If you are making a shorter Wayfaring journey, you will be able to carry everything you need, and money will not be a large part of the equation. Nevertheless, try to celebrate the art of spending as little as possible.
However, if you are making a longer Wayfaring journey, you will need to pay your way, as food cannot be carried in sufficient quantity to avoid re-stocking.
First things first, once you have a pack with all the basic kit you need, your costs following onward shall be far lower than ‘normal’ life.
If your journey is for multiple months, you may wish to dissolve rental accommodation agreements. This is not becoming homeless - it is becoming Homefree. Doing so will be a huge cost saving. Council tax, utility bills, internet - without these costs life becomes instantly far cheaper. Things you need to keep can be stored in a friend’s or family member’s attic. Also, you will still need a postal address, or your bank account may get miffed. So find someone solid who is willing to put you on their books for the duration of your Wayfaring journey.
If you run a vehicle, you will save a lot of money by selling it and dissolving the costs of tax and insurance.
However, even with deeply reduced outgoings, you will still need money.
If you have a well-paid job, or comfy savings, the following list may appear irrelevant. Eat what you like, stay where you like, right? Well, money can be a burden as well as a blessing, as its insulative comforts can make it harder to truly encounter immersion with self, others and nature. Needing the help of others is an astonishingly powerful magic that restores gratitude, connection and community. I have made a number of Wayfaring journeys where I deliberately set off money-free for this very reason, and they are usually the best journeys.
If this makes you twinge with awkward Protestant revulsion, you can always balance out your guilt by making generous donations to worthy causes identified on the path? Make yourself a Secret Thousandaire (if not quite Millionaire) and enjoy practicing both humility and delayed reciprocity.
Meanwhile, this is my estimate of the basic financial requirements of going Wayfaring:
Wayfaring Costs
Food and Drink
Water can be found everywhere, whether from taps or from wild sources. If you want to also drink beer or fruit juice, this is expensive, so budget for your needs or learn to enjoy going without.
Food can be partially foraged, if you know how and are in season, but even experts struggle to survive solely from foraging in the UK. You will inevitable have to buy food. This will be probably your biggest cost while Wayfaring. The key part to cutting costs is to cook for yourself. Using a twig burner will reduce your costs even further, as you’ll avoid the need to buy gas cartridges. I estimate that if you enjoy a basic, low-meat diet, you can eat very well for £5 a day. This is for local vegetables and grains, with occasional meats. Daily morning porridge, tea and coffee, bread, fruit, eggs or cheese for lunch, and a hearty stew for supper - it’s not a bad food life for a decent cost. To make this work, you’ll need to buy core supplies like oats by the kilo, which is initially heavy, but compared to visiting cafes and having them cook for you, this a far cheaper and more liberating choice. Also, you’ll want to cook sufficient food to provide for the next day too, to save time and costs. You may also want to include a little budget for the occasional treat. I would budget around £40 per week for food and drink.
Other Supplies
Washing soap, boot wax, occasional new socks, basic hygiene supplies - if you are well prepared at the front end, this should not end up costing you more than £5 per week.
Accommodation
If you have managed to acquire reliable shelter and sleep systems, accommodation need not cost you anything at all. Claiming Sanctuary and Coldharbouring - with the occasional benefit of meeting old/new friends for Hospitality - is a no-cost option for Wayfaring. That said, you may want to budget for a single night’s campsite per week, to use their cleaning and drying facilities? This would make accomms cost from £0 - £15 per week.
Emergency funds
It is recommended to carry an emergency stash of cash, sufficient to get you to a safe place. This might mean for a taxi and a train fare. Try to keep £100 squirreled away, and don’t touch it until need arises, if at all.
Mobile Phone
If you are using a smartphone for navigation, you’ll need to keep paying the bill while you walk. Before setting out on a long Wayfaring journey, you might consider re-negotiating your contract and bringing it as low as you can. With a shedload of data, this should cost no more than £5 per week.
Subscriptions
Before setting out on a long journey, review your bank account and look for outgoing subscriptions that can be put on hold for the duration of your journey. Newspapers - computer software - clubs - these costs can add up. If they will not serve you while living on foot, be sure to stop them before departing. If you are using smartphone navigation, and your maps are on subscription, this will cost you around £1 per week.
Total Weekly Cost
According to the estimates above, for a good life Wayfaring, you need around £66 per week.
Of course, this depends on your having provided yourself with adequate kit at the front end, which can be a large expense too, depending on your approach. Still, I believe it is valuable to know that you can live well in Britain, on a journey to anywhere, and stay healthy and happy, engaged and focused, for this level of funding.
Wayfaring Income
To ensure you have enough money coming in to support your Wayfaring journey, there are a number of options.
Selling Off
You can raise funds before setting out by selling off possessions via eBay or Facebook Marketplace, or to friends and family.
Busking
One way to raise funds while Wayfaring is to offer a gift and ask for support. Some people perform poetry, others juggle. I like to give song. It weighs nothing and makes me feel healthier, even if I sometimes earn very little. I like to consider this a service to improve the environment of a place, and the financial reward a secondary concern. A key tip is to make a sign for when you perform. People are good at ignoring sound, but few can resist the written word. Call it monkey curiosity. In big letters, write “Walking to …”. Let people know you are a Wayfarer passing through. This makes local folk feel better about supporting you, and even those who don’t like your music much might chip in to help send you on your way.
Peddling
You can pay for a Pedlars’ License at a police station near you. Simply go in and ask. You’ll need a letter from a referee and two photos, technically. It should cost £12.50 for a year. This allows you to sell on the street, but only good you carry with you. So if you make hazel twig toys, or lucky pegs, or if you have pre-stocked with shrink-wrapped tea-towels, this will allow you to make a little money as you walk.
In the UK, if decide to be self-employed (as a pedlar or musician for example) and you don’t earn much, you can request support from HMRC via Universal Credit. This can be upt0 about £100 per week. This is enough to keep you Wayfaring. As long as you are not ‘out of work’, you should find this is a relatively seamless option. This only works if you do not have savings of £10k+. And it takes a wedge of time to get sorted. Plan ahead.
Wayfaring Services
There are other ways to make money while Wayfaring. Perhaps you could be imaginative? Offering to make pilgrimage for folks who cannot make their own, was once a successful business model. Perhaps it can be rejuvenated?
Also, offering to hand deliver long distance letters across Britain ‘may’ be a viable method to cover your costs on the path. You only need one client. I have long hoped to offer this, but not yet tried. I would have called it The Footpost. Feel free to borrow this title! A single page website and a friendly local newspaper should be adequate promotion, I reckon. As I imagined this, it would require stitching a letter into waxed cotton and leather, to seal it. Perhaps you’d also stitch the whole thing into your jacket?
However you make it work, enjoy entering a low-pressure economic world, where costs are small and simple.
