Nothing hits harder than a holiday romcom. And now there’s one playing out in real life. A full South African remake of The Holiday, starring influencer Thiala June… and an apartment swap with a stranger in New York. Over Christmas.
Cape Town, South Africa (26 November 2025) – If you’ve seen the movie, you know the setup. Two women on opposite sides of the world trade homes to escape their lives for a bit. Iris heads to LA; Amanda ends up in a quiet English village. Both end up meeting new people, making unexpected connections, and rediscovering their spark.
That was the energy Thiala was going for when she posted a TikTok on a whim, offering up her Cape Town apartment in the hope that someone in New York might want to swap. It felt like a long shot, more movie plot than a real possibility.
@thialajune Trade the cold for summer in South Africa ☀️ #apartmentswap #theholiday #nycapartment #capetownsouthafrica ♬ The holiday theme – Siyana <3
Then it actually happened.
New York influencer Hana Elson saw the video. She’d been thinking about doing the same thing. A few messages later, the two strangers agreed to go for it and booked their tickets on the same day.
@thialajune Replying to @Tiaan Ackermann ♬ The holiday theme – Siyana <3
Hana and her best friend will spend the holidays in Cape Town; Thiala and her friend Dani will be spending Christmas and New Year’s Eve in New York City.
Thiala has been documenting the build-up to the trip, and her followers are now fully invested in the countdown.
So far, she’s shared her plans for the girls’ Cape Town itinerary and her hopes to find love in the Big Apple (rumour has it that a blind date is already planned).
Hana will also be sharing her Cape Town trip with followers!
@thialajune Time to start planning 🎄 @Hana #theholiday #apartmentswap #nyc #capetown ♬ The holiday theme – Siyana <3
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