

The adventure began in late August, when Santos, an influencer with nearly 300,000 followers on TikTok, posed<\/a> a simple question to her fans: \u201cI live in NYC!! Does anyone in LONDON want to switch places with me for 2-3 weeks??\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

She paired the video, which received more than 11 million views, with the instantly recognizable theme music from the 2006 Nancy Meyers rom-com \u2014 and thousands of comments poured in, including one from Draxler.<\/p>\n

The swap came about after Santos posted her plan to head to London on her social media account using the recognizable music from the 2006 film starring Cameron Diaz (pictured). \u00a9Columbia Pictures\/Courtesy Everett Collection<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve always had this idea of swapping homes with someone, and I love London,\u201d Santos told The Post. \u201cI usually go once a year, and I thought, \u2018What if I actually switched apartments with someone and lived their life for a bit?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Draxler\u2019s offer stood out from the crowd \u2014 a cozy Notting Hill flat filled with personal touches, including photos of her and her dog. The Big Apple-based content creator reached out, flights were booked and the real-life rom-com was set in motion.<\/p>\n

While the pair were eager to lean into the fantasy, they were clear-eyed about what they wanted.<\/p>\n

Santos\u2019 TikTok post suggesting the swap snagged a whopping 11.3 million views. @lohannysant\/TikTok<\/p>\n

Unlike Cameron Diaz and Kate Winslet\u2019s characters, neither was searching specifically for romance abroad. Instead, they wanted to escape stiff hotels and tourist traps in favor of something more intimate.<\/p>\n

\u201cMarie\u2019s home wasn\u2019t like some average Airbnb, and I loved seeing the photos of her and her dog on display,\u201d Santos said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI got to see more of her style through her winter coats, blankets, mugs and other personal details. It felt lived-in and looked so beautiful.\u201d<\/p>\n

Santos, pictured in Draxler\u2019s London flat, was drawn to its personal touches.<\/p>\n

Draxler felt the same about New York. \u201cWe both left our jewelry, beauty products and personal items out, which made everything feel warm and lived in. It felt like staying with a friend rather than in a hotel room or a stranger\u2019s apartment.\u201d<\/p>\n

In NYC, Draxler dove headfirst into Santos\u2019 Brooklyn-and-beyond routine, ticking off buzzy neighborhood favorites alongside quieter moments that surprised her most.\u00a0<\/p>\n

She was \u201cso excited\u201d to try PopUp Bagels in Williamsburg \u2014 which she confirmed lived up to the hype \u2014 got tickets for Broadway\u2019s \u201cDeath Becomes Her,\u201d which she called \u201cabsolutely incredible,\u201d had her aura read at the viral Magic Jewelry shop in Chinatown and snapped photos at the SomethingSoft Photo Booth on the Lower East Side.<\/p>\n

Draxler threw herself into her NYC experience, not only seeing the traditional sights but also sampling everything Brooklyn had to offer. Jam Press\/Marie Draxler<\/p>\n

But one thing impressed her most in the city that never sleeps: the people, with whom she said she had \u201clovely conversations.\u201d<\/p>\n

Draxler wasn\u2019t solely looking for romance, she said, but the city\u2019s men \u2014 and residents overall \u2014 stood out for their openness and willingness to connect.<\/p>\n

\u201cNew Yorkers truly surprised me with how warm and open they were,\u201d she recalled. I sat down with a stranger in Washington Square Park and told him my life story.\u201d <\/p>\n

Santos shows off her borrowed space across the pond.<\/p>\n

Unlike Santos, Draxler isn\u2019t a social media whiz by trade, but she pushed herself to spend more time documenting her experience than she ever would have at home.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne thing I admire about Lohanny is how confidently she films anywhere without worrying about who is watching,\u201d she said. \u201cI tried to channel that energy. I came home more confident and less afraid to be seen.\u201d<\/p>\n

And Santos was proud of Draxler for getting out of her comfort zone.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Draxler admitted that she wasn\u2019t used to filming herself the way Santos normally does as part of her work, but she gave it her best effort while visiting the Big Apple. Jam Press\/Marie Draxler<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was surreal seeing her film in my apartment \u2014 even noticing the angles she chose,\u201d Santos said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThose are places I\u2019ve filmed so many times, so seeing them through her eyes made everything feel new.\u201d<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, across the pond, Santos embraced Draxler\u2019s London life with the same off-the-beaten-path approach.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Santos, who said she is a fan of London and tries to visit as often as possible, did her best to live like a local. @lohannysant\/TikTok<\/p>\n

She spent hours browsing vintage shops in Marylebone, biked through Notting Hill and followed Draxler\u2019s local recommendations \u2014 from steak and fries at The Parlour in Kensal Green to coffee at Layla.<\/p>\n

Their parallel lives played out daily on TikTok during their trips, for which tens of thousands of viewers followed along \u2014 cheering on the swap, commenting on outfits and neighborhoods and rooting for the friendship unfolding in real time.<\/p>\n

\u201cI received only kind and supportive messages,\u201d Draxler said. \u201cSo many girls said they felt like they were traveling with me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Draxler immersed herself in all things New York and said one of the best things about the experience was the people she met. Jam Press\/Marie Draxler<\/p>\n

That response reflects a growing and well-documented obsession with screen-inspired travel, particularly among younger travelers.<\/p>\n

A recent study<\/a> by home-swapping platform HomeExchange found that 56% of Americans have chosen a travel destination after seeing it in a movie or TV show \u2014 with Gen Z and millennials especially influenced. <\/p>\n

The trend, dubbed \u201cset-jetting,\u201d a term first used by The Post in 2007<\/a>, has surged thanks to pop-culture hits like \u201cThe White Lotus\u201d and \u201cEmily in Paris.\u201d <\/p>\n

Nearly two decades after \u201cThe Holiday\u201d hit theaters, HomeExchange, which famously inspired the film\u2019s premise, is still helping travelers live the magic, recently announcing a contest <\/a>to win a stay in a near-exact replica of the movie\u2019s cozy Cotswolds cottage, underscoring the enduring pull of the fantasy.<\/p>\n

For Santos and Draxler, the magic became real \u2014 if only briefly.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat I love about \u2018The Holiday\u2019 movie is that it\u2019s about two women choosing change,\u201d Santos said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Draxler said that hanging out in NYC\u2019s parks was a highlight of her stay. Elisa Grisales\/@grisales<\/p>\n

\u201cBeing in Marie\u2019s place made me appreciate my life in New York even more. When you leave, you realize how lucky you are \u2014 it gives you this wave of gratitude.\u201d<\/p>\n

On Draxler\u2019s final day in New York, the two managed to meet in person for one hour.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt felt like catching up with an old friend,\u201d Draxler said. \u201cIt really did have a movie-like quality.\u201d<\/p>\n

Before the end of their adventure, Santos and Draxler managed to meet up in person in New York. @lohannysant\/TikTok<\/p>\n

The ripple effect hasn\u2019t stopped. Santos says the duo is now tagged daily in videos from women pitching their own swap ideas \u2014 from Seattle to Norway to Vienna.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt clicked when people started making videos just to keep up with \u2018The Holiday girls,\u2019\u201d Santos said.<\/p>\n

Buoyed by the response, Santos is already planning mini swaps within New York \u2014 and both women say another transatlantic reunion isn\u2019t off the table.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe keep messaging about it,\u201d Draxler said. \u201cHopefully something fun is on the cards for 2026.\u201d<\/p>\n