Музыкант Кассандра Дженкинс использует сервис обмена жильем Kindred для поиска уюта во время мировых туров

When musician Cassandra Jenkins travels the world while touring, she’s always looking for a slice of home. Jenkins said she’s found that by staying in other people’s homes through a home-swap service called Kindred. Jenkins, 42, of New York City, has stayed in hotels and vacation rentals but says she enjoys the “homey” feeling of staying in someone’s home. “I think the nature of it is more personal and I’m really going to someone’s home that they live in,” she said. Jenkins has used Kindred most while touring Europe. Other home-swapping services include HomeExchange and HomeLink, with varying stipulations and models. How Home Swapping Works The model is a “give to get” one, where members offer their own home to earn credits they can use elsewhere. It’s a one-to-one swap credit, which means a one-bedroom apartment in New York City is the same credit as a five-bedroom house in San Francisco. “We wanted it to be really simple and acknowledge the fact that if you’re letting someone stay in your real home where all of your stuff is, that is an act of generosity that should be rewarded, whether you have a studio apartment or a three-bedroom home,” explained Justine Palefsky, CEO and co-founder of Kindred. The platform, which started in 2022, now has 500,000 members in 150 cities globally. About 15% of the trips booked on Kindred are reciprocal swaps, in which two people swap homes at the same time. The more common way to use the service, Palefsky said, is to earn credits hosting someone in your home while you’re gone and then use those credits to stay somewhere when you travel. There’s no fee to sign up. Members pay an average of $200 in service fees and $300 in cleaning fees for a five-day trip within the United States, or $175 in service fees and $200 in cleaning fees in London. Members use swap credits to “pay” for the number of nights they stay. They earn one night’s credit for each night they host a guest. Kindred offers a program called Kindred Passport for frequent travelers. The program costs $600 a year and provides $0 service fees on every trip during the 12-month membership period. The model is particularly helpful now as travelers contend with tighter budgets, Palefsky said. “There’s a huge appetite for folks who want to live this lifestyle that’s richer in travel, but are struggling for a way to pull it off during the affordability crisis that we’re in,” she said. Why Travelers Open Their Homes Jenkins has hosted Kindred members several times at her New York City apartment, part of a building owned by her family. Growing up in a family of musicians, Jenkins said she’s also used to hosting other musicians in her family’s home. The first time she hosted another guest at her apartment, Jenkins knew she would be gone for a month on tour. She didn’t like the idea of her apartment sitting empty. The woman who ended up using it was a fellow New Yorker looking for a cozy place to undergo in vitro fertilization and freeze her eggs. “I was touched by that and warmed by that, and loved that someone found my space and thought it would be a beautiful place to be during that important time,” Jenkins said. The two women connected because Jenkins was also planning to undergo IVF, she said. Jenkins also likes the sustainability of opening her home while she is away for someone else to use. “I always felt like when I left my home empty that it was a waste,” she said. Prospective members go through a verification process and must apply using their own primary home, according to Kindred. Homes also go through an online acceptance process to confirm they’re safe. Guests and hosts have a damage-protection program that covers up to $100,000 in accidental damage. Home swappers should check with their renters’ or homeowners insurance to see whether coverage extends to hosting guests. Potential Drawbacks of Home Swaps Tasia Hawkins, a New Yorker who works in social impact, has also used Kindred for travel. She likes to get away from New York City each winter and usually looks for longer stays in other cities. She’s hosted in her former apartment 32 times and has used some of those credits to stay in San Diego. Some online users criticize home-swapping services such as Kindred because they may not have a home available for a particular trip. Kindred points to travel wish lists, flexible swap options and its Circles communities, which connect people with shared interests, as possible ways to address that challenge. Some users may also dislike the clutter of someone else’s belongings or the lack of amenities available at a hotel. But the “homey” feel and camaraderie of connecting with a home swapper, who often gives recommendations for living like a local, is what sets the experience apart for Hawkins. “I really appreciate getting to immerse myself in a community if I’m going to go there and also be able to get the local business recommendations from someone who lives there and be able to support neighborhoods I might not otherwise stay in,” she said. For longer-term stays, Hawkins estimates she’s saved $1,000 per trip by using the swap model instead of paying nightly for a hotel or vacation rental. Betty Lin-Fisher is a consumer reporter for USA TODAY. USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect.