Why should I avoid Wawa? Also how much money do you have on you when crossing canada?
Sorry for taking so long to get back, I was locked out of my account for a while. I avoid wawa for a variety of reasons, but the tl;dr version boils down to its a hitchhikers trap. It's very, very hard to get a ride to get out of, (there's a well know joke that says that the mayor of Wawa is a hitchhiker who got stuck there for so long he ended up becoming mayor), and on top of being hard to get out of, it's hard to make money in, so unless you already have enough money on you, if you get dropped off there, glhf. In relation to how much money to bring with you, everyone has different preferences. Take some different things in to account when trying to figure out the right amount for you. Where do you plan on sleeping? If you want to sleep in hostels, those cost money that you're going to need. If you want to camp the whole way across, are you okay with just pitching your tent wherever you can, or do you want to do everything legally? If it's the second, not all camp grounds are free, and what about when you're in the city? You're going to n?eed money for that too. I personally tend to sleep rough, but keep $100 tucked aside for a room in a hostel/ roach hotel for when I really, really need a shower, an actual bed, and good shelter, like in this case of a bad storm..Some other things to take in to account include how you plan on eating, if you're going to want to eat out every day this will cost more than if you have access to a small portable camp stove, but is also less weight to carry, particularly if you're traveling solo. Do you plan on making money on your way, or is this purely a pleasure trip, and if you are going to have to make money on your way, how to you plan on doing this? Are you okay with panhandling /spanging? Do you play an instrument, or have other busk-able skills? Can you make jewelry, or other things you can sell on the road, or do you have skills that you can trade for money or supplies in any way? Fruit picking, carnival work, and other transient style work are also sometimes viable options, pay better than panning/busking in most cases, and are often good in the way that you'll generally get back what you put in. If you intend on busking, it's good to brush up on provincial / regional laws, so you can know where you can do so legally, and where you need a permit to do so. (What you do with that information is totally up to you though.) I'll post something soon about busking rules across the country. I personally have left on shorter trips (Ie. Halifax -> Toronto) with as little as five dollars in my pocket, but I don't recommend it. My general rule of thumb for myself is to try to get $200 before I go, $100 to spend on things like food, cigarettes, ect., and $100 to save in case of emergency, or for shelter in extreme situations, like I mentioned above. I have the intention, and knowledge, to make money while traveling however, so if it's your first time, especially if traveling alone, if your situation allows for it, I may want to bring a bit more. At the very least, I don't recommend going with less than $50. However, good equipment, and experience are worth much more than money. The thing I can't stress the most though, is DO NOT KEEP YOUR MONEY IN YOUR BAG. Bags get wet, and lost, and stolen, and if your money is in your bag, it's going too. Keeping it in your boot, underneath the insole is one option, but only if you have a safe place to move it too when you take your boots off to sleep. (Do take your boots off to sleep. You don't want trench foot.) Keeping it in your pocket makes it just as easy to lose, or get it stolen from you. I recommend sewing a zippered pocket somewhere on the inside of your clothes, like the inside of your jeans near your upper thigh, and either using thread that the colour blends, or sewing a patch over it on the outside to hide it. Keep all of your money in this pocket inside a ziplock bag, and when moving money from the inside pocket to an outer one, do so in private, such as a bathroom stall. I keep a twenty on me in my jeans pocket most of the time, but keep everything else safely hid away. I prefer this to the money belts they sell for traveling in other countries which carries your money flat to your stomach, both for comfort, and because most people know about them. Tl;dr How much money you need depends on a lot of factors, I can't tell you how much to bring. No matter how much you do bring though, $5, $50, or $5000, (though I don't recommend any of the above) make sure that you keep it secure and well hidden.
