A ticket to the New World was not easy to come by, and even when there was an opening on a ship, many could not afford to go on the voyage. After factoring in the cost of supplies for the ship, a spot on the boat, and the necessities needed for the new home, not just anyone could afford it. Many wealthy men who could afford the trip to the place many were calling the “New World” would pay for a poor man’s voyage under certain conditions.

With the agreement that the poor man would work in his company for a set number of years, the wealthy man would agree to pay for his voyage. The poor man would then sign a contract stating that he agreed to this, and would work for the wealthy man for a specific number of years. After the contract was signed, the man would leave on a ship and when he arrived in the New World he would begin working at a job, such as a fisherman, and send his fish back to England as a form of payment to the wealthy man. Eventually, wealthy men would enlist dozens of people into their companies, and whole shiploads of people would be sent to the New World as workers. Once the men completed the terms of their contract, and if they had saved enough money, they would bring their entire family to begin their life in the New World.