I love to travel but I can't at the moment. And no, it is not in the first place because of the pandemic of 2020. Since they (some scientists) say planning is as much, if not more, fun as the travel itself I decided to plan a trip. Where should I travel to? I am not sure. It can be everywhere, I could travel worldwide and... I will try to pay with Bitcoincash for a change. Let's search the internet (in my own language of course) for some options.
The options are...
No options at all. I bump into many articles about paying with Bitcoin, several about paying your travels with Bitcoin but those people seemed to forget to give me the address of some travel agencies where I can book and pay with cryptocurrency (most likely Bitcoin which means I need to transfer my Bitcoincash into a cryptocurrency I no longer invest in). It sounds to me those articles are old and no one is really interested in giving that golden tip (no, I do not have fun yet).
Can bitcoinspot.nl help me?
It is the place that will take me out. At least I hope they will. There are different categories and one of them is "Vacation & Tourism" (most likely in own country which means you pay more for less.
I fill out the place so the site will bring me my options in the area nearby. Nearby turns out to be the Netherlands, the whole country. It's disappointing because I can assure you Germany is literally around the corner.
Options given
- camping with a camper
- visiting soccer (football) event
- Amsterdam boat events
- Cargo travelshop (cargo?)
- Herwijnen outdoor store (if you like hiking you buy your shoes and coat and walk to wherever your feet can take you)
- Vosseven.nl (never heard of)
- Vacation Terschelling (Terschelling is one of the Dutch Island in the north of the country).
Visiting soccer games is forbidden again which means there's no need to check it out.
Let's have a look at the boat events in Amsterdam.
I need to click several times to arrive at the site https://www.amsterdamboatevents.nl.
If you go you better wear a sweater and your winter coat and a hat. How to dine for 3 hours on a ship without a roof and windows? If there's something I don't like it is a cold dinner. The food sounds great but you never can eat it got served if "Captain COVID" is fought this way (no roof, no windows = ventilation). Prices aren't given. This shipping company wants you to ask for a price and its calculation will most likely depend on the number of people (they say they have room for 110 people although the government only accepts groups of 4 children under 13 years old not included).
Since there are no prices given there's no way to figure out if I can pay with Bitcoincash or at least Bitcoin at all. Nowhere at this site, it is mentioned. I liked the menu, watching at it, would have loved to try it but not if I am covered up and sit in the cold for three hours.
The island Terschelling can be attractive.
I have visited Texel (the first one and famous for the sheep and sheep cheese) and Schiermonnikoog (no cars allowed). I heard Germans like it here.
The first info I read is they accept Bitcoin if I rent an apartment. Alright, an apartment it is. As long as it has central heath I can live with it.
(https://www.vakantieterschelling.eu)
I would love to stay in an apartment in the Farmhouse but it is for 2 people only which means there are 12 apartments.
The price is between 72-100 euros/person/night which is expensive if you ask me for a small room with a shower and shared living. For towels, I need to pay 2.50 a person and for sheets 5 euro a person (better take them with me). Again I see no prices mentioned in Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies and it makes me wonder. If I would directly visit this site without using bitcoinspot.nl I would never know. The question is: Why don't they promote this on their own site?
Finistère is most likely a better place to stay.
It has 4 apartments only and each one is good for a maximum of 6 people plus it is nearby the sea. If you like to walk through the wads (the mud left if it's ebb-tide) this is the opportunity. For the amount of 66-170 euro a person a night I have a bathtub and hopefully more privacy. And yes, there's a tv set and Netflix and wifi (200 lbs internet whatever that means but not much luck is needed to have a better connection than at home). Once I leave the boat (fairy) I only need to follow the main road to Oosterend for 12 kilometers. After a restaurant, I turn left and there it is. It's always good to have one nearby. I hope there's no need to wear a facemask inside.
Disappointing is that there's no way to pay with Bitcoincash. Positive is people on a small island are interested in it which means they do have the experience and I can ask if Bitcoincash is accepted too. For sure they have a Bitcoincash wallet especially if they use one of the Dutch brokers as I do.
The only way for me to pay is by transferring the amount to their wallet.
For sure this is a risk because this amount will be sent to an anonymous wallet. There's no name attached to it. Can these people be trusted? A week vacation for the 4 of us will cost me at least 2,240 euros (the apartment only). For that amount, I can take a flight and stay three weeks abroad. Sheets, towels, food, and drinks included.
The question is how many people will take the risk and send such a high amount to an unknown person? Once sent the money is gone and you have no proof, no bank or lawyer will help you.
Most likely this is the main problem why not many go through the trouble of paying with Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies. We are already scammed enough and we want to be sure?
What are my options left?
If it's nearby I knock at the door, ask if there is a vacancy and if so I transfer the asked amount in Bitcoincash (preferable) and wait till the amount arrived. They can look over my shoulder if they like.
The other option for now is I buy online (smaller items, things I really need) and pay online (my wallet to the next) or... I arrange myself a credit card. In the Netherlands, it isn't possible to have a Bitcoin or other cryptocurrency credit card. This means I need to ask a card abroad to make it possible to do payments in an easier way, at those moments there's no internet connection.
Options for a (Bitcoin) card are given by:
- Wirex Bitcoin
- Cryptopay
- Xapo
- Uquid and most likely there are more.
If it pays back is questionable but if this card makes it possible to pay in your own valuta it might be. It means you can do payments without anyone watching over your shoulder what it's for and if cash is not accepted contactless payment is not a problem for you.
At https://www.travala.com/ you can pay with cryptocurrencies. Also with Bitcoin Cash.
bitcoinspot.nl don't support BCH