Imagine if your commute to work was as easy as stepping onto a sun-drenched yacht. Or if your office window overlooked the open seas. How about waking up each morning in a different exotic port?试想一下，如果上下班像登上沐浴阳光的游艇一样轻松;如果透过办公室的窗户，你能俯瞰浩瀚的大海;如果每天清晨总在一个别样的、具有异国风情的港口醒来，你觉得怎么样?

Now imagine if you could do it for free。现在再想象下，如果不掏腰包你就可以做到会怎么样。

From 20-year-old backpackers to 80-year-old retirees, an increasing number of people are volunteering on boats for a remarkable chance to travel the world -- all without spending a dollar。从20岁的背包客到80岁的退休老人，越来越多的人在船上作义工，只为不花一分钱遍游全世界。

Here are our top five tips for living the yachting lifestyle, without the luxury price tag。生活在游艇上如何省钱呢?我们在这里提供五个顶级秘技。

Volunteer as crew 做义务船员

You don't need sailing experience to crew a yacht -- but you do need to be flexible. From cleaning to night watch shifts and stocking supplies, crew members are the worker bees of the boating world。在游艇上作船员不需要航海经验——但你要眼中有活。从清洁、轮班守夜到物品供应，船员是航海世界的工蜂。

Many private yacht owners will offer free board and food, in return for volunteer deck hands。许多私人游艇的主人提供免费食宿，以此作为义工在船上付出劳动的报酬。

"A lot of boat owners are more than happy to have someone with no experience because it means they can teach them how to do things their way," said Kylie Gretener, of the findacrew.net website。“许多船主巴不得这些人没有经验，因为这意味着，他们就可以采用自己的方式教他们做事情，” findacrew.net网站的凯利-格林特纳说。

"What's most important is your attitude -- you've got to be adventurous and open to learning. It's a bit like being an exchange student in someone's home."“最重要的是你的态度——喜欢冒险并渴求知识。这有点儿像寄宿在某人家中的交换生。”

Be a friend 做朋友

If crewing sounds more like work than pleasure, perhaps your charming company is enough to earn you a free ride。如果你觉得做船员听起来不大像娱乐，更像是工作，那你或许可以选择陪别人度过一段令人愉快的旅行，这同样能让你免费游览世界。

"We had one man from Italy who had a two-man submarine," explained Gretener. "He would take it out on weekends and wanted a companion to share the experience。“我们有过一名意大利客户，他有一艘双人潜水艇，”格林特纳解释说。“每逢周末，他驾驶潜水艇出来，寻找一名旅伴来分享他的经历。”

"Then there was the 80-year-old couple from Alaska who joined a yacht in Greece -- they contributed as deck hands but also told great stories to keep the crew entertained."“曾有一对来自阿拉斯加的80岁的夫妇，在希腊登上一艘游艇——他们不仅在船上做帮手，而且还给船员讲有趣的故事逗他们开心。”

Teach the kids 做家教

It's not just the adults that need entertaining on board -- there's also their children。在船上，不仅大人需要娱乐——他们的孩子也同样需要。

Families traveling the high seas may need a teacher or nanny to care for youngsters on long voyages。在公海上进行漫长的家庭旅行时，请教师或保姆来照顾他们的孩子或许很有必要。

"We had one family who were circumnavigating

Australia and needed a teacher to home-school their children," said Gretener, adding "As much as you're sailing the world for free you're still contributing in some way, whether it be your time or expertise."“我们曾有一个环游澳大利亚的家庭，需要一名教师为他们的孩子作家教，”格林特纳说，然后又补充道：“游览世界虽然没有破费你的金钱，但你需要以某种方式付出作为等价交换，时间或者专业知识。”

Jump on a research ship 随行考察船

From submarines to superyachts, vessels looking for volunteers come in all shapes and sizes -- including research ships。寻找义工的船只各式各样、大小不一，有潜水艇、超级游艇、普通船只——包括考察船。

Many environmental groups, such as Greenpeace or the Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust, have research vessels that spend months at sea gathering marine samples and conducting experiments。“绿色和平”、“ 赫布里底鲸鱼”和“海豚基金”等许多环保组织拥有自己的考察船，常在海上徘徊数月，采样实验。

Volunteers range from deck hands to administration staff and scientists working in onboard laboratories。船上需要的义工不仅有船员、管理人员，还有在船上实验室里工作的科学家。

Cook up a storm 做一手好菜

Often preparing meals before any of the crew has even woken up, cooking is one of the most demanding jobs aboard a yacht。烹饪是游艇上要求最高的岗位之一，厨师常常在船员醒来之前，就要把饭菜准备好。

While bigger vessels such as research ships or superyachts usually require a trained chef, smaller boats tend to take on versatile crew members able to lend a hand on deck as well as in the galley。考察船或豪华游艇等较大型的船只通常需要受过训练的厨师，而小型船只倾向于雇用万能型船员，既能做杂活，也能烹饪。

With limited access to supermarkets, on board cooks must also be creative with the local produce -- even if that sometimes means fishing for dinner。由于不方便去超市，船上的厨师还必须有就地取材的本领——有时这意味着靠捕鱼维生。

It seems you don't need to be a wealthy yacht owner to sail into the sunset. If you're willing to roll up your sleeves, the world could be your oyster。这样看来，即便不是富有的游艇主人，同样可以在落日的余辉中徜徉大海。只要你愿意捋起袖管，世界就在你脚下。