A lot has changed in the crypto world in recent years, especially when considering all of our options for spending digital money. Many businesses are apprehensive about adopting cryptocurrencies fully, but the travel industry has already expressed interest through several sites allowing crypto payments for booking hotels, flights, and car rentals. In other words, it is now possible to vacation with Bitcoin.
Where can I organize my travel with crypto?
CheapAir, a trailblazer in the travel industry, began accepting Bitcoin for flight bookings in 2013, making it the first major travel agency to embrace cryptocurrency payments.
As of 2024, CheapAir has significantly expanded its cryptocurrency payment options. Along with Bitcoin, customers can now use an array of cryptocurrencies, including Litecoin, Bitcoin Cash, Dash, Dogecoin, Ethereum, Gemini, Wrapped BTC, DAI, Paxos Standard, Shiba Inu, and USD Coin.
Since then, there have been many other booking companies and travel agencies coming around to the idea; let’s look at some of the most popular ones.
It is also important to remember that the financial services built around Bitcoin are much more abundant today than yesteryears. Now, travelers can also use crypto debit cards, credit cards, and payment or money transmitter services.
This means that if you have a crypto credit card or debit card, most likely linked to your account on an exchange, you can also spend your crypto in many different places. Cards offered by Visa and Mastercard are accepted by millions of retailers worldwide.
What platforms accept crypto payments?
Various online platforms now accept cryptocurrency payments, catering to a wide range of services and products. Here are some key examples:
1. Bitcoin.Travel
The website Bitcoin.travel is a platform for booking travel excursions, enabling users to pay with Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies for accommodations, flights, car rentals, and other travel-related services. It seeks to make travel planning easier for people who would rather use crypto.
- Allows you to search for flights, hotels, tours, and car rentals their partners offer.
- Accepts payment in seven cryptocurrencies, including DOGE, BCH, DASH, BTC, LTC, ETH, and more.
- Established platform which offers reviews and advice on your booking options.
2. Destinia
Destinia is an online travel agency that offers a wide range of travel services, including hotel bookings, flight reservations, car rentals, and vacation packages. Notably, Destinia is known for accepting BTC as a payment method, which makes it another great option to vacation with Bitcoin.
- Available in over 30 languages.
- Allows you to pay for flights, hotels, cars, and train tickets through crypto payment processor BitPay.
- Destinia has made it possible for crypto railway travel to many major tourist destinations such as the U.K., America, Spain, Italy, and France.
- App available to download on iOS and Android devices.
3. AirTreks
AirTreks is a travel firm specializing in multi-stop foreign travel and provides specialized trip planning for difficult itineraries. It is well-known for creating one-of-a-kind, round-the-world adventures, and multi-destination flights for passengers looking for a more personalized and adventurous travel experience. Along with its specialized use case, it has the added benefit of allowing travelers to vacation with Bitcoin.
- Allows you to find multi-stop, affordable flights.
- Added bonus of a personal travel planner.
- Clients are required to have a crypto-wallet with either Edge, BitPay, Bitcoin.com, Copay or Mycelium.
3. Travala
Since its inception as a small start-up in 2017, Travala has evolved significantly. By 2023, it had become a prominent blockchain-based travel booking platform. It boasted a vast offering of over 2.2 million properties in more than 90,000 destinations across 230 countries. In 2024, Travala will continue to be a key player in the travel industry, leveraging its blockchain technology to offer an extensive range of travel services.
- Travala accepts 100+ cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin, Ethereum, XRP, Tether, Litecoin, Binance Coin, Bitcoin Cash, Stellar, and Cardano, and its own coin, AVA.
- AVA offers users discounts and a loyalty program that gives you 10% savings (based on your tier) on bookings, all facilitated with the Travala.com wallet.
- Travala partnered with the well-known travel giant – Booking.com. Customers are now able to reserve and pay for any hotel that is bookable through Booking.com using cryptocurrencies.
4. Alternative Airlines
Alternative Airlines enables customers to discover and reserve flights on over 600 worldwide airlines, integrating cryptocurrency payments through Utrust, Crypto.com, or CoinGate. The platform allows payments in over 100 cryptocurrencies, such as Bitcoin, Ethereum, Ripple, and Tether.
At checkout, customers can select their preferred cryptocurrency, with flight prices displayed in the chosen digital currency, for complete transparency regarding the cost. This approach draws many customers to Alternative Airlines, leveraging the growing interest in cryptocurrency transactions for travel.
4. Virgin Galactic
In Norway, Bitcoin is recognized as an asset by the government and is legal, with no specific laws targeting crypto asset regulation beyond Know Your Customer (KYC) rules. Norwegian Supreme Court precedents on the legal implications of owning crypto asset keys are scarce. Bjørn Kjos, the founder and CEO of Norwegian Air, along with his family, have established a cryptocurrency exchange. Kjos-Mathisen, Kjos’ son-in-law, has been involved in this exchange since its 2019 inception.
A primary goal of this venture is to integrate cryptocurrency, particularly Bitcoin, as a payment option for Norwegian Air Shuttle tickets.
Stay safe when vacationing with Bitcoin
Various travel companies’ increasing adoption of cryptocurrency as a payment method is a notable trend. While this list includes just a few of these companies, the sector continues to expand, with more agencies embracing digital payments. However, this shift underscores the importance of being vigilant. Travelers should exercise caution, always verifying the credibility of these sites by checking reviews and confirming their legitimacy before making any payments. Ensuring secure and trustworthy transactions in this evolving digital payment environment is essential.
Frequently asked questions
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