"The first time Rachel Levak tried home swapping, she wound up having the time of her life on the Athens Riviera, spending mornings on the beach and afternoons café-hopping. "It was so cool-and there were virtually no other Americans around," recalls the Miami-based product manager. What's more, her two-week stay cost a grand total of $435 in service charges and cleaning fees, or about $30 a night, because she'd arranged to swap places with Andreas Sellinidis, a photographer who lives in New York and has a vacation home in Athens."
""Travel has become increasingly more expensive and transactional," explains Justine Palefsky, CEO and cofounder of Kindred, a home-swapping platform. The company, which launched in 2021, has seen rapid growth, with a five-fold increase in bookings from 2023 to 2024 and a global membership of nearly 200,000 travelers-up 700 percent since 2024. "We offer an alternative rooted in community," Palefsky says, "and our members can travel more often and stay longer," because swapping makes trips so much more affordable."
Home swapping provides significant cost savings and authentic local experiences, as exemplified by a two-week Athens stay that cost $435 in fees. Renewed interest in swapping is driven by remote work flexibility and technology that simplifies exchanges. New platforms like Kindred report rapid membership and booking growth, while legacy players such as HomeExchange expand offerings to include luxury properties. The model appeals to a range of travelers, including affluent users seeking value and community-centered alternatives to expensive, transactional travel options. Second-home networks coordinate exchanges tailored to owners with multiple properties.
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