暑假穷游指南之“搭便车”
爱思英语编者按:你是否制定好暑假出行计划了呢?昂贵的开销令你的脚步变得沉重?不妨来看看这份“暑假穷游搭便车指南”,既降低成本又能结交朋友。当然要注意:安全第一! Congratulations on surviving another school year. Now, with the two-month vacation ahead of you, it’s time to have some fun and enjoy the summer. Have you got any plans yet? If not, for starters, you can check out this issue’s Vibe pages, on which we’ve put together a fun guide on this summer’s hottest books, movies, TV series and events, including concerts and exhibitions. Get out there While resting and immersing yourself in entertainment at home is cool, summer is the perfect time to go out and travel. You may have already booked tickets or joined a guided tour that promises to take you to sandy beaches and top traveling spots, but there’s no need to despair if you can’t afford a long-haul flight to a fancy destination. Traveling isn’t about spending money, it’s about having eye-opening experiences and collecting memories. Try something new Ever thought about hitchhiking? “Now, many college students talk about qiongyou (traveling on a tight budget). I think hitchhiking is the best way to experience it,” says Sun Xiaoxiao. Sun, 22, who just graduated from Renmin University of China, is a fan of hitchhiking. He spent most of his last three summer vacations on the road, taking lifts from strangers, and traveled with his thumb across several provinces in western China, such as Qinghai, Gansu and Tibet. If you are planning to go hitchhiking, Sun’s first tip is, well, never make any plans. “The more you try and plan things, the less fun you’re going to have,” Sun says. “When you’re putting yourself in the hands of strangers like that, you’ve got to be open to new experiences.” Hitchhiking is not only the most inexpensive means of transportation but also the most social one. “You meet nice people and make friends,” Sun says. “It’s fascinating to come in contact with so many different kinds of people; people you wouldn’t be able to meet so easily in normal life.” Sun, who plans to hitchhike across borders this summer, isn’t always alone. His traveling companion, Zhao Xiaopi, who is a 28-year-old freelance Web designer, summarizes hitchhiking in three words: social, economic and ecologic. “It sounds like the contradictory talk of politicians, but in this hobby it’s really true,” Zhao says. Despite some risks, Zhao thinks we could all do with a little hitchhiking therapy. “I wish more people would hitchhike,” he says. “It would restore their trust in society, something that is diminishing, especially in cities.” When it comes to accepting lifts from strangers, risks are inevitable. Justin Brake is an experienced hitchhiker in the US. On his traveling blog he advises that you should always trust your gut and use judgment. Don’t get into a vehicle if you don’t feel right about it. Rely on your instincts and make sure you talk to the driver through the window so that your instincts have something to go on. Be sure to agree on the destination before you get in the car, and know where you’re going to be getting out. |