I Met a PLU Member on a Train Platform. I'd Love to Find Her

A few years ago I was standing at Robina station Queensland, waiting for my train home. I noticed two ladies sitting on the same side of the platform and one of them had some lovely shoes. I passed comment on the shoes and before you know it we were chatting away.

They both looked like they were set to travel with their large suitcases alongside them and I soon learnt they were headed to Africa. I mentioned I'd been there too, and we got chatting about travelling around the world, which just happens to be my favourite topic.

As we all boarded the train we continued our coversation and I mentioned that I was a single mum now, and that travel felt like it was slipping out of reach for me financially. That's when she told me about People Like Us. She'd been a member for years, she said, and she and her husband had exchanged homes all over the world. She absolutely loved it, however her husband had died a year prior, and she'd let her membership lapse because travelling solo just wouldn't feel the same anymore.

I had heard of home exchanging, but never really explored it. I couldn't stop thinking about this world wide community I could potentially be a part of. The moment I got home, I looked PLU up, and signed up on the spot. I was so excited that I didn't even stop to make use of the trial period because I just knew this is what I had been looking for and would suit my son and I perfectly. Finally travelling was within my reach again. That was a few years ago now. The rest, as they say, is history but I have often thought of this lady, she ignited my passion for travel again and I havent stopped smiling since.

Recently I attended the Brisbane PLU meetup and told Drew and Kathy my story. Drew suggested we should try to find her. What a fabulous Idea! She would have no idea that a conversation on a train platform completely changed the course of my life and opened fresh eyes to the world of travel through my son. I'd really like to share this with her.

So here's what I remember, in case it rings any bells for anyone.

It was around the 7th of November 2024, she was in her late sixties at a guess, and had lost her husband roughly a year before we spoke. The two of them boarded the train at Robina, so she may live somewhere on the Gold Coast -- though that's my assumption, not something she told me. They were on their way to Africa, which tells you she hadn't given up on adventure entirely, even if PLU felt like a different thing without her husband.

The detail I remember most clearly: she has a son who lives in Torquay, Victoria -- just near Ocean Grove where I used to live -- who fits out campervans and mini vans for people travelling around Australia. 

I don't remember her name, it has evaded me as I was so swept up in what she'd told me about PLU that it was soon forgotten.

If any of this sounds like you, or like your mum, or like someone in your life -- please reach out. You can contact Drew and Kathy directly at [[email protected]], or just leave a comment below.

I would love to reconnect with her. Who knows we may even go off travelling together!

-- Nikki 🏡