中英双语新闻——63 Be an explorer on a budget

 　　Travel doesn’t have to be expensive.

 
　　旅游不一定非要花大钱。
 
　　A young couple named Xiexie and Caicai has proved it by visiting 18 Asian countries on a budget of 40,000 yuan. But when they broke the news on Sina Weibo last week, many people didn’t seem to believe them.
 
　　“谢谢”和“菜菜”（化名）这对年轻夫妇就证明了这一点。他们游览了亚洲的18个国家，却只花了4万元人民币。但上周当他们在新浪微博上发布这一消息时，似乎很多人并不相信他们的话。
 
　　“It couldn’t be true,” said a micro blogger named Uncle Fox on Sina Weibo. “I just don’t buy it.”
 
　　“这不可能是真的，”新浪微博博主狐狸大叔表示，“反正我是不信。”
 
　　Well, the truth is there are smart ways to see the world. And here, 21st Century finds some tricks to travel the world without breaking the bank or sacrificing fun.
 
　　然而，事实上，有很多讨巧的方式来看看这个世界。这里《21世纪英文报》为您找到了一些既省钱又有趣的环游世界小诀窍。
 
　　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.
 
　　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。
 
　　And it is completely one-way – you don’t have to offer your house in exchange.
 
　　且这完全是单向的--你不必提供自己的房子来做交换。
 
　　The catch: You need to help take care of their pets and plants, making sure that everything runs smoothly 1 just as if the owner were at home.
 
　　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。
 
　　To become a house sitter, you can go to housesitworld.com or mindmyhouse.com to register for membership, which sometimes requires a small fee.
 
　　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。
 
　　After that, you can search for house sitting assignments and contact house owners by email.
 
　　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。
 
　　If the householder is interested, you’ll get an interview, probably by phone. And you’ll have to sign copies of house sitting agreement before you get the key to the house.
 
　　如果房主有兴趣，你会收到一个面谈的机会， 很可能通过电话进行。在拿到房子钥匙前，你需要在几份看房协议文件上签字。
 
　　Work for accommodation
 
　　打工旅游
 
　　Working in return for accommodation is a great way to learn about a country.
 
　　打工换食宿是了解一个国家的不错方式。
 
　　You can gain practical experience and get off the beaten track, all the while saving thousands of dollars on accommodation.
 
　　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食宿费。
 
　　And you don’t 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.
 
　　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。
 
　　Free accommodation and free meals are provided in return for hours of work on the farms.
 
　　免费的食宿是在农场工作数小时后的回报。
 
　　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), you’ll get a list of WWOOF hosts in that area and what they are looking for.
 
　　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。
 
　　Other resources for work-trade agreements: Help Exchange (helpx.net); Work Away (workaway.info).
 
　　其它一些提供劳务交换的网站如下：互助交易网：helpx.net，异地工作网：workaway.info（意译）。
 
　　Hospitality exchanges
 
　　好客交换
 
　　A hospitality exchange is a network of people around the world who offer free accommodation to travelers.
 
　　好客交换是一个遍布全球的为旅行者免费提供食宿的网络族群。
 
　　Some of the most famous hospitality exchanges include Couch Surfing, Hospitality Club and Global Freeloaders.
 
　　一些很有名的好客交换族群包括沙发冲浪，好客俱乐部和全球聚会等。
 
　　You can browse 2 online listings, learn about and converse 3 with a potential host online, and ask for a bed for the night.
 
　　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。
 
　　The bed can take the form of a couch, extra bedroom, or chunk 4 of the floor depending on what your host can offer.
 
　　这张床可以是沙发，次卧，地板床等，这就看房东可以给你提供什么了。
 
　　Although the stay is technically 5 free, common etiquette 6 dictates 7 that you bring a gift for your host.
 
　　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。
 
　　Besides, there is an inherent risk involved in staying with a stranger. Make sure you read the host’s profile and references by other guests carefully. Think twice even when there is only one negative reference.
 
　　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 8 Voluntourism
 
　　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?
 
　　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？
 
　　Many hostels 9 around the world offer voluntourism packages which provide room discounts or free meals to guests who will participate in volunteering programs.
 
　　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。比如，北美的Crested 10 Butte International Lodge 11 & Hostel旅社对愿意为8月23和24号举行的美国职业自行车赛提供帮助的志愿者提供特殊折扣。
 
　　Hostel Voluntourism is the perfect alternative for travelers who don’t like the idea of staying in a stranger’s home. All you need to do is to check hostels online to see if they have a volunteerdiscount.
 
　　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。