T
Tracey
Reviewer
0 helpful votes
My first swap
I have just been in touch with PLU folk about my first try at this. They have been very kind and patient. The website has worked well in helping me through this too.
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Reviews
Anne Veronika
Reviewer
0 helpful votes
A Premium Member’s Reality: Censorship, Toxic Positivity, and Zero Support
I joined People Like Us (PLU) because it claims to be the "most trusted home exchange community," heavily marketing core values like trust, respect, communication, and honesty. However, my recent experience as a Premium member revealed a very different reality: a highly censored environment that forces a "positive vibes only" narrative at the expense of its paying users. Recently, I hosted an exchange where my guests broke a few items in my home, including a wine decanter and a curtain holder, and left without saying a single word about it. I wasn't upset about the minor financial loss, but the lack of communication really stung, especially in a community that prides itself on honesty. I made a post in the PLU Premium Facebook group asking for peer advice on how to handle the situation emotionally. I made sure to keep the guests 100% anonymous and the details extremely vague to protect their privacy. To my surprise, the admins immediately deleted my post, citing their "no negative posts" rule. This felt incredibly hypocritical, as I had recently seen other members openly complain in that exact same group about guests leaving their houses dirty, yet those posts were allowed to stay up. Immediately after my first post was removed, the admins restricted my account in the Premium group. I was no longer allowed to post directly and was forced to submit any future posts for admin approval. I submitted a second post politely asking for clarification on this inconsistency and asking if members are strictly forbidden from discussing negative experiences. The admins rejected it with a dismissive note stating that "admin decisions aren't for discussion." The paid Premium membership explicitly promises priority support, yet when I reached out directly to the founder (Drew) and the official PLU support team for clarification, my emails were completely ignored. With no answers from official channels, I posted a polite question in the general public Facebook group to ask the community about these rules. Instead of engaging or explaining, the admins immediately turned off the comments on my post so that no one could reply, actively killing any potential discussion. Creating a forced "glowing stories only" environment might look great for marketing, but it leaves paying members completely unsupported when real issues happen. If a home exchange platform aggressively hides the real-world challenges of swapping and shuts down honest conversations, it is not a transparent or safe community. Save your money. The Premium membership is simply not worth it given the toxic atmosphere and the complete lack of support you receive in return.
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NM
natalie mullan
Reviewer
0 helpful votes
Outstanding concept and fantastic site…
Outstanding concept and fantastic site to navigate. We have hovered on the Guest fringe of People Like Us for a few months, watching how everything works, and took the plunge to paid members recently. We have been lucky enough to have booked our first exchange already, and that will occur in October. The process has been very easy to navigate, and we are now very excited to have our first Globe and guests.
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K
Karen
Reviewer
0 helpful votes
Well Worth It.
It can take some work, but is well worth it. Our experience so far has been wonderful. A great community of like minded people.
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DA
David Archibald
Reviewer
0 helpful votes
OUTSTANDING !
The name says it all. I’ve found the people I’ve interacted with have been credible, inclusive and helpful which has enabled an easy trust to build As a holiday accommodation option, PLU is outstanding, and promises to save us money, gain us friends and widely broaden our world knowlege
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A
Andrea
Reviewer
0 helpful votes
“People Like Us Home Exchange” isn’t…
“People Like Us Home Exchange” isn’t just a platform for swapping lovely homes; what makes it particularly special are the wonderful people. Never before have I experienced such genuine kindness, hospitality and generosity in such a large group of people as I have here. It’s a real community, where every member tries to do their best to make the world a little better.
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M
Michael
Reviewer
0 helpful votes
Great experience and extremely trustworthy
We have used PLU on multiple occasions and we have found the experience to be first class. One of the largely unstated benefits is that the people within the community are very open and honest so the level of trust is extremely high. We recommend this to others of a like mind.
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P
PDX
Reviewer
0 helpful votes
people like us…just the best!
We have been members of people like us for nearly 5 years. The community is what makes people like us fantastic. Homeowners who value connection and respecting each other‘s homes as you share throughout the world. The administrators and their support team are also fantastic about maintaining a solid website along with new development consistently.
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ML
Michelle Lang
Reviewer
0 helpful votes
Best Home Exchange Platform
I have arranged successful and fun home exchanges through three different platforms and People Like Us is by far my favourite. The personal touch is clear from the way Drew responds to messages to the features built into the platform. With every PLU home exchange we have done, we have developed friendships with our exchange partners and often with their neighbours as well! Our favourite way to exchange is through simultaneous reciprocal exchanges, but we have a Globe and Pluto we will be looking to use sometime soon. I would highly recommend People Like Us home exchange for anyone who is interested in living like a local while traveling.
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Kristine Riibe
Reviewer
0 helpful votes
Best Exchange group! It feels like changing with friends
I love people like us! It truly feels like changing with friends. It feels safe and nice every time and I love the great experiences!
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CE
Carey Ennis
Reviewer
0 helpful votes
PLU is the only house exchange site you need to join
PLU is the only house exchange site we are members of and we do multiple exchanges each year. Every single exchange is a memorable experience as we love the trust, generosity and comfort of staying in a home rather than a hotel or Airbnb. Having the home owner suggest places to go, hikes to do or sites to see is so valuable. We have met the most wonderful people all around the world, through exchanging. Local exchanges in a new area of our home country, New Zealand, have been as amazing as our annual 3 to 4 month European trip of 6 to 8 back to back exchanges. We love welcoming people into our home and hearing how much they enjoy it. Having the site owners, Drew and Kathy to refer to by email, if any problems arise is comforting plus knowing there is a team ready to offer online support, is reassuring. PLU has given us the opportunity to explore the world. We could not have so any other way as our budget would not allow it. We cannot recommend it highly enough.
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D
Delphine
Reviewer
0 helpful votes
Great experience
Great experience, the platform process is very smooth and easy to use. Very nice community, over the past 5 years we have met a lot of nice people and would highly recommend others to join People like us. Special thanks to the founder Drew and his wife Kathy who always pay a lot of attention to the PLU members and always do their best so that you can enjoy the best experience ever.
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TC
TSG, Canada
Reviewer
0 helpful votes
User friendly site, welcoming community
I’m a new member of PLU though I have belong to another home exchange group for over 20 years. The PLU platform is very user-friendly. And we have found the community to be very warm and welcoming. We have our first exchange next week! Definitely recommended.
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CK
Caren Keeling
Reviewer
0 helpful votes
Restores your faith in human nature.
We are adjusting to semi-retirement and the increased freedom and opportunities it brings alongside planning some mega trips worldwide for next year when we are fully retired. Having recently signed up to PLU, we are so warmed by the welcoming nature of the PLU family and their sharing of advice, of places to visit, to experience and the actual making available of their homes. The system is straightforward to follow with lots of advice sections to refer to and knowing there is always a quick response from the PLU family too if a question is posed on the ‘feed’. We have just arranged our first exchange having only joined PLU in late May so we’re so excited (and yes nervous) for this but know it will all be grand and we’ll have some new friends in our lives after it too. Thank you to the PLU community for bringing such light, positivity and exemplifying the depth of human kindness so required in the world we live in today 💕🙏🏻.
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EL
Elsie Li
Reviewer
0 helpful votes
From Strangers to Friends: Our Wonderful PLU Experience
People Like Us has created more than a home exchange platform—it has built a genuine community of travelers who care about one another. As a first-time exchanger, I appreciated how welcoming and supportive everyone was. Communication throughout the process was outstanding. Our hosts were responsive, helpful, and made us feel comfortable long before we arrived. The PLU support team was equally impressive. Any questions we had were answered promptly, and it was reassuring to know that help was always available. The level of customer support is truly top-notch. I also love the emphasis on trust, kindness, and respect within the community. The homes are accurately represented, members genuinely want each other to have wonderful experiences, and the platform encourages meaningful connections rather than simply transactions. Our first exchange exceeded every expectation, and thanks to PLU's excellent communication, outstanding support, and strong sense of community, we are already looking forward to many more exchanges in the future.
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SB
Stefaan Broos
Reviewer
0 helpful votes
A wonderful community and a genuine…
A wonderful community and a genuine engaged and warm management and support team. We have been members of two other home exchange platforms but resigned and are only a PLU member since the past 7 years.
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C
customer
Reviewer
0 helpful votes
A wonderful community!
We have had several amazing trips as a result of exchanges on PLU. We have always felt comfortable with the people we have exchanged with and all of my reservations about home exchange have gone.
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J
Jamie
Reviewer
0 helpful votes
I love the website in platform and…
I love the website and platform with its very easysearch capabilities. As well as how easy the exchange was . . . seamless in fact. The person that we did our first exchange with was very helpful with explaining how it all worked. I am looking forward to exchanging with many like-minded homeowners thank you for creating the platform
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MH
margaret hill
Reviewer
0 helpful votes
Value of a local meet up.
What really helped me was my meet up in Dublin, as I am a new member. It was so helpful to actually talk thru how the process of PLU works. Now I will have a globe to use which is very positive.
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M
MGB
Reviewer
0 helpful votes
Excellent swap with Yvonne and Paul
Excellent swap with Yvonne and Paul looking forward to our time in their place
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