Stories from our Kindred members about marking milestones and creating connections.
As we wrap up 2024, we’re taking a moment to reflect on our community. Throughout the year, as our members opened their homes—and their lives—to each other, we’ve received heartwarming notes about generosity, kindness, and connections formed around the world. These are the experiences that make home swapping truly special.
Let’s look back at some of our favorite stories of the year.
Destiny and Michael are a couple from Philadelphia whose shared passions are food and travel. They dream of opening a wine and tapas bar in Spain—fittingly, their first Kindred trip was to Barcelona.
The couple’s incredible trip began as soon as they arrived at their host’s apartment. “The entire Kindred felt straight out of an interior design magazine. It was beautiful, and having been our first experience, we were truly in awe,” Destiny told us.
Here’s where the story gets exciting. “After our first evening in our incredible Kindred, my now-fiancé proposed to me on the terrace under the Spanish night sky! It was a very special moment,” she said. “I'm so happy to have been able to experience such a beautiful city and home.”
The happy couple’s host and the Kindred team were overjoyed to hear about this once-in-a-lifetime, magical trip.
Natália (aka Nat) was born in Brazil and now lives in Canada, where she works in marketing. She speaks four languages and jokes that she’s a “Jill of all hobbies, master of none.”
Nat was traveling to London, one of her favorite cities, but the Kindred she booked wasn’t available for the length of her trip.
“I made a comment to my host that I would complete the rest of my stay either with a hotel or an Airbnb. She asked me what my travel plans were and went above and beyond to make her place available for my entire stay,” Nat said. “It was a small but really appreciated gesture.”
The host wasn’t obligated to change her availability but decided to help Nat out. Generosity is a core tenet of our community guidelines, and we love to see it in action.
Ginevra and Luca are a couple living in Pisa, Italy, with their Weimaraner, Rose. They love exploring new cultures, trying new foods, and meeting new people.
Their first Kindred trip was to Amsterdam, where they quickly bonded with their host. “Our host kindly allowed us to check in early in the morning,” said Ginevra. “Initially, we planned to just drop off our bag, but we ended up chatting with her for about 15 minutes. That interaction seemed to build enough trust for her to ask us, a couple of days later, to go through her belongings and retrieve a credit card. We successfully delivered it to a friend of hers who was meeting her while she was traveling around Europe.”
This story reminds us that even the smallest interactions can build trust, which is what Kindred is all about.
Claudia is a bicoastal philanthropist, printmaker, home chef, and conscientious traveler. On her most recent Kindred trip, Claudia traveled to Los Angeles to celebrate her birthday.
“My hosts so sweetly left me some gifts—as a guest, I'm used to offering gifts but not receiving them!” Claudia shared. “They left some candy and snacks, a little card, and these beautifully designed glasses from their wedding! I was so surprised and delighted. It made my trip even more special.”
Personal touches from hosts never go unnoticed, and this one is particularly thoughtful.
Do you have a similar Kindred story you’d like to share? Email us at community@livekindred.com.
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Kindred Community
Kindred is a members-only home-swapping network built on a close-knit community. We make travel more affordable and accessible by allowing you to earn credits for hosting others, either through swaps or while you're away. No money is exchanged between members; everything runs on a simple credit system. Instead of overpaying for rentals while your home sits empty, we empower our members to explore their next destination conveniently and affordably, while fostering a trusted community of people who seek to live a travel-rich lifestyle.
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