It makes sense that there are now more ways than ever to spend and travel the world with cryptocurrencies as blockchain technology and its use expand.
This article will go over the different ways you may use bitcoin while traveling, the reasons people do it, and the importance of the $1 trillion travel market for the cryptocurrency industry.
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Why Should You Bring Your Crypto on Vacation?
Some bitcoin enthusiasts might be wondering why you would want to spend your cryptocurrency at this stage.
Finally, if you adhere to the fundamental ideas of Bitcoin and the protocols outlined in the Bitcoin whitepaper, spending Bitcoin is the only way for it to actually take on the characteristics of a global, peer-to-peer electronic payment system.
Customers who want to use their cryptocurrencies have a need for crypto merchant solutions on a worldwide scale. Additional justifications for choosing to Travel with Crypto include the following:
Regional Economies
Some people will preserve their money as a hedge against inflation by moving their cash from fiat to cryptocurrency if they are going through economic hardship or hyperinflation in their own fiat currency.
People’s only option for saving money, traveling, or fleeing their country may be to decide to keep their riches in Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies.
Get Rid of Money
You might escape the hassle of local currency exchanges when entering or leaving a foreign country if you want to travel the world with cryptocurrencies.
Instead, it is assumed that all of your money is kept in an electronic format, either online or on a mobile device like a smartphone or a hard wallet.
Using fiat currency and apps like Apple Pay and Google Pay from your smartphone or watch, you can also travel ceaselessly, but each time you make a payment, a foreign transaction fee of typically 3% is charged.
According to dontstopliving.net, the average cost of an international cryptocurrency transaction is 2%; by the conclusion of the journey, even a small increase might soon mount up!
Reduced Risk
Some contend that avoiding carrying cash while traveling abroad lowers your personal risk of being robbed or harmed.
Additionally, you can transfer cryptocurrencies worldwide at any time of day or night, with relatively low costs compared to the regular foreign exchange rate, if there is an emergency in your own country.
Knowing that you can assist your family or friends from anywhere in the world without having to deal with complicated cross-border intermediaries is comforting.
Discounts
For a range of common transactions that can be used while traveling, some travel, gift card, and retail sites (mentioned below) give discounts to customers who pay with Bitcoin or other chosen cryptocurrencies.
How to Use Crypto Flights to Travel the World
In 2013, CheapAir.com became the first US-based online travel agency to accept Bitcoin. The multi-service booking platform currently accepts payments in Litecoin, Bitcoin Cash, and Dash.
Expedia, a major international online travel agency, started accepting Bitcoin as payment for tickets in 2014 before silently eliminating this choice in 2018. But this summer, Expedia revealed a partnership with Travala.com.
With access to millions of hotels and villas throughout the world, Travala enables future passengers to book trips using more than 30 well-known cryptocurrencies, including top active coins like Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), Binance Coin (BNB), and Travala.com’s native cryptocurrency (AVA).
Other well-known travel websites, like Destinia.com in Spain, accept Bitcoin for payments for trips and flights. With airBaltic (Latvia), Surf Air (California, US), and Peach Aviation (Japan) all enabling their customers to pay and travel the world using cryptocurrency, more airlines are taking notice of the trend.
Accommodation
Book travel with Crypto agencies that offer all-inclusive packages and allow customers to book hotels and flights simultaneously are growing in popularity.
Some of these, such Travala/Expedia and Destinia, have already been covered.
When visitors arrive at the Destinia webpage, they can examine offerings in a number of currencies; however, if a currency is missed before checkout, they are directed to the GoCoin merchant-plugin, where they can select which cryptocurrency to use.
The American company CheapAir.com has hotel alternatives available on their website. In essence a flight planner, A Bit Sky has partnered with Booking.com to offer its millions of users access to crypto payment options when making travel arrangements.
Additionally, there are well-known cryptocurrency Airbnb-type start-ups like 99Flats, based in India, and CryptoCribs, founded by Reddit user Winthegym. He also claimed to have “grew it to 1500 postings in just 4 months” after founding the website in 2017.
One more promising project is XcelTrip, a decentralized travel network that enables users to make reservations at more than 1.5 million hotels and 400 airlines using Visa, the project’s native token, XcelToken PLUS (XLAB), as well as other well-known cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Litecoin (crypto debit cards mentioned further below).
Food and Drink
Anyone looking for hospitality businesses that accept cryptocurrencies can use the software CoinMap.
CoinMap has been a lifesaver for finding the closest café, bar, or restaurant that accepts Bitcoin, whether it be a big chain like Subway or an independent shop employing bitcoin merchants, as mentioned by Felix Weis and many other crypto influencers.
A well-liked substitute for paying hospitality merchants directly is to buy a gift card online through Gyft or eGifter. eGifter offers a 5% discount for Bitcoin transactions for gaming, streaming, and takeout-related cards.
Papa John’s, Dunkin’ Donuts, Ruby Tuesdays, Domino’s, Taco Bell, TGI Fridays, and a host of other restaurants are available on eGifter.
It’s that easy to get a digital gift card to use in stores; just choose the gift card for a certain amount with your BTC, and eGifter will execute Bitcoin transactions.
Car rentals and transfers
As was already said, abitsky.com offers automobile rental deals that are simple to acquire on their homepage.
Expedia, CheapAir, and Destinia all offer the opportunity to book transportation or car rentals while you are traveling on their websites.
Gyft and eGifter both sell Uber gift cards with values ranging from $15 to $500 if you decide against renting a car while you’re on the road.
This enables you to pay for your transfers using a number of cryptocurrencies, including Dash, Ethereum, Litecoin, Bitcoin Cash, and Bitcoin SV.
