Make it a season to remember
暑假穷游指南之“搭便车”
导读：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！
Get out there
走出家门
While resting and immersing yourself in entertainment at home is cool, summer is the perfect time to go out and travel.
尽管宅在家中自娱自乐这个主意听上去不错，但夏天可是出发旅行的最佳时节。
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.
你或许已经订好了票，或是报名参加了前往沙滩和热门景点的旅行团，但是，如果你负担不起一次绝妙旅程的长途机票，无需灰心丧气。旅行并非要挥金如土，而是为了去收获一段开阔眼界的经历以及美好回忆。
Try something new
不走寻常路
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.
想过搭便车旅行吗？“现在很多大学生都在讨论‘穷游’（廉价自助旅游）。我觉得搭便车旅游是体验‘穷游’的最佳方式。”孙肖潇（音译）说。
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.
22岁的孙肖潇刚刚从中国人民大学毕业，是位搭便车爱好者。过去的三个暑假，他大部分时间都在路上，靠竖起拇指搭陌生人的顺风车，他的足迹遍布青海、甘肃和西藏等西部省份。
If you are planning to go hitchhiking, Sun’s first tip is, well, never make any plans.
如果你正计划着去搭便车旅行，孙肖潇给出的第一条建议便是‘不要做任何计划’。
“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.”
“你尝试得越多、计划得越多，感受到的乐趣就会越少，”孙肖潇说，“当你搭上陌生人的‘顺风车’时，你就要开始一段新的体验了。”
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.”
搭便车不仅是一种最经济的交通工具，还是一种最佳的社交方式。“你会遇到很多好心人，并和他们成为朋友，”孙肖潇说，“跟形形色色的人打交道是件有趣的事；平常生活你很难结识这么多人。”
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.
孙肖潇计划今年夏天靠搭便车来一次穿越边境之旅，像他这样的搭便车爱好者大有人在。他的旅伴——28岁的张小皮（音译）是位自由网页设计师，他用三个词来总结搭便车旅行：社交、经济、环保。“这听起来像政客们自相矛盾的言论，但是，对于热衷搭便车的人来说，这句句属实。”赵小皮说。
Despite some risks, Zhao thinks we could all do with a little hitchhiking therapy.
尽管存在风险，但赵小皮认为我们都可以适当接受一点“搭便车心理疗法”。
“I wish more people would hitchhike,” he says. “It would restore their trust in society, something that is diminishing, especially in cities.”
“我希望更多的人加入搭便车的行列，”他说，“这将重建社会中人与人之间逐渐消失的信任感，尤其是在城市之中。”
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.
搭陌生人的顺风车，风险是不可避免的。贾斯丁•布雷克是美国的一位资深搭便车旅行者。在他的旅游博客中，他建议，要坚信自己的直觉并做出判断。
Don’t get into a vehicle if you don’t feel right about it.
当发现情况不对时，千万不要上车。
Rely on your instincts and make sure you talk to the driver through the window so that your instincts have something to go on.
相信你的直觉，切记要透过车窗同司机交谈，以便你的直觉能够发挥作用。
Be sure to agree on the destination before you get in the car, and know where you’re going to be getting out.
上车前，务必要就你前往的目的地与车主达成共识，并明确你的下车地点。