Volunteer Travel 义工旅行

Volunteer travel refers to taking a trip where all or part of the purpose of the trip is to participate in an arranged service opportunity to help others， according to an online provider of tourist information.

During the trip， volunteer travelers often provide services like teaching， cooking， animal caring， and cultural activities. In exchange for their help， the volunteers may get free or discounted accommodation， meals and laundry， activities， or classes.

It seems as if these long journeys could only be made possible in recent years by modern transportation. Nevertheless， volunteer travel dates back to the 1960s， when Alec Dickson and his wife Mora from the UK founded Voluntary Service Overseas （VSO）， an international volunteer organization.

根据一个线上文旅信息平台的解释，义工旅行指旅行的全部或部分目的在于参与安排好的、帮助他人的志愿服务。

在旅途中，义工往往提供教学、烹饪、照看动物、组织文化活动等服务。而作为对志愿服务的回报，在食宿、洗衣、参加活动或课程等方面，义工可以得到费用减免。

似乎因为现代交通的发展，这些长途旅行才在近些年成为可能。然而，义工旅行可以追溯到20世纪60年代，当时来自英国的亚力克·迪克森和妻子莫拉成立了一个国际义工组织——海外志愿服务。

Traditionally， the volunteer activities take place in a foreign country. However， more volunteer trips have taken place within the same countries or regions the volunteers originate from in recent years. Sanlian Lifeweek magazine commented that volunteer projects in rural areas are now attracting more urban visitors as a break from the fast and stressful pace of urban living. A founder of a volunteer platform， told the magazine that it has indeed been a growing trend for urban residents to volunteer in rural areas.

People try volunteer travel for several reasons. By working voluntarily while traveling， travelers may make a real， positive impact on the world. The services volunteers provide can be through charities with lower costs for the communities they serve. Another benefit of volunteer travel is that it helps urban dwellers to get a taste of rural life. For those who are sick of urban pressure but cant make up their minds whether to move permanently to the countryside， volunteer travel can be a solution. In this way， travelers can catch some relief from their busy lives， while rural communities also benefit by receiving more tourists for local tourism industries and temporary high-quality labor.

傳统的义工活动在国外进行，然而近年来，越来越多的义工旅行发生在旅行者自身所在的国家或地区。《三联生活周刊》评论称，农村义工项目正在吸引越来越多城市游客的注意，让他们从快速而紧张的城市生活节奏中解脱出来。一家义工平台的创始人在接受该杂志采访时表示，城市居民到农村做义工的确逐渐成了一种趋势。

人们出于多种原因尝试义工旅行。通过在旅行中从事志愿工作，旅行者可能会对世界产生实际且积极的影响。义工可以通过慈善机构提供服务，为他们服务的社区降低开销。义工旅行还有另一个好处：可以帮助城市居民体验乡村生活。对于那些受够了城市压力，但又拿不定主意是否要永久移居农村的人来说，义工旅行也许能解决他们的烦恼。通过义工旅行，旅行者可以从繁忙的生活中得到一丝放松，当地旅游业也能吸引更多的游客和临时的优质劳动力，从而使农村地区受益。

Word Bank

discount /d?s'ka?nt/ v. 打折扣

laundry /'l??ndri/ n. 洗衣物；洗衣活

labor /'le?b?（r）/ n. 劳工；劳动力