The Family
Equity Estates members Aaron and Anna Kinworthy of Leesburg, Virginia are no strangers to travel. They both work in the tech industry — Aaron in sales and Anna in marketing — which has required a significant number of business trips over the years. Anna is also originally from London, which means they log a lot of international travel miles for family visits each year as well.
The couple met in the Northern Virginia area through work 20+ years ago and have made their home in Leesburg ever since, settling in and raising two kids — a now-18-year-old son and 15-year-old daughter.
Close to home, the family enjoys time at their lake house as well as visits to DC and Loudoun County’s surrounding wine country. But for longer vacations, they all prefer hitting snow-covered slopes for winter skiing — one of their favorite pastimes — relaxing and having fun at the beach or just getting out and seeing more of the world.
“Traveling is our passion,” says Aaron. “And given we have to see family across the pond, it better be! But we’ve also always enjoyed exploring new places and cultures.”
Aaron and Anna say the family takes three or four trips a year, not counting their weekends at the lake. And the investment in Equity Estates has not only opened up new destinations but has also given them a new way to vacation.
Traveling Ahead of the Curve
“In recent years, we’d measured our year based on our status with United and Marriott,” Aaron shares. “We both did a significant amount of flights a year for work, including international, and we love travelling abroad for vacations as well.”
They both say that their favorite spots to visit are places that are “just ahead of the popularity curve; places like Iceland, Azores, Slovenia, Portugal, Belize, and the like.”
“A typical year for us includes trying to enjoy as many weekends at the lake as possible, international travel to see Anna’s family, with a beach trip and ski trip once a year sprinkled in during school breaks,” Aaron continues.
The Investment
All four members of the family have become big skiers over the last few years, something that has definitely influenced their travels. Since they were already spending most of their summer weekends at their lake house, Aaron says they began looking into the possibility of investment opportunities in the mountains that they could use as well.
“But as anyone who owns a second home can attest, it’s not as much of a vacation as you think,” he says. “There’s always something to fix or clean. Plus, wherever you invest, you feel obligated to only visit that place and can’t visit other areas.”
All of those challenges weighed on the Kinworthy’s decision on where — or if — to invest in a mountain house.
“We looked at everything from timeshares to fractional ownerships, to buying with the intent to Airbnb, and they all had significant risks, downsides, or just didn’t feel right,” says Aaron. “While doing that research, we actually stumbled across Equity Estates through Google searching. It was almost too good to be true … all the benefits of home ownership, but with variety and upside on the investment.”
The couple admit they did a ton of research and phone calls with Equity Estates to try and prove it was too good to be true.
“My apologies to Equity Estates,” Aaron says, “they all were so patient with us, and we really appreciate it!”
After doing a lot of reference checks, Q&As, and running the financial numbers for worst-case and what-if scenarios before they pulled the trigger, Aaron and Anna say that in the end, “it was simple math — you get more variety, the houses are always top quality, and there’s the potential for ROI.”
At first, they weren’t sure if they would be able to use all the nights in their Reservation Cap Passes, so they considered splitting the membership with another family.
“When they backed out last minute, we decided to invest anyway, and took the plunge,” says Anna. “It was the best decision we’ve made.”
Aaron adds, “Even before we had our res caps, my son and I took advantage of the last-minute deals and took a long weekend to the Punta Cana, Dominican Republic house. Andy (the Local Host) was amazing, the house was incredible, and it was at that moment we knew we made the right decision.”
Authentic Travel
Like many travel-enthusiasts, the Kinworthys seek out vacation destinations where they can explore and immerse themselves in local culture. Finding places that are authentic is at the top of their travel priority list.
“We avoid the all-inclusive resorts and Disney-like places that try and sugarcoat a vacation,” Aaron says. “We enjoy meeting locals, learning about cultures, and expanding our appreciation for the places we visit.”
“Fun fact,” he adds, “Anna always insists on visiting a local grocery store when we’re on vacation. It’s her belief that it’s a true sample of the culture. We have also started to try and go to local football (aka soccer) matches when we travel abroad. We did this in Lisbon, Portugal and it was the best! It’s a great way to get a feel for the culture and experience something authentic.”
Their Favorite Vacations
Since joining in 2023, Aaron and Anna have been to Europe, California Wine Country, the Caribbean, and other unforgettable destinations. And they’ve used their Equity Estates investment for family vacations, father/son golf trips, guys trips, girls getaways, and “everything in between.”
“I’m not sure there are any other options we haven’t used!” Aaron says. “In the 15 months we’ve been members, I think we’ve covered the bases in our usage [in terms of the types of trips].”
While they say that every trip and every Equity Estates destination has been incredible, they do have a few favorites. The Seabrook Island and London homes, in particular, were a big hit. Seabrook because “it’s just a beautiful home-away-from-home” and London because “it’s a huge and luxurious flat — uncommon for the center of the city.”
“My family absolutely loved the house at Seabrook Island,” Aaron says. “But my wife and daughter did a girls trip to London. And even though my wife grew up a mile from the Equity Estates flat there, she and her three Londoner best friends were blown away by the luxury and how they were treated. They felt like movie stars walking out of the beautiful building right into the center of the piazza!”
Their most memorable (non-Equity Estates) vacation, though, was last year when Anna had her 50th birthday party.
“Apparently, 20+ years ago when we first got married, I promised her a big 50th birthday party, where we could invite both our American and UK friends,” Aaron shares. “True to my word, we rented a 90-person castle in Tuscany and hosted all our friends. It was the most epic vacation that brought friends together from as far away as Australia. It was the best weekend of our lives and worth every penny.”
The Benefits of Equity Estates
When asked about the benefits of an Equity Estates investment and what they’ve noticed about vacationing in Equity Estates destinations, Anna and Aaron both say it comes down to “consistency and quality.”
“We’ve had good Airbnb [stays], but we have also had bad ones. Hotels are consistent, but sterile,” says Aaron. “What we love about Equity Estates is knowing exactly what we are getting every time. The service, the people at EE, make it so easy and top quality. For example, every home has a Vitamix and Ziploc bags — silly, but a fun fact for us.”
In fact, Aaron and Anna agree that the people they’ve met at Equity Estates — from the Destination Managers and Travel Concierges to the Local Hosts — are one of their favorite things about the membership.
“They’ve been incredible,” Anna says. “They are the secret sauce to the house. When we’ve hosted friends or guests with us, they aren’t expecting the planning to be done and top notch. It’s a great way to impress our friends and also not have to worry about what needs to be planned … having the Local Hosts there saves us countless hours of searching, planning, and reserving what we want to do. They help you get settled on day one, not lose a day on your vacation, and feel confident that you’re stocked and ready to relax.”
“The people at Equity Estates are honestly focused on the experience, not just the investment ROI,” says Aaron. “That seems weird to say when this is an investment, but that’s exactly what makes Equity Estates unique and different.”
What’s Next
As they wrap up 2024 and head into a new year, the Kinworthys are looking forward to some much-needed beach time, with trips to St. John and St. Croix already planned. Beyond that, they’re also excited to visit other destinations in the US and abroad — including Equity Estates’ newest mountain homes — at some point in the future.
“Our son is going to be a ski instructor in Morzine, France this year,” Aaron explains, “so we’ll likely not use Equity Estates for skiing this winter, but we’re excited for the new properties.”
“We’d also love to see more European destinations such as Sevilla and Madrid added,” he continued. “As well as more Caribbean homes where there are non-stop flights from DC.”
With almost 18 months of Equity Estates vacations behind them, and plans for more fabulous trips ahead, the Kinworthys are more than happy with their investment and can’t wait to see what the next 18 months will bring.
“If there’s a least favorite thing about our membership,” says Aaron, “It’s that we can’t find enough time to visit all the amazing properties!”
