What Can You Buy With Bitcoin? 8 Ways To Pay For Your Next Vacation

With Bitcoin valuation up more than 800 percent since January 2017, could this be the year we finally see widespread adoption among retailers? More and more companies are joining the list of global travel brands that accept Bitcoin as payment, making it easier than ever to book a vacation with cryptocurrency.

A number of mainstream travel brands are leading the way by accepting Bitcoin for a variety of products and services online and on the ground worldwide. Whether cruises, cross-country road trips or trips through space are of interest, more options are becoming available by the day.

Space Flights

Richard Branson made a splash when he announced Virgin Galactic would accept BTC for their spaceflights — the first of which should be launching before the end of 2018. Take note, however, that these flights start at $250,000.

Airline Tickets

Looking for trips a bit closer to home? U.S.-based travelers can book flights with Bitcoin on CheapAir.com, and European travelers looking to stay on the continent can use ABitSky.com to jet-set around destinations from the Algarve to Moscow, and everywhere in between.

Accommodation

While Expedia does not accept Bitcoin for flights, they have dipped their toe in the water and will now accept the cryptocurrency for hotel bookings online. Shoppers can also leverage Gyft, the digital gift card platform, where hotels.com is a participating vendor.

Cruises

Small, Sacramento-based cruise specialist Ships and Trips Travel has been accepting Bitcoin for cruise bookings on Celebrity Cruises, Viking River Cruises, Royal Caribbean and Silversea since 2014.

Cars and Rideshares

CoinFuel has partnered with BP, Golf, Shell and Sunoco stations (with Chevron and 76 coming soon). Just load up your CoinFuel card with BTC, and pay as you go. You can also purchase gift cards for Uber using CoinFuel.

Mapping

Once you’ve landed in a new city, you’ll want to hit the ground running. Power up CoinMap to identify local businesses like coffee shops, restaurants and shops that accept BTC for payment. Or, pinpoint Bitcoin ATMs with this simple, interactive map that identifies which ATMs allow you to buy Bitcoin (one-way) or buy and sell (two-way) across the globe.

Frequent Flyer Miles

Travelers sitting on a surplus of airline miles or simply looking for a way to grow their BTC stash can now trade those for Bitcoin at Bitcoin for Miles. The company has plans to offer miles for Bitcoin in the near future as well.

BTC-Only Businesses

A few radically-minded entrepreneurs have decided to bring Bitcoin to the masses by making it the only accepted currency. One such collective is in the Czech capital of Prague. The eponymously named Bitcoin Coffee has a converter machine located near the entrance where you can exchange your fiat money for cryptocurrency (and make no mistake, they do a brisk daily business).

While this business model is still a bit of an outlier, cities with booming tech centers and countries with burgeoning economies are increasingly offering options for spending BTC. It could be only a matter of time before the cryptocurrency is accepted by travel brands around the globe.

Jeff Klee is CEO of CheapAir.com, a U.S.-based online travel agency. CheapAir has been accepting Bitcoin for flights and hotels since 2013.