He couldn't afford the fare to Australia, so he worked his passage.

他负担不起去澳大利亚的船费，因此，他在船上做工以抵偿船费。

youdao

Many less fit and able men perished, while thousands more lived in appalling conditions in overcrowded camps back in Valdez, unable to go on to the diggings or afford the extortionate passage back home.

BBC: Journey into the Alaskan wild

First it was wealthy Westerners who could afford the time and passage to this remote spot in the Indian Ocean.

BBC: Living in: Bali