I Journey by Dwelling-Swapping My Condominium for Luxurious Homes

This as-told-to essay is predicated on a dialog with Meagan Cignoli, a sculptor primarily based in Los Angeles and a member of Kindred, a home-swapping community. Kindred members do direct, one-to-one residence swaps or can earn nightly credit by letting different members keep of their properties. There is not any value to becoming a member of Kindred, and no cash is exchanged between hosts and friends. Members pay a service payment and a one-time cleansing payment for his or her keep. This story has been edited for size and readability.

The first time I house-swapped was round 2005. I stayed in somebody’s residence in Miami for 2 months over the winter, and so they stayed at my place in New York.

I used to make use of Craigslist and discover folks, however it was actually onerous to search out individuals who needed the precise timeframe that you simply needed and who additionally had an honest residence that you simply really needed to remain in.

Now I take advantage of Kindred, which is a lot simpler as a result of the house swaps do not need to be consecutive. I’m obsessive about by no means being residence and touring rather a lot, and Kindred has given me the flexibility to try this. I’ve the Kindred Passport, which prices $600 a yr, so I do not pay service charges, simply the cleansing payment. Because I’m touring consistently, I get my cash’s value on the passport inside a month or two.

The cleansing price I’ve paid in Mexico is $110, so you possibly can go to Mexico for every week for $110, and it may very well be a five-bedroom place with a pool. The cleansing price in many of the locations I’ve seen in Europe is $140, so we went for 10 days to essentially the most lovely place in Greece, and it was $140.

I take advantage of it for group, solo, or work journeys

I dwell in a one-bedroom house. There are locations of all sizes on Kindred, and we have stayed in some lovely locations. It’s form of loopy and superb {that a} one-bedroom or studio goes for a similar quantity of credit as a four-bedroom with a pool.

I journey alone a bit. I journey with my girlfriend. We have used Kindred in Greece on two completely different islands. I’ve used it in Portugal alone, together with in Porto and Lisbon. We’ve used it in Mexico a bunch and everywhere in the states, from California to Georgia.

I additionally journey with my assistant, so if I’ve a present in one other metropolis, I’ll discover a two-bedroom or greater. We went to Joshua Tree for every week simply to make artwork, {photograph} issues, make new sculptures, and simply have somewhat artwork retreat.

Kindred offers the flexibility to remain someplace longer as a result of the value would not actually change. And the longer you keep, the extra you get to know a neighborhood. And there’s not the strain that you’ve got if you’re paying nightly to get essentially the most out of it, so it simply made it so we may simply calm down and never really feel in a rush to see all the pieces.

I’ve additionally performed group journeys. I booked a Kindred in Lake Arrowhead for round eight of our mates, and we simply cooked and hiked, and explored the city and lake. It was superb for everybody as a result of it is so cheap, it is simply the cleansing payment.

Guests usually depart presents for his or her hosts

When accepting friends at your private home, you possibly can say “no” to anybody. You can request to FaceTime, try their Instagram, or take a look at photographs of their residence. If their residence seems to be clear, you’re feeling like they’ll care for your private home, too.

Kindred has an excellent insurance coverage coverage, so if somebody messes up one thing in your house, they will make it proper. The firm additionally schedules cleaners to come back proper earlier than the visitor arrives and proper after they depart, so if you get residence, it is usually cleaner than the way you left it.

Guests usually depart thank-you notes or presents for his or her hosts. Because I’m a sculptor, I’ll make an entire bunch of little dishes directly, and I’ll deliver one to every place I’m going and depart that as a present for my host. Sometimes we depart wine. People have left me chocolate-covered pretzels and a bottle of wine, and the notes are actually cute to come back residence to. They’ll say, “Your home made me so happy.”

Now I attempt to keep away from accommodations and trip leases

Kindred is 100% the very first thing I test after I wish to journey someplace. Now, after I take a look at accommodations or Airbnbs, I’m shocked by the value.

You’re additionally getting spoiled by making your individual eggs within the morning and never having to exit for each single meal. It simply makes journey somewhat bit much less overwhelming when you possibly can eat a minimum of one meal at residence.

If you are versatile along with your journey schedule, Kindred is even higher. I’ve wishlists on there and I test it virtually day by day to see what’s obtainable. Some locations have extra availability than others, however quite a lot of main cities have Kindreds, and it is getting greater on a regular basis.

The one dangerous factor is that Kindred has me so spoiled by the value that it is onerous to swallow different choices after I journey someplace and a Kindred is not obtainable.