Aussie Home Exchange Platform People Like Us Launches 'Plutos' to Enable Short-Stay Swaps
May 15, 2025
SYDNEY, NEW SOUTH WALES, AUSTRALIA, May 15, 2025 People Like Us (PLU), the Australian-founded global home exchange network, has unveiled Plutos – a new feature enabling non-reciprocal home exchanges lasting 1 to 3 nights. The feature addresses a long-standing challenge in the home exchange model: making short stays more accessible without diminishing the value of longer swaps.
Plutos represent a first in the home exchange sector, introduced to complement PLU’s existing system called Globes. While a Globe allows a member to stay in another member’s home for any agreed duration, many have hesitated to use them for shorter exchanges—reserving them instead for more substantial stays.
Key facts about Plutos:
A Pluto represents a short, non-reciprocal stay of 1 to 3 nights.
Members earn Plutos by hosting short visits without requiring an immediate return stay.
Plutos are cumulative and flexible: two Plutos, for instance, could be used for a 6-night stay (if agreed by the host).
New Premium members can convert a locked Globe into one Pluto to make use of the platform straight away.
“With Plutos, People Like Us becomes the first home exchange network to offer a dedicated way to arrange short stays without needing a direct or long swap,” said Drew Seitam, Founder of People Like Us. “It’s about listening to our members and making travel more adaptable to everyday life.”
The release of Plutos comes at a time when travellers across the UK and Ireland are seeking more flexible, affordable and community-based ways to travel. Whether it’s a weekend in the countryside, a city break abroad, or a chance to explore new corners of the country, Plutos give members a simple way to arrange shorter, spontaneous exchanges.
About People Like Us Home Exchange
People Like Us is the world's most trusted home exchange community, rated 4.9 on Trustpilot. Founded in Australia in 2018, its more than 10,000 members across 120 countries open their homes to one another, travelling the world without the cost of hotels and experiencing places as locals rather than tourists. It is built on trust, generosity and genuine human connection: open your home to the world, and the world becomes your home.
Notes to editors
Screenshots available: a match notification and the preferences screen, from a demo account with no real names or addresses. Interviews with Drew Seitam, and with members who have exchanged this way, can be arranged. Substantiation: People Like Us is ranked #1 in the Homestay category among businesses with more than 500 reviews on Trustpilot, with a rating of 4.9.