How the Sharing Economy Opens New Doors for Travelers

耿燁蔚

你旅行數(shù)千英里是為了去體驗(yàn)新的文化。那你為何要勉強(qiáng)接受一家普通的酒店或是毫無(wú)特色的旅游餐廳呢？快速興起的P2P或共享經(jīng)濟(jì)使旅行者們可以不再選擇傳統(tǒng)的酒店預(yù)訂，而是住到別人家里、開著別人的汽車、在別人的廚房就餐等等，以此體驗(yàn)當(dāng)?shù)氐纳睿米约旱难劬θヌ剿餍碌哪康牡亍?/p>

為什么要共享呢？經(jīng)濟(jì)下行后，人們通過(guò)共享自己擁有的房屋、車輛以及技能等資源，以創(chuàng)新的方式來(lái)賺錢，創(chuàng)造出一種基于協(xié)同消費(fèi)的新經(jīng)濟(jì)模式。這場(chǎng)“權(quán)力賦予民眾”的運(yùn)動(dòng)調(diào)動(dòng)了一大批小型企業(yè)家，也給旅行者帶來(lái)了好處，這好處既有實(shí)際的一面（省錢、便捷和個(gè)性化的關(guān)注），也有豐富人生的一面（原汁原味的體驗(yàn)和真實(shí)的人際聯(lián)系）。共享經(jīng)濟(jì)還能給當(dāng)?shù)厣鐓^(qū)提供支持，鼓勵(lì)可持續(xù)性發(fā)展。

作為一種旅行方式，共享旅行受到一代又一代背包客的青睞，發(fā)展十分迅速。近年來(lái)，通過(guò)使用互聯(lián)網(wǎng)和社交媒體，越來(lái)越多的人可參與到共享旅行中?；ヂ?lián)網(wǎng)和社交媒體幫助旅行者與各類服務(wù)和服務(wù)提供者建立了聯(lián)系。以下是當(dāng)今共享經(jīng)濟(jì)中特別流行的幾種旅游方式，從房屋互換到由當(dāng)?shù)厝藫?dān)任導(dǎo)游的獨(dú)特旅行，不一而足。

不管是在陌生人家的沙發(fā)上過(guò)夜，還是下榻奢侈的豪華套房，這種住在公寓、別墅甚至私人住所單間的新的住宿潮流在過(guò)去幾年十分熱門。這主要?dú)w功于在2008年創(chuàng)立的為房東和旅行者提供服務(wù)的在線社區(qū)交易平臺(tái)——Airbnb。

Airbnb通過(guò)口口相傳的方式迅猛發(fā)展，吸引那些喜歡該網(wǎng)站所提供的當(dāng)?shù)伢w驗(yàn)的人。Airbnb宣稱：“當(dāng)你住在由Airbnb提供的住所中，你就擁有了向當(dāng)?shù)鼐用駥W(xué)習(xí)的機(jī)會(huì)。Airbnb的房東會(huì)告訴你一些別處聽不到的內(nèi)幕。他們有著當(dāng)?shù)厝藰O強(qiáng)的自豪感，通常會(huì)很熱切地與你分享一些小貼士，使你的旅行更加精彩。”

盡管Airbnb網(wǎng)站最近才進(jìn)入主流，但房屋共享并不是一個(gè)新概念。HomeExchange是一家房屋交換服務(wù)公司，創(chuàng)立于互聯(lián)網(wǎng)時(shí)代之前的1992年，它因《戀愛假期》這部電影流行開來(lái)，幾十年來(lái)一直是旅行房主溝通聯(lián)系的平臺(tái)。公司創(chuàng)始人兼董事長(zhǎng)艾德·庫(kù)申斯說(shuō)：“協(xié)同消費(fèi)是把過(guò)去的私人物品轉(zhuǎn)變?yōu)榭梢允褂没蚴浅鲎獾臇|西。無(wú)論是從額外福利還是從人際溝通來(lái)看，住在某人家里——相對(duì)訂酒店——能使旅行更劃算，而且增加了便利?！睅?kù)申斯還說(shuō)：“你不必每頓飯都在餐館吃，因而可以在吃這方面省錢；也沒(méi)有那些早入住和早退房的規(guī)定；你還能得到個(gè)人化的指導(dǎo)和安身之處，還能認(rèn)識(shí)一些人，通常是與你交換房屋的房主的朋友?！?/p>

共享座駕

你一旦預(yù)訂了要在某個(gè)陌生人家中住宿，步入共享世界的下一步自然就是駕駛陌生人的車。對(duì)于那些既想省錢又想在上路時(shí)得到更加個(gè)性化服務(wù)的旅行者來(lái)說(shuō)，這種方式很有吸引力。

汽車共享的典型做法包括短時(shí)租車，通常按小時(shí)計(jì)算。租車替代了買車，這有助于讓那些非必需的車輛不再上路，環(huán)境壓力也會(huì)因此小一些。近年來(lái)，短時(shí)租車已經(jīng)發(fā)展到可以滿足旅行者的長(zhǎng)期需要。旅行者可以按天從車主那兒直接租用那些未能得到充分利用的汽車，還避免了傳統(tǒng)租車的麻煩。

RelayRides是一家汽車共享交流網(wǎng)站，其關(guān)注的焦點(diǎn)是美國(guó)的各個(gè)機(jī)場(chǎng)。該公司起初模仿網(wǎng)上租車公司Zipcar的模式，提供按需定制的服務(wù)，按小時(shí)收租金，卻發(fā)現(xiàn)自己比赫茲、安飛士等傳統(tǒng)汽車租賃公司更具競(jìng)爭(zhēng)力。按照RelayRides社區(qū)和溝通總監(jiān)史蒂文·韋布的說(shuō)法：“[我們的顧客]是‘有車一族，但因特別的目的[譬如旅游]想要租車，他們想要比傳統(tǒng)租車更便捷、更實(shí)惠的服務(wù)?！表f布聲稱汽車共享能幫旅行者節(jié)省高達(dá)40%的開支，此外還有挑選汽車和由車主接機(jī)的好處。

FlightCar是另一個(gè)選擇。該網(wǎng)站對(duì)租車者進(jìn)行預(yù)先審查，通過(guò)審查的人可以租用車主停放在機(jī)場(chǎng)的車。對(duì)于車主來(lái)說(shuō)，汽車如果租了出去，他們就能免費(fèi)在機(jī)場(chǎng)停車，獲得一次免費(fèi)洗車，還能收取租金。租車的人則能享受便宜的租車費(fèi)和免費(fèi)的路邊接送服務(wù)，該服務(wù)已覆蓋波士頓、洛杉磯和舊金山的機(jī)場(chǎng)。而諸如排隊(duì)等候、填寫各種文件、隱形附加費(fèi)用這些多年來(lái)一直困擾著租車人的煩惱通通都沒(méi)有。

共享美食

協(xié)同消費(fèi)不僅包括房屋和車輛，人們還渴望通過(guò)食物獲取真實(shí)的體驗(yàn)。一邊是充滿激情的廚師和祖母，另一邊是想要在世界各個(gè)角落與當(dāng)?shù)鼐用窆蚕砑彝ゲ穗鹊酿囸I旅行者，很多新興網(wǎng)站使兩方建立聯(lián)系變得更容易。

你可以通過(guò)這些社交餐飲網(wǎng)站預(yù)訂飯菜，或是預(yù)訂在私人廚房舉辦的烹飪課程。越來(lái)越多的旅行者不滿意度假勝地和旅游餐廳提供的普通食物，他們想品嘗一些更加難忘的、能反映當(dāng)?shù)匚幕拿朗?，這些網(wǎng)站滿足了這類旅行者的需求。這些服務(wù)會(huì)使人更加沉浸其中，服務(wù)也更具個(gè)性化，因?yàn)槊朗程峁┱咄鶗?huì)根據(jù)特別的飲食喜好來(lái)烹制美食，甚至?xí)鶕?jù)個(gè)人需求來(lái)定制套餐菜單。

諾亞·卡雷什在2013年與別人一道創(chuàng)建了Feastly網(wǎng)站，旨在幫助人們“了解當(dāng)?shù)匚幕?，搭建?lián)系平臺(tái)”。他說(shuō)：“這個(gè)網(wǎng)站就是一個(gè)載體，用于保持人際關(guān)系，并提供與食物相關(guān)的有意義的互動(dòng)……可供選擇的食物有很多，有五美元的漢堡，也有100美元的多道菜肴，可以滿足所有的飲食方式?！?/p>

共享體驗(yàn)

漫步于布魯克林，品味街頭藝術(shù)；坐在1975年款的“小綿羊”摩托車后座上環(huán)游巴黎；甚至和斐濟(jì)國(guó)王一起來(lái)次垂釣之旅：說(shuō)到游覽目的地，Vayable這樣的網(wǎng)站可以幫助旅行者聯(lián)系經(jīng)過(guò)審查的當(dāng)?shù)貙?dǎo)游，從而享受根據(jù)特殊興趣定制的獨(dú)特旅行體驗(yàn)。

網(wǎng)站創(chuàng)始人杰米·翁認(rèn)為：“同當(dāng)?shù)厝私⒙?lián)系能給旅行者帶來(lái)好處，旅行的特色就在于此。”這樣的旅行可以讓人們前往新的街區(qū)，遠(yuǎn)離那些典型的旅游景點(diǎn)和千篇一律的活動(dòng)。翁清楚地了解到許多人都渴望真實(shí)的旅行體驗(yàn)，于是創(chuàng)建了這個(gè)網(wǎng)站。她說(shuō)：“2008年的經(jīng)濟(jì)危機(jī)催生了一種需求，那就是人們需要相互聯(lián)系，需要體驗(yàn)式的旅行。人們發(fā)現(xiàn)金錢不能使他們幸福。體驗(yàn)可以?！?/p>

共享經(jīng)濟(jì)中的信任與安全

共享資源、建立人際聯(lián)系以及進(jìn)行文化交流的潛能或許很有吸引力，但許多旅行者都會(huì)遇到一個(gè)簡(jiǎn)單的問(wèn)題：共享旅行安全嗎？

許多此類網(wǎng)站和應(yīng)用都會(huì)為你做初步審查。所以當(dāng)你實(shí)際上還在和陌生人進(jìn)行溝通時(shí)，就有許多檢查和制衡機(jī)制來(lái)全程幫助你們彼此建立信任了，讓你在了解情況后做出決定。例如，大多數(shù)此類服務(wù)網(wǎng)站都使用多重審查系統(tǒng)，包括通過(guò)信用卡、電話號(hào)碼、社交媒體賬戶等來(lái)核實(shí)身份。你也可以仔細(xì)閱讀資料信息和經(jīng)過(guò)核實(shí)的評(píng)論，或是看看針對(duì)某位供應(yīng)者的推薦。一些網(wǎng)站還有內(nèi)嵌的聊天功能，讓客戶和供應(yīng)者直接互發(fā)信息溝通，讓雙方彼此了解，同時(shí)還保護(hù)了他們的個(gè)人身份。庫(kù)申斯稱：“等你同意交換時(shí)，早就不再擔(dān)憂了。你看到了那個(gè)人，也了解了那個(gè)人，原本自然會(huì)有的擔(dān)憂便消失了。”

共享旅行的未來(lái)

盡管共享經(jīng)濟(jì)向傳統(tǒng)商業(yè)模式的現(xiàn)狀提出了挑戰(zhàn)，但其本身也面臨著合法性和能設(shè)想到的競(jìng)爭(zhēng)的挑戰(zhàn)。

比如，Airbnb正在和紐約州打官司，因?yàn)樵摼W(wǎng)站上列出的一些公寓是“非法”出租的，州政府因此少收了數(shù)百萬(wàn)美元的酒店稅。此外，據(jù)路透社報(bào)道，西雅圖市剛剛投票決議限制優(yōu)步、Lyft和Sidecar這樣的車輛共享公司的擴(kuò)張，并要求駕駛者和車輛都購(gòu)買與出租車標(biāo)準(zhǔn)相同的保險(xiǎn)。

盡管監(jiān)管機(jī)構(gòu)和害怕競(jìng)爭(zhēng)的公司強(qiáng)制推出了這些規(guī)則，但共享經(jīng)濟(jì)的倡導(dǎo)者們很樂(lè)觀，他們相信成功的關(guān)鍵在于協(xié)作。

根據(jù)Airbnb的說(shuō)法，“共享經(jīng)濟(jì)對(duì)人們來(lái)說(shuō)是個(gè)新模式，但只要我們共同努力，全世界的領(lǐng)導(dǎo)者和社區(qū)成員很快會(huì)看到Airbnb如何使社區(qū)變得更強(qiáng)大”。

有人說(shuō)，隨著共享運(yùn)動(dòng)合法化并成為主流，隨著其為經(jīng)濟(jì)帶來(lái)的好處被人們所認(rèn)識(shí)，與之相關(guān)的法律問(wèn)題將變得不重要。至于旅游業(yè)，翁認(rèn)為：“就社區(qū)和可持續(xù)性發(fā)展而言，共享經(jīng)濟(jì)有助于擴(kuò)大旅游市場(chǎng)……它不會(huì)取代舊市場(chǎng)，而是會(huì)創(chuàng)造出一個(gè)新市場(chǎng)?！?/p>

You travel thousands of miles to experience new cultures. So why would you settle for1） a generic2）） hotel or nondescript3） tourist restaurant？ The burgeoning4） peer-to-peer5） or sharing-economy movement allows travelers to skip the traditional booking options and live la vita6） local by staying in other peoples homes， driving their cars， eating in their kitchens， and otherwise7）， seeing a new destination through their eyes.

Why share？ After the economic downturn， people developed innovative ways to make money by sharing resources they already had， such as houses， vehicles， and skills， creating a new economy based on collaborative consumption8）. While this power-to-the-people movement has mobilized an army of micro-entrepreneurs， it has also resulted in traveler benefits ranging from practical （savings， convenience， and personalized attention） to enriching （authentic experiences and real human connection）. It also supports local communities and encourages sustainability.

A travel style favored by generations of backpackers， peer-to-peer has grown meteorically9） and become more accessible in recent years through the use of the Internet and social media， both of which help connect travelers with hosts and services. Here are some of the more popular ways to travel in todays sharing economy， from house swapping to unique tours guided by locals.

Share a House

From crashing10） on a strangers couch to sleeping in a luxurious penthouse11） suite， the trend of staying in alternative accommodations such as apartments， villas， or even single rooms in private homes has exploded over the past few years， mainly thanks to Airbnb12）， an online community marketplace for homeowners and travelers that debuted in 2008.

The site grew quickly via word of mouth， attracting people who liked the local experiences it provided. According to Airbnb， “When you stay in an Airbnb [property]， you have the opportunity to learn from a local. Airbnb hosts can give you insider knowledge you couldnt find elsewhere. Hosts have a ton of local pride and are generally eager to share their tips with you to make your trip even more amazing.”

While Airbnb has recently hit the mainstream， the concept of home sharing is not new. Started as a pre-Internet business in 1992， HomeExchange13）， a house-swapping service popularized by the movie The Holiday14）， has been connecting traveling homeowners for decades. According to Ed Kushins， founder and president of the company， “Collaborative consumption is turning things that used to be private into something that can be used or rented. Staying in someones home—as opposed to booking a hotel—can make a vacation more affordable and add convenience， both in terms of perks15） and personal interactions.” Kushins says， “You can save on food bills by not eating at a restaurant for every meal， and there are no early check-in or checkout rules； plus you get personal instructions and accommodations and get to meet people， often friends of the exchange partner.”

Share a Ride

Once youve booked a stay in a strangers home， the next natural step into the peer-to-peer world is driving a strangers car， which has appeal for travelers wanting to save money and get more personalized service when they hit the road.

Typically， car sharing involves renting cars for short periods of time， often by the hour. An alternative to car ownership， this helps keep unnecessary vehicles off the road， thus making things a little easier on the environment. In recent years， it has expanded to fulfill the longer-term needs of travelers， who can rent directly from car owners on a daily basis， making use of underutilized vehicles and avoiding the hassles16） associated with traditional car rentals.

RelayRides17）， a car-sharing marketplace focused on U.S. airports， started out emulating the Zipcar18） model with on-demand， hourly car rentals， but found that it was more competitive with traditional car-rental companies such as Hertz19） and Avis20）. According to Steven Webb， RelayRides Director of Community and Communications， “[Our customers] were people who already had cars but wanted them for special purposes [like travel] and would like something more convenient and affordable than traditional rentals.” Webb claims that car sharing saves travelers up to 40 percent and provides them with the added benefits of choosing their car and getting picked up at the airport by the owner.

Another option， FlightCar21）， allows prescreened22） drivers to rent from people who have parked their cars at the airport. Owners get free airport parking， a car wash， and payment if their car is rented out， and renters receive low rates and free curbside pickup and drop-off at Boston， Los Angeles， and San Francisco airports. Theres no waiting in line， no paperwork， and none of the hidden ancillary23） fees that have been plaguing car renters for years.

Share a Meal

Houses and vehicles arent the only things up for collaborative consumption. People are craving authentic experiences through food. And plenty of new websites are making it easier to connect passionate chefs—and grandmothers—with hungry travelers who want to share home-cooked meals with locals in just about any destination around the world.

These social dining sites—through which you can book meals or cooking classes in someones private kitchen—fill the need of an ever-growing niche of travelers who have become dissatisfied with generic food options available at resorts and tourist restaurants and want more memorable meals that reflect the local culture. They are more immersive and offer personalization， since hosts often build meals around specific dietary preferences or even tailor set menus to suit individual needs.

Noah Karesh cofounded Feastly24） in 2013 to help people “understand local culture and connect.” He says， “Its a vehicle to sustain relationships and provide meaningful interaction around food.… Meal options range from $5 mac and cheese to $100 multicourse meals and can accommodate all dietary lifestyles.”

Share an Experience

A street-art walk in Brooklyn， a tour of Paris from the back of a 1975 Vespa25）， and even a fishing trip with a Fijian king： When it comes to seeing a destination， websites like Vayable26） are helping travelers find unique experiences tailored to specific interests by connecting them to vetted local guides.

According to founder Jamie Wong， “Travelers benefit by building connections with locals， which comes to define the trip.” These tours also bring people into new neighborhoods， away from the typical tourist spots and cookie-cutter27） activities. Wong created Vayable out of what she recognized as a collective longing for authentic experiences. She says， “The 2008 economic crash gave birth to a need for human connection and experiential travel. People found that money doesnt make them happy. Experiences do.”

Trust and Safety in the Sharing Economy

The potential for sharing resources， human connection， and cultural exchange may be appealing， but many travelers are left with a simple question： Is peer-to-peer travel safe？

Many of these websites and apps do the initial vetting for you. So while you are still essentially interacting with strangers， there are many checks and balances along the way that help build trust and allow you to make informed decisions. For example， most of these services use multilayered vetting systems that include verifying identities through credit cards， phone numbers， social media accounts， etc. You can also read through profiles and verified reviews or check references of a given host. Some sites have built-in functionalities for direct messaging between guests and hosts， which allows them to get to know each other while protecting their personal identities. According to Kushins， “By the time you agree to the exchange， the fear has gone away. You get to see and learn about the person， and the natural apprehension28） you have dissipates.”

The Future of Peer-to-Peer Travel

While the sharing economy defies the status quo set by traditional business models， its facing its share of challenges over legitimacy and perceived competition.

For example， Airbnb is currently in legal battles with New York for listing “illegal” apartment rentals and for costing the state millions in hotel tax dollars. And， according to Reuters， Seattle just voted to limit the expansion of ride-share companies like Uber， Lyft， and Sidecar and require that drivers and cars meet the same insurance standards as taxis.

Despite the rules imposed by regulatory bodies and competition-fearing companies， sharing-economy advocates are optimistic and believe the key to success lies in collaboration.

According to Airbnb， “The sharing economy is a new paradigm for people， but when we work together， leaders and community members around the world quickly see how Airbnb makes communities stronger.”

Some say issues around legality will become irrelevant as the peer-to-peer movement legitimizes and becomes part of the mainstream and its benefits to the economy are realized. Concerning the travel industry， Wong says， “It expands the tourism market with regard to communities and sustainability.… Its not displacing the old market but creating a new one.”