How does it work?

Discover how home exchange can transform the way you travel

Our members exchange their homes with each other when they travel. Why would you do that?

Well, firstly and most obviously, it saves a lot of money.

Find a member who lives in your preferred destination and exchange your home with them. Your house was going to be vacant anyway, so you may as well put it to good use. You'll save thousands.

But there's so much more to it than that. You're going to make friends. Our community is full of the nicest, kindest, most generous souls you'll ever meet.

Read what our members say about us on Trustpilot where we have the highest trust score of any exchange platform in the world!

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What are the different types of exchange?

At People Like Us, we love reciprocal exchanges—they're the heart and soul of home swapping.

Reciprocal

The most common type where you exchange with another member.

With reciprocal exchanges, both members stay in each other's homes. This can happen in two ways:

  • You exchange at the same time. This is a simultaneous exchange
  • You exchange at different times. This is a non-simultaneous, or "non-sim" exchange

Non-reciprocal

Sometimes travel plans don't align perfectly.

That's where Globes and Plutos come in—two unique tools that make non-reciprocal exchanges easy, flexible, and fair.

They give you more freedom to host or travel when direct swaps aren't possible.

What's a Globe?

A Globe is a token that represents one home exchange stay, regardless of its length. The duration is entirely up to the host and guest to agree upon.

Example:

Let's say Peter wants to stay at Anna's home. Anna's home is available, and she's happy to host, but she's unable to visit Peter's destination in return. Peter has an unlocked Globe available, earned from an earlier exchange.

Instead of a direct swap, Peter gives Anna his Globe. Now, Anna holds a Globe, which she can use later to stay at someone else's home, perhaps Katerina's.

Each Globe is valid for one stay and can be saved or used anytime.

  • Flexible length
  • Accumulable — host multiple guests and earn multiple Globes
  • No expiration while a valid membership is maintained

What's a Pluto?

A Pluto is just like a Globe, but made for shorter stays—perfect for weekend getaways or short trips. A Pluto is valid for a stay of 1 to 3 nights.

Example:

Katerina is new to PLU and excited to get started. While planning her big summer trip, she decides to host Daniel for a 2-night weekend stay. Since this isn't a reciprocal exchange, Katerina gets a Pluto from Daniel.

Later, she uses that Pluto to stay near her son's university by offering it to Rachel, who lives nearby.

  • 1–3 night stays
  • Accumulable — collect more Plutos with each short hosting
  • Can use more than one for a stay— e.g., 2 Plutos = up to 6 nights, if the host agrees

Hospitality

In a hospitality stay, one member hosts another in their home without a reciprocal stay. This arrangement is ideal when:

  • You have a guest room or a separate space available.
  • You enjoy meeting new people and sharing your home, even if you're not traveling.

Example:

Sophie has a cozy guest apartment above her garage. While she's not planning any trips, she loves hosting travelers. When Marco from Rome reaches out about visiting, Sophie invites him to stay in her guest flat for a few nights. They share meals, exchange stories, and Marco gains a local's perspective on the city—all while Sophie remains at home.

This type of exchange fosters cultural immersion and personal connections, offering guests a unique experience while allowing hosts to share their hospitality.

How do I find an exchange?

We have easy, intuitive filters to help you define your desired destinations, dates, type of home and many other things like accessibility, allergies, homes with a pool and dozens of useful amenities that will help you find a home that works for you and your family.

Once this is done, you make Enquiries! Introduce yourself and let your prospective exchange partners know what you want and what're offering. You can contact several members in the region you want to visit. Once a member accepts the Proposal, then you finalise the Exchange and confirm all the details.

Proposal
Accepted
Finalised

You will also receive inquiries from other members. Get curious, you may end up in a fantastic destination you would never have discovered otherwise!

How much does it cost?

People Like Us is a subscription-based service

USD 159

per year

Less than $14 per month

Enjoy a year of unlimited exchanges without extra costs

Start 30 Days Free Trial

Here are your benefits as a Premium Member:

  • Browse listings - Access over 10,000 listings in 120 countries
  • Create your listing - Describe your home, upload photos and share about yourself
  • Use 150+ Filters and save your Favorites - Search by destination, travel style, amenities, and more
  • Access all Members - Send inquiries to members – your next exchange is just a message away
  • Unlimited exchanges - Exchange as often as you'd like for a full year at no additional cost
  • Get and Use Globes and Plutos - Unlock non-reciprocal exchanges
  • Be a Trusted Member - Enhance your profile with a Premium badge
  • Get Priority Support - Benefit from Premium assistance at every stage
  • Join Premium Only Facebook Group

Testimonials

Penny and Glen
Penny and Glen

Kamloops, BC Canada

We absolutely love this PLU Family that we are all a part of! Nothing compares to the wonderful and amazing friends that we have made, and continue to make :) We never thought that we would even want to exchange our home but now we can't get enough of looking for exchanges!

Sylvie and Pascal
Sylvie and Pascal

Member since January 2019

Home swapping has become a way of life for us. We love the idea of sharing lifestyle experiences and meeting new, like-minded people from all over the world, regardless of skin color, gender or sexual orientation. Special thanks to Drew for setting up this amazing community. No other website is so user-friendly. Actually we don't look at ourselves as users, we are part of a big family!

Laura
Laura

Macon GA, United States

I've never really been a 'joiner' but PLU changed that. After serendipitously coming across their Facebook page and joining just to see what it was, I loved these people! Adventurous, trusting, fun, and friendly, they were the people I followed during Covid.

Geraldine
Geraldine

Member since December 2018

People Like Us is a Community, with a capital 'C'! The members share their love of exchanging, meeting families from around the world, making new friends and provide support to make your exchange a success!

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