How to barter for paradise

the long version

Most people like to travel in comfort: they stay in fancy hotels, never leave tourist spots, and stay away from the locals. Michael Wigge isn't like most people, though. After traveling the world without money for 150 days, he faced his next challenge: to turn an apple into a house in Hawaii. Wigge visits fourteen countries and six continents exchanging goods for more valuable ones, and he meets an array of good-humored people who take his deals.-- from publisher's description.