花小钱玩转大世界

House sitting 看家帮手

A surprising number of householders worldwide will let you live in their homes for free while they are away. And it is completely one—way—you dont have to offer your house in exchange. The catch： You need to help take care of their pets and plants， making sure that everything runs smoothly just as if the owner were at home.

To become a house sitter， you can go to housesitworld.com or mindmyhouse.com to register for membership， which sometimes requires a small fee. After that， you can search for house sitting assignments and contact house owners by email. If the householder is interested， youll get an interview， probably by phone. And youll have to sign copies of house sitting agreement before you get the key to the house.

在世界各地，许多房主都愿意在离家时，让你免费住在他们家中。且这完全是单向的——你不必提供自己的房子来做交换。附加条件：你需要帮他们照料他们的宠物以及花草，确保一切都像主人在家一样井井有条。

如果你有意做一名看房帮手，可以去housesitworld.com和mindmyhouse.com这两个网站上注册会员，有时他们会收取少量费用。注册后，你可以搜索招募看房帮手的信息并通过邮件与房主取得联系。如果房主有兴趣，你会收到一个面谈的机会，可能通过电话进行。在拿到房子钥匙前，你需要在几份看房帮手协议上签字。

Work for accommodation

打工换住宿

Working in return for accommodation is a great way to learn about a country. You can gain practical experience and get off the beaten track， all the while saving thousands of dollars on accommodation. And you dont need a working visa， as no money exchanges hands.

WWOOF （wwoof.org）， for example， is a platform offering worldwide opportunities to help on organic farms. Free accommodation and free meals are provided in return for hours of work on the farms. You can contact the WWOOF office in the country that you wish to visit. After paying a membership fee which varies from country to country， youll get a list of WWOOF hosts in that area and what they are looking for.

Other resources for work—trade agreements： Help Exchange （helpx.net）; Work Away （workaway. info）.

打工換住宿是了解一个国家的不错方式。你可以从中获得实践经验，不走寻常路，同时还节省了数千美元的住宿费。你不需要工作签证，因为无需对方支付金钱作为工资。

比如，世界有机农场机会组织就是一个在世界范围内提供在有机农场工作的平台。免费的食宿是在农场工作数小时后的回报。你可以联系你想去的那个国家的世界有机农场机会组织。支付会费后（不同国家有不同的收费标准），你将会收到一份该组织的当地雇主名单以及招聘标准。

其他一些提供劳务交换协议的网站如下：互助交易网helpx.net，异地工作网workaway.info。

Hospitality exchanges

好客交换

A hospitality exchange is a network of people around the world who offer free accommodation to travelers. Some of the most famous hospitality exchanges include Couch Surfing， Hospitality Club and Global Freeloaders. You can browse online listings， learn about and converse with a host online， and ask for a bed for the night. The bed can take the form of a couch， extra bedroom， or chunk of the floor depending on what your host can offer. Although the stay is technically free， common etiquette dictates that you bring a gift for your host.

Besides， there is an inherent risk involved in staying with a stranger. Make sure you read the hosts profile and references by other guests carefully. Think twice even when there is only one negative reference.

好客交換是一个遍布全球的为旅行者免费提供住宿的网络族群。一些很有名的好客交换包括沙发冲浪、好客俱乐部和全球聚会等。你可以浏览这些网页列表，去了解并与房东在线交谈，然后找寻过夜的床位。这张床可以是沙发、次卧、地板床，这就看房东可以给你提供什么了。虽然理论上来说，住宿是免费的，但是出于礼仪，你仍需要给房东带上一件礼物。

此外，和一个陌生人呆在一块也有潜在的危险。你要确保自己仔细阅读了房东的个人介绍及其他客人留下的参考建议。即便只有一个负面的意见，你也要三思而后行。

Hostel Voluntourism

旅社公益旅行

Would you be willing to volunteer a half—day of your vacation in order to get 50 percent off the cost of your dorm room？ Many hostels around the world offer voluntourism packages which provide room discounts or free meals to guests who will participate in volunteering programs.

Hostel Voluntourism is the perfect alternative for travelers who dont like the idea of staying in a strangers home. All you need to do is to check hostels online to see if they have a volunteer discount.

你愿意牺牲你旅游的一半时间去换取你半价的房间费用吗？世界上很多旅社为那些愿意参加志愿项目的客人提供住房折扣或者免费膳食的公益旅游套餐。

对于那些不愿住在陌生人家里的旅游者来说，旅社公益旅游是一个完美的选择。你只用上网查询一下那些旅社是否提供志愿者打折服务。

借公牛一用

Once upon a time， there lived a rich man， but he didnt know any words.

One day， one of his friends wanted to borrow an ox from him， so he wrote a note and asked his servant to take it to this rich man.

After the servant gave the note to the rich man， he pretended to be reading it and after a while， he said， “OK， I know. Go and tell your master， Ill go myself shortly.”

从前，有个人很富有，但他不识字。

一天，他的一位朋友想向他借一头公牛，便写了个条，让仆人送到富人那里。 仆人把条子给了富人。富人便假装看了一会儿，然后说道：“好啦，我知道了。回去告诉你的主人，我马上自己过去。”