花小錢玩轉大世界

House sitting 看家幫手

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 don’t 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， 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.

在世界各地，許多房主都愿意在離家時，讓你免費住在他們家中。且這完全是單向的——你不必提供自己的房子來做交換。附加條件：你需要幫他們照料他們的寵物以及花草，確保一切都像主人在家一樣井井有條。

如果你有意做一名看房幫手，可以去housesitworld.com和mindmyhouse.com這兩個網站上注冊會員，有時他們會收取少量費用。注冊后，你可以搜索招募看房幫手的信息并通過郵件與房主取得聯系。如果房主有興趣，你會收到一個面談的機會，可能通過電話進行。在拿到房子鑰匙前，你需要在幾份看房幫手協議上簽字。

Work for accommodation 打工換住宿

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 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. 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， you’ll 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個國家的不錯方式。你可以從中獲得實踐經驗，不走尋常路，同時還節省了數千美元的住宿費。你不需要工作簽證，因為無需對方支付金錢作為工資。

比如，世界有機農場機會組織就是一個在世界范圍內提供在有機農場工作的平臺。免費的食宿是在農場工作數小時后的回報。你可以聯系你想去的那個國家的世界有機農場機會組織。支付會費后（不同國家有不同的收費標準），你將會收到一份該組織的當地雇主名單以及招聘標準。

其他一些提供勞務交換協議的網站如下：互助交易網helpx.net，異地工作網workaway.info。

Hospitality exchanges 好客交換

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 host’s profile and references by other guests carefully. Think twice even when there is only one negative reference.

好客交換是一個遍布全球的為旅行者免費提供住宿的網絡族群。一些很有名的好客交換包括沙發沖浪、好客俱樂部和全球聚會等。你可以瀏覽這些網頁列表，去了解并與房東在線交談，然后找尋過夜的床位。這張床可以是沙發、次臥、地板床，這就看房東可以給你提供什么了。雖然理論上來說，住宿是免費的，但是出于禮儀，你仍需要給房東帶上一件禮物。

此外，和一個陌生人呆在一塊也有潛在的危險。你要確保自己仔細閱讀了房東的個人介紹及其他客人留下的參考建議。即便只有一個負面的意見，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 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 volunteer discount.

你愿意犧牲你旅游的一半時間去換取你半價的房間費用嗎？世界上很多旅社為那些愿意參加志愿項目的客人提供住房折扣或者免費膳食的公益旅游套餐。

對于那些不愿住在陌生人家里的旅游者來說，旅社公益旅游是一個完美的選擇。你只用上網查詢一下那些旅社是否提供志愿者打折服務。