Can I use bitcoin to pay for travel? Great question! In this article we identify 35 Bitcoin Travel Resources for folks interested in using cryptocurrency to pay for their travel. We also highlight some of the new travel focused projects and platforms being built on blockchain technology.
This directory of bitcoin travel firms and projects will continue to grow over time – so check back often!
Attention Cryptocurrency travel companies, platforms, or traditional travel firms that support bitcoin travel (or any form of crypto related travel or project) we want to add you to our bitcoin travel directory! Drop a comment below, or hit us up on Twitter and we will add you! For those bitcoin travel firms listed below – feel free to get in contact with us if we’ve goofed on any of your info or wish to elaborate on your offering. We’d love to hear from you!
Ok, before we get too far here, let’s first review what cryptocurrencies are.
What is crypto?
For our readers not familiar with cryptocurrency here is a quick primer. If you are already at “expert level” on crypto jump to the Bitcoin Travel section, below.
Photo by David McBee on Pexels.com
According to Blockgeeks the first cryptocurrency was established in 2008 in the form of what we now know as Bitcoin. Satoshi Nakamoto’s seminal paper on creating a digital cash system, “A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System” described a form of digital cash based on well established cryptographic methodologies. Without going too far into the technical weeds, the concept centered around leveraging a decentralized approach based on a distributed ledger – or record – of all transactions.
This ledger became known as the blockchain and proved revolutionary in it’s application to currency as a means to eliminate a key component of financial systems: centralized banks.
We could easily spin this off into a discussion about the pros/cons of centralized banking, but suffice to say for the purposes of this article, there are many who believe they should be abolished. But for years, we lacked a cohesive technical mechanism to successfully accomplish this. Enter blockchain.
Experts are divided on the long term viability of Cryptocurrencies as a viable means of payment (and/or store of value). Prognostication aside, Crypto has presented an intriguing alternative to traditional forms of payment and the banking system writ large and has been more widely accepted and adopted in recent year (and here at the CBoardingGroup, we are crypto fans and users).
Photo by David McBee on Pexels.com
Numerous use cases abound – many that might transform society and many that are, well, just plain dumb. One compelling use case is as an form of electronic payment, as noted above which is where the notion of using bitcoin (or other cryptos) to pay for travel comes into play. Today, multiple companies already support the use of bitcoin for travel or are innovating in the travel industry with things like smart contracts for hostels, etc. Below you will find a bitcoin travel directory. Let’s go!
Note: At the time of this article’s publication there were 2116 cryptocurrencies listed on CoinMarketCap.com – a popular site for tracking crypto price movement. Some of the more popular cryptos include: Bitcoin, Ethereum, Bitcoin Cash, XRP/Ripple, Cardano and Stellar.
For more information on cryptocurrency check out this site: What is Cryptocurrency: Everything You Must Need To Know!
One final, slightly less important note (but still worth pointing out for readers). Cryptocurrencies are digital in nature and so while the imagery used in this post might depict a physical coin of some sort rest assured your crypto exists in the ether (maybe better stated, in the “math”) than a chucky cheese coin. That said, if you really want to buy one of those cool Crypto Coins…here’s one.
Excellent Crypto Book! (Check Price)
Bitcoin Travel Resources – where to use cryptocurrency for travel
Here are 35companies that offer ways for travelers to use bitcoin (and other cryptos in rare cases) to pay for their trips OR are actively developing crypto projects focused on solving parts of the travel ecosystem. A summary is provided first, followed by a deeper dive into each firm:
- Blockchain / Bitcoin Travel Agencies
- Expedia.com [no longer supports bitcoin for travel]
- CheapAir.com
- Bitcoin.Travel
- Destinia
- Travala
- Berkeley Travel
- BTCTrip
- A Bit Sky
- EOSTrip
- Tripio
- BitBook
- Travel By Bit
- SBC Travel
- Smart Trip Platform
- Airlines That Accept Bitcoin (or other Crypto)
- Hotels That Accept Bitcoin (or will accept it) – and other lodging related entities / Crypto Projects
- Other (e.g. transportation, or blockchain travel platforms/projects/tokens, etc)
Let’s dig into each of the bitcoin travel companies! We’ve divided the list of bitcoin travel firms by category including: Travel Agencies/Companies, Airlines, and Hotels/Other.
Important: We encourage our readers to exercise caution when deciding to buy their travel with bitcoin (or other Cryptocurrencies). Some parts of the crypto world are still the wild wild west with firms coming and going and a fair amount of scams. We do not endorse any of the travel providers noted here with the exception of CheapAir.com who we have personal experience with. Always do your research.
Travel Agencies/Companies
Here we find bitcoin travel firms offering travelers means to purchase multiple aspects of their trips including airfare, hotels, amenities and more. Unsurprisingly, there are several bitcoin travel related companies here. Surprisingly, there are some big ones!
Expedia.com [No longer supports crypto]
The biggest name on the list is, in fact, a very big name! Expedia.com was an early adopter of bitcoin as a form of travel payment, partnering with crypto exchange powerhouse, Coinbase. However, as of mid-2018, Expedia quietly removed this form of payment as an option for travelers. You can read all of the details regarding their previous support of bitcoin to pay for travel here.
CheapAir.com [Live]
Many bitcoin travel enthusiasts immediately switched from Expedia to the already popular CheapAir.com who, despite some technical challenges (often the case in this early stage of crypto applications) continues to support the purchase travel with bitcoin. CheapAir is a well respected discount travel site popular among many travel enthusiasts. You can read all about CheapAir’s crypto activity here (as well as just some general travel / crypto related topics that they cover). CheapAir has made efforts to be very transparent and communicative along their bitcoin travel journey.
Bitcoin.Travel [Live]
Bitcoin.Travel claims to be the most established and credible bitcoin travel site in the world. Since their inception in 2011, they’ve continued to improve their travel options for the crypto community. They regularly receive solid press coverage and have received several votes of support from well respected crypto community members.
Bitcoin.Travel offers flights, hotels and rental car options to its customers and they are one of the few companies to offer support for other cryptos beyond just bitcoin. They currently support the following cryptos for travel purchase: Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, Ethereum, Ethereum Classic, Litecoin, Dash or Dogecoin.
Destinia [Live]
Destinia has been in the travel game for a LONG TIME first opening in 2001. They are a full service online travel agency that rivals the scope of someone like Travelocity. Their website is offered in more than 20 different languages giving travelers worldwide great travel options. They also were early crypto adopters bringing bitcoin travel options to their clientele.
With, as they claim, “more than 150 providers offering over 230,000 hotels throughout the world, plus a full catalogue of products and services (flights, flights + hotels, apartments, inns (paradors), getaways, trips, cruises, trains, train + hotel, skiing, airport parking and rental cars),” Destinia gives bitcoin travelers LOTS of options to travel the world using bitcoin.
Travala.com [Live – affiliate link]
Travala is a travel booking platform “…with 567,928 Properties in 210 Countries covering 82,311 Destinations.” Travala’s travel platform is built using blockchain as the underlying technology and bill’s itself as a Next-gen Online Travel Agency (NOTA). They state that on their prices are available at a minimum average of 15% lower than current mainstream online travel agencies. That alone is worth a peak!
At the time of this articles publication they supported 45 different cryptocurrency payment options! Keep an eye on these folks who have already obtained more than 16k followers on Twitter and some hefty industry buzz.
You can use this affiliate link to earn $20.00!
Berkeley Travel [Live]
Berkeley Travel is a UK-based luxury travel agency that provides high-end travel options for its customers. They note on their website: “Berkeley Travel is the connoisseur of luxury travel and bespoke holidays.” Any company using the word bespoke in their marketing shill has a high opinion of themselves and is often focusing on the luxury end of the market as these folks are :-).
Berkeley Travel also allows customers to pay for their travel with bitcoin. You can read more about their bitcoin travel program here.
BTCTrip [Live]
BTCTrip is a travel agency that appears to really only offer airfare purchases with BTC (the symbol for bitcoin). While they have several shout outs from respected crypto community members and some favorable press coverage, their website is a bit lacking in corporate details that might give travelers the comfort they need to spend 1.2856BTC on a ticket.
Note: We welcome any further information or corporate details from btctrip so we can better explain their organization to our readers.
EOSTrip [In Development]
San Francisco based company, EOSTrip recently built a travel portal that, by all accounts, somehow leverages the BTCTrip platform and, presumably leverages the EOSIO Software architecture. It appears that EOSTrip may have come out of the EOSArgentina.io blockchain incubator. Scant details have been provided on their site and we welcome any further details from the folks at EOSTrip.
A Bit Sky [Status unclear]
A Bit Sky is an online travel agency exclusivly offering a variety of cryptocurrency travel options. With support for bitcoin, zcash, ripple, dash, ethereum, and litecoin.
Unfortunately, they do not have a lot of traditional “corporate info” on their site which might give buyers cause for concern that they are in fact dealing with a reputable company. It was difficult for the CBoardingGroup to verify much corporate info about A Bit Sky so buyer beware.
Note: We welcome any further information or corporate details from A Bit Sky so we can better explain their organization to our readers.
Tripio [Live]
According to Cryptoslate.com, “Tripio is the first travel marketplace based on the blockchain. It leverages the decentralized network provided by blockchain technologies to directly connect global customers and service providers. Moreover, it builds a service ecosystem based on transparent, tamper-resistant trust and incentives.” They are based in Asia and have been open since 2015.
BitBook [In Development]
The folks over at BitBook are building a travel platform based on blockchain that offers tokenized incentives/rewards for creators and users. The hope is to get the reward system snowballing through the use of a monthly reward pool that distributes tokens/rewards to folks who’ve booked on the platform. While it’s not complete yet (they doing an ICO it would seem) they’d be able to complete with other online travel agencies.
Travel By Bit [In Development]
Travel By Bit is Australia’s first cryptocurrency travel agency. They offer agent-assisted travel bookings (apparently air, hotel and transportation), a point of sale system based on blockchain and a soon-to-be-released gift voucher solution.
It’s a little difficult to tell but it really seems like two companies (a traditional travel agency + a blockchain point of sale solution).
SBC Travel & Swissbloc Capital & GTX Token [In Development]
According to a recent Phocuswire article, “SBC Travel is a new online travel agency that accepts cryptocurrency. It is launching with an inventory of 175,000 hotels and accommodation providers in more than 185 countries, primarily powered by Hotelbeds.”
When you book using Crypto you get a deeper discount. This project is related to the parent company, Swissbloc Capital, and their GTX, or Global Travel Token.
It’s a little messy to see who’s who in the zoo, but the folks at Swissbloc state: “Swissbloc Capital (SBC) is the technology partner of choice for the hospitality and travel industry offering innovative, disruptive payment and rewards solutions supported BlockChain and Distributed Ledger technology.”
Smart Trip Platform [In Development]
Smart Trip Platform is another travel platform that links consumers with travel providers. Travelers can purchase items using the TripCash token – an ERC20-based token system built by Smart Trip. Their current roadmap indicates they will be operational in the 4Q 2019.
Airlines That Accept Bitcoin
There are no known mega airline brands currently offering bitcoin travel support that we are aware of. There are, however, a few lesser known airlines that do provide customers the ability to purchase airfare with bitcoin. These are noted below.
Air Baltic [Live]
Latvian airline Air Baltic claims to be the first airline to accept bitcoin for travel in the world through a partnership with BitPay. In addition to airline tickets you can use bitcoin to book hotels and rental cars on their site. Unfortunately, while they have a reasonably good selection of European destinations there’s not much for those of here in the good old USA. Still, they are an established airline and have been in the bitcoin travel game since 2014 – well before the crypto craze of recent years.
Surf Air [Live]
SurfAir is a private air travel service that provides a monthly flat fee for access to private jets. An approved method of payment for this service is bitcoin. If you are the kind of traveler who’s hit “baller status” and can roll in your own private jet AND you want to pay for it from you bitcoin “bags” SurfAir might be a great option. One downside is they are primarily focused on the Western part of the United States.
JetVizor [Status Unclear]
We’ve heard mixed stories about JetVizor’s support of bitcoin for travel so we’ve added them as a possible supporter of bitcoin travel, but it’s not confirmed yet. We’ve reached out to JetVizor but yet to hear from them.
FlyPeach [Live]
Peach Aviation, LLC, or just Peach, is an Asian airline that aims to become a “flying train” or in other words as simple as the very proficient train services already well established in many parts of Asia. This Japanese based airline intends to become a “Bridge for Asia” as they note in their corporate mission. Peach also offers bitcoin travel options and in addition to airfare you can book hotels, rental cars and even insurance.
Hotels & Lodgings Where you can use Bitcoin
In this section we provide a list of hotels that accept bitcoin or other lodging related options.
Bitcoin Lodging Options (or platforms)
- 9 Flats [Live]. Sort of like Airbnb but they also take Crypto.
- Crypto Cribs [Live]. The folks at Crypto Cribs bill themselves as an AirBNB competitor offering rented rooms in people’s houses across the globe. Renters can pay in crypto (and it appears 9 currencies in total including some more traditional methods like USD).
- LockTrip [In Development, but close to being live] – according to their whitepaper, LockTrip offers “decentralized open source bookings ecosystem for renting hotel rooms, private properties or accommodation (the decentralized LOC Ledger). LockTrip will be the first system which allows end customers and property owners to deal with each other on the platform without any fee or commission.”
- GOeureka [In Development]. According to their whitepapaper, GOeureka, or the (GO) platform “leverages blockchain technology to position itself as an unbiased and transparent technology partner to hotels, transforming traditional loyalty systems and delivering increasing value to all hotels and their customers. GO aims to create a new symbiosis where hotels maintain control over their brand while unlocking unprecedented value for consumers on its platform.” That’s some pretty solid marketing-speak there! #Madprops to the marketing machine for those two sentences. In practical terms it appears that GO seeks to simplify the online travel booking process FROM the perspective of the hotel providers themselves. They plan to accomplish this by reducing (or eliminating?) some of the traditional commissions that hurt both the consumer and the smaller hotels that participate in traditional online travel agencies (like Orbitz, etc). This will also result in better prices for consumers.
- Other bitcoin travel lodging options. As noted earlier in this article, bitcoin.travel, AirBaltic, FlyPeach and CheapAir, Destinia, provide options to pay for things like hotels and rental cars using bitcoin.
Innovasis Hotels [In Development]
The folks at Innovasis Hotels intend to allow guests to pay for everything from lodging, to food and more using crypto – and specifically their HCI Coin. The interesting thing about Innovasis is not so much that they take crypto, but the kind of “hotel” they aim to be.
This millenial-focused brand aims to rethink the concept of lodging in general with a big target on the digital nomad consumer. The only way I can really explain is if you took a WeWork + an ALoft Hotel + Wet & Wild + a Timeshare and blended them up you might get something that looks like what Innovasis is building.
Maybe it’s best if you hear straight from their mouths:
“Innovasis Hotels is a chain of hotels of the future, designed for a modern traveler. About a traveler who, on the one hand, looks for unforgettable impressions and fun, and on the other hand, space for work and concentration. The solution is created by oasis’s offering affordable accommodation, coworking and fun zones with unique attractions such as slip and fly slides and interactive water challenges.”
Conceptualization of a “Paradise” Innovasis Hotel location
They are currently raising funds now via an ICO and will open their first location in Hawaii although no word on when that might actually.
This idea is so crazy it just might work. Or fail miserably in epic Millenial fashion. Either way, we here at the CBoardingGroup are going to keep an eye on them.
Other Travel Related Sites (or platforms / blockchain projects) where you can use Bitcoin (e.g. transportation, travel platforms, gifts, etc)
This is the catch-all category. Here you find various bitcoin travel (and other travel related cryptocurrency consumer sites, projects and platforms). It’s a bit of a mish-mash here.
- eTravelSmart.com [Live]. The folks at eTravelSmart.com do buses…in India. Their online bus booking portal allows access to 80,000+ bus routes supported by 3000+ bus operators. Bus tickets can be purchased using a variety of methods including bitcoin!
- Virgin Galactic [Live]. Space Travel w/ Bitcoin!? Interested in space travel? Virgin Galactic is pre-booking space flights and allows you to pay with your bitcoin! Alrighty, then…
- Fizzy [Live]. Travel insurance built on blockchain.
- CoinMap [Live]. Use these fellas to figure out WHERE bitcoin (and other cryptos) might be supported during your travels. Want to know if you can use Dash on your trip in Thailand? Coinmap can help.
- Winding Tree [In Development]. A B2B company with a distributed blockchain ledger supporting the distribution of travel inventory. They have some major airlines already they’ve partnered with. Folks like KLM, Air New Zealand, Air Canada and many more. Keep on eye on these fellas as they aim to change the underlying plumbing of the travel inventory industry.
- EBCoin [In Development]. Big ideas about simplifying the tax refunding / currency exchange process for international travelers.
- SkyHub [in Development]. An online travel booking system running on blockchain.
- Emphy. Decentralized blockchain lodging ecosystem using smart contracts to provide a faster, more affordable and safer way to rent vacation properties.
- TravelNote [in Development]. A backend platform / tool for travel bookers.
- XcelToken [In Development]. Token system for hotels & restaurants to earn $$ while participating in a travel network
- Condominium [In Development]. “Condominium aims to solve this limitation by introducing a global decentralized network platform for crypto users to plan their travel itinerary by using our POS coin [Masternode Rewards] with our global partnered travelling agencies and platforms.”
- Aeron [In Development]. Blockchain supporting improved aviation safety.
It’s worth noting that there are many entities across the world that support bitcoin (and other cryptos) for travel related expenses. These include local transportation companies, limo/car services, parking lots, etc. Too many to add to this list – for now, but we would love to hear from our readers. Let us know and we will might just add them!
Note: Special thanks to Cryptoslate for helping us identify several other bitcoin travel / blockchain travel related projects / platforms to keep an eye on!
Other Crypto Travel Resources
Here are a few other bitcoin travel related resources that our readers might find helpful:
- Forbes: Traveling The World With Crypto? Ten Tips To Keep You Safe
- Coinbase.com – buy, sell, trade crypto
- CryptoSlate keep tabs on many bitcoin travel related projects and other crypto projects in general – feel free to check them out.
- @badcrypto – the folks over at BadCrypto have a great podcast on all things crypto. Check ’em and level up your crypto knowledge.
Closing Arguments on Bitcoin Travel
Many people believe cryptocurrency is one of the more important technological advancements of our time. Here at the CBoardingGroup we will stay out of that argument. We will, however, acknowledge it’s potential and state that we are big fans of crypto and pulling for it’s widespread success – including bitcoin travel related capabilities! Until then…when moon?
When Moon T-Shirt (Check Price)
Join the conversation! Leave us a comment below and don’t forget to follow us on social media including Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Most importantly, let’s keep this directory going. For readers who find new companies offering bitcoin travel options, hit us up so we can add it to the list.
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