Have Bitcoin, will travel
A long road trip with two infants presents its own unique challenges but for one Texas family, this is only half the story.
John Bush, Catherine Bleish and their two children aged three and two recently set off on a trip along the Eastern seaboard of the United States with the express aim of using only Bitcoin to entirely fund their travels.
This Bitcoin-only cross country trip is the family’s third in the last two years so it is not completely virgin territory. They are travelling by plane, rental car, and finally by the ‘Bitcoin Bus’ – a school bus turned into a RV, using Bitcoin-friendly services from online travel platforms Cheap Air and BTC Trip to book flights and accommodation.
Those smaller everyday purchases such as a roadside meal or a cup of coffee present a few more obstacles which require military style preparation. They are paying for food at restaurants listed in the Airbitz Bitcoin directory. Airbitz is a digital wallet that also lists nearby Bitcoin friendly retailers based on a GPS location.
"We are willing to inconvenience ourselves because we believe so strongly in the technology and the potential it has," said Bush.
"We want to work out the kinks from the system so that people new to Bitcoin don’t meet with hardship when they use it for the first time."
Added Bleish: "When we travel on Bitcoin we introduce new people to the currency, and we help Bitcoin merchants overcome glitches in their systems. This strengthens the network for us all."
Buying gasoline becomes a little more problematic as "the tools have changed and it’s constantly evolving," Bush said. The Bitcoin service they used last time to purchase gas has gone out of business, so this time they have opted for the new WageCan Bitcoin pre-loaded debit card, which can be used everywhere Mastercard is accepted.
The trip takes in New Hampshire, New York City, Asheville, NC, Pensacola, FL, where they will attend Bitcoin events before heading back to Houston, TX. While they seemingly have all bases covered the trip so far has not been completely trouble-free, such as lost hotel bookings and a failed digital gift card purchase.
The family originally chose to adopt Bitcoin for ideological reasons as it better protects privacy and security.
"The problem with using credit cards and debit cards is that you have to give up your address and social security number with your bank accounts and these can be hacked and people’s identities can be stolen. In order to set up a Bitcoin account, you don’t have to give any personally identifiable information," says Bush.
The family’s ‘Uncoinventional Bitcoin Bus Tour’ is being sponsored by a number of Bitcoin related firms such as WageCan and CheapAir .
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TravelMole Editorial Team
Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
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