If you like travelling, you probably know how sometimes it can be challenging to manage the international currency. The money you carry can limit you due to international tax law or get rejected in some countries. So, how can you manage your expenses while traveling regardless of what part of the world you are in? Well, cryptocurrency offers a secure and confidential way of controlling your money without limitations, complications or being required to pay exploitative fees. With cryptocurrency, you can conveniently access your money or transfer funds since you do not need a third party like a bank or credit card to carry out transactions.
Cryptocurrency is an excellent payment method due to its flexibility, inflation resistance and transparency. Today, there are numerous cryptocurrencies around the world, each with different characteristics and functions. As more and more crypto cards are becoming readily accessible, there is a surge in the volume and valuation of cryptocurrencies as a whole.
You can now travel with your cryptos and apply them to pay for various services or trade them for profit in your destination. Traveling with cryptos eliminates the daunting task of changing your cash into foreign currencies in every location you visit. Below are some of the ways to use cryptocurrencies for travel expenses:
1. Pay for Goods and Services
Spending during a trip is inevitable. While traveling, you will check in restaurants, cafeterias, grocery stores, shopping malls, fast foods, among other places. If you are embarking on a road trip or any other around the city, you can use virtual coins since more local businesses have started receiving crypto pay instead of dollars.
For instance, you can now pay for your snacks or settle other expenses conveniently during your travel using your cryptocurrencies. A new app known as Spedn has created a platform where you can utilize your cryptocurrencies at various retail establishments with little or no challenges. As the user, you are given a QR code that you scan when making payments. When your money gets to the spedn app, it is immediately converted into dollars, and the equivalent amount of cryptocurrency is deducted from your wallet. Some of the establishments accepting cryptocurrencies include Baskin Robbins, Caribou Coffee, Whole Foods, and Jamba Juices.
2. Cryptocurrency for Flights and Hotel Bookings
Although cryptocurrency has been in the market for quite a long time now, only a few people know that it can be used to pay for flights and hotel bookings. Some decades ago, no one could think that you could use virtual currencies to purchase an airplane ticket or book a hotel.
However, there has been a significant paradigm shift in crypto technology as numerous hotels and travel agencies have been accepting cryptocurrency payments. For example, CheapAir.com, an American online travel agency, has been accepting bitcoin as ticket payment since 2013.
Also, the company has numerous hotels worldwide that allow customers to use cryptocurrency to make direct payments for hotel stays. Other websites such as Travala and Destinia can permit you to pay for various services such as museum tours, rentals, and attraction sites, using bitcoin, Doge, Binance, etc.
3. Bus Stations
Recently, various bus companies have started receiving cryptocurrencies to buy bus tickets. You can buy a bus ticket using the many online bus ticket booking portals with just a simple procedure. For example, eTravelSmart accepts bitcoin payment using the Unocoin payment gateway, similar to Coinbase in the US.
4. Pay for Vacation
Don’t postpone your vacation if you have virtual currencies. There are numerous cities around the world where travelers can find plenty of businesses where you can spend your crypto. Some of the crypto-friendly cities you can visit for your holiday include Prague, Bueno Aires, San Francisco, Madrid and New York. For adventure enthusiasts, there are tourism spots that have introduced cryptocurrency payments for tourism services. Additionally, there are more upcoming tourism spots that are introducing digital currency in this industry. For example, Caribbean Tourism Organization has entered into a partnership with a local company to develop cryptocurrency in the tourism industry.
5. As a CoinFuel for Road Trips
As a cryptocurrency trader, you can now plan for a road trip and take advantage of the money you have made in this business. This is because you can now fuel your car while traveling using virtual currency. Some cryptocurrencies, such as bitcoin, are now accepted to pay for CoinFuel, a type of gift card used to pay for gas in various gas stations brands. There are multiple companies which will aid payment for your travel using the cryptocurrency account.
6. To Buy a Travel Gift Card
Travel gift cards are now widely used since they are easy to buy and convenient to use. The travel card is used just like the typical gift card. The travel gift cards come either as a plastic card or an E-Gift card. You need a travel gift card while traveling since it has to be redeemed by your travel provider. Travelers are supposed to send cash to their travel provider in order to have their gift cards sent to the recipient.
Fortunately, there is a great way to use cryptocurrency as you travel. You can use your cryptocurrency account to buy your travel gift card, which you can also use to make your travel arrangements. You can seek assistance from companies such eGifter and Gyft as they have partnered with several travel providers all over the world.
7. For Daily Expenditures
Sometimes, it can get really unsafe to carry money around while travelling. Also, there is a limit on the amount of cash you can carry while travelling. Fortunately, you can pay for all your daily expenditures with cryptocurrency or any other smartphone wallet like Coinbase, Blockchain or Copay. You can also decide to put the bulk of your virtual currency on a hardware wallet and use it for various expenses while on your travel.
8. Entertainment
Long flights or long road travels can really get boring, especially if you don’t have anything exciting to keep you busy. Therefore, finding something exciting to keep yourself amused is imperative. Luckily, the introduction of virtual currency has made it easy for online games enthusiasts as they can play their favorite games via their electronic devices using nothing but cryptocurrency. For instance, if you are a casino lover, you don’t have to walk into physical buildings to deposit cash for casino-style games. There are numerous online casinos which are accepting virtual currencies. So, if you need to keep yourself busy between destinations, you only need your phone and some virtual coins, and you are good to go.
9. Food
Apart from using cryptocurrency to purchase goods online, bill payments to donations, among other uses, you can now use virtual currency to pay for food. Several food joints have now started accepting cryptocurrency as a form of payment for their food products. People can now order food from various quick-service restaurants such as KFC, Burger King, Pizza Hut and Subway branches and pay via bitcoin. Also, chains such as McDonald’s and Walmart have embraced cryptocurrency for meal payments. The chains have established a reward system where loyal customers can earn free bitcoins based on their spending.
10. Emergency Back-Up
It is crucial to have an emergency backup whenever you travel, especially if you are going to a destination where technology isn’t that advanced. Whether the local shops, bars, restaurants or other service providers’ industry do not accept crypto payment, you will not lack at least one outlet that will trade one for local currency. Sometimes, if you do not have enough cash, you can convert your crypto into cash. Getting cash with crypto is relatively easy since you can convert your virtual currencies into the currency of your choice.
Cryptocurrency as an Ideal Payment Method During Traveling
Although other payment methods are mainly used and offer several benefits, Crypto payment could provide an exceptional level of safety and security since transactions are not done using personal information but with a confidential alphanumeric address. Also, with cryptocurrency, you do not have to worry about currency conversions as it is not affected by inflation or theft issues since it does not have to be put in your wallet.
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