Travel Like A Bitcoiner
Travel Like A Bitcoiner: What Does This Mean?
Can you travel the world, completely detached from the shackles of today’s fiat banking system? As any seasoned traveler knows, there’s enough hurdles to overcome when bouncing from country to country. Currency conversions, language barriers, and keeping our financial accounts in the loop all cause enough headaches.
Do we really want to “bitcoinize” all of that, adding a whole other layer of complexity on top of it all?
Well, YES.
Sure, traveling on a Bitcoin standard isn’t necessary today. And it’s true: doing so will add some extra complexity to the process. Carrying the Bitcoin torch isn’t for everyone, but the good news if you’re reading this: it’ll make Bitcoin travel easier than ever.
Traveling like a bitcoiner isn’t just a method, it’s a mindset.
Our hope is that this resource not only equips you but empowers you to set the example for others. Bitcoin isn’t only a number-go-up savings tool; It’s a rebirth of our financial lives. If we can’t take it with us wherever we go, uncensored and undisturbed, then what’s the point?
Preparation: Your Bitcoin Travel Stack
Pre-Trip Checklist:
✅ Two Bitcoin wallets (hot + cold)
✅ Travel sats ready (on-chain & Lightning)
✅ VPN, Privacy measures in place
✅ Local SIM plan or eSIM for the destination
✅ Your booking platform (Airbtc) bookmarked
✅ Seed backup stored securely — off your phone
Let’s break it down.
Recommended Hot Wallets (for daily spending)
🔸 Phoenix Wallet: A staple among bitcoiners. Lightning-native, easy to use
🔸 Aqua Wallet: Lightning & Liquid enabled, in-app Bitcoin buying
🔸 Speed Wallet: On-chain + Lightning hybrid, Airbtc integrated
🔸 Blink: Wide adoption throughout Latin America. Lightning-enabled
You can use any Lightning wallet of your choice. Ensure you’re familiar and comfortable using it as a hot wallet. Load funds prior to takeoff (an on-chain payment for channel opening may be required).
Recommended Cold Storage (your travel backup)
🔸 Coldcard: Slim, low-profile, high security, looks like a calculator! Good for long-term travel
🔸 SeedSigner: Heavier upfront lift, maximum customizability, affordable, lightweight, low-profile
When choosing a cold storage device, keep in mind: this isn’t for your full stack. You’ll want to buy a separate hardware wallet, pre-loaded with a low-enough amount of Bitcoin that you’re willing to lose, but high enough that it will get you by during your trip. This is typically only necessary for extended travel; for shorter trips, travel backup reserves may not be necessary.
Estimating your expenditures prior to traveling will help you dial in the amount of backup sats you come prepared with.
Whatever you do, don’t carry your cold storage backup around with you day-to-day. Keep it stored safely in your lodging, in a discreet location that you won’t forget.
Seed Phrase Best Practices
🔸 Keep them offline, stored separately from your wallet(s).
🔸 If possible, memorize your seed phrases (see best techniques).
🔸 If not possible, enable a passphrase that you can memorize.
🔸 Ideally stored on metal. Paper is prone to unexpected natural disasters; water spills, wind, and fire.
TL;DR: Don’t be stupid.
Privacy-First Bitcoin Traveling
What you’ll need:
🔸A VPN, always, to keep you protected while browsing both privately and especially publicly. We recommend MullvadVPN – payable on-chain or with Lightning.
🔸A global eSIM like Silent.Link to keep you connected, privately.
🔸A password manager for secure logins and the off-chance that someone’s trying to access your accounts. We recommend Bitwarden or Proton Pass.
🔸Burner emails when booking reservations, activities, and lodging (Yes, Airbtc warmly welcomes your fake credentials).
🔸End-to-end encrypted messaging apps like Signal, Session, and SimpleX to keep your communications private while abroad.
🔸Humble attire to move unbothered. Gaudy Bitcoin shirts and designer luggage don’t exactly keep you off the radar…
🔸Cash on hand, preferably converted into the local currency before traveling, to avoid notifying the bank of your activity.
And of course, the elephant in the room: KYC.
Unfortunately, traveling internationally means you’ll need a passport on hand. But just because they know you’re traveling doesn’t mean they have to know what you’re doing abroad. Get your privacy measures in place, defer to strict use of Lightning payments and physical cash, and you shouldn’t have any issues.
Acquiring No-KYC sats
Maybe you have doxxed sats and you’re comfortable using what you have. All good. But if you want to go the extra mile, acquiring no-KYC Bitcoin isn’t difficult. Just be comfortable with paying a premium, and plan to buy them well in advance of your trip, as peer-to-peer exchanges can take more time than your typical KYC exchange.
Watch BTCSessions’ tutorial for the step-by-step buying process.
Platforms to acquire no-KYC sats:
🔸RoboSats (Tor-native)
🔸Bisq (Software platform)
🔸Peach (Europe-based)
🔸lnp2pbot (Telegram)
In certain countries, you can also buy no-KYC sats with cash at Bitcoin ATMs. If you choose this route, be sure to keep a low profile and take necessary precautions when approaching the ATM. Don’t draw unnecessary attention. Stay humble, stack sats!
Here’s a map to view Bitcoin ATM locations worldwide.
As you’ll read in the next section on coin control, create a cache wallet using Sparrow Wallet to manage your UTXOs. Send your no-KYC sats there, label the UTXO as “no-KYC” and then STOP.
The next section will explain what to do with your no-KYC UTXOs.
Coin Control
Use Sparrow Wallet before your trip to manage UTXOs. If you’re not familiar with UTXO consolidation, refer to this guide.
We recommend labeling UTXOs according to their purpose:
🔸“Spending” — for UTXOs that you’ll load to your hot wallet.
🔸“Reserve” — For UTXOs kept in your cold storage backup.
Let’s break down the steps.
- Download and create your temporary cache wallet in Sparrow.
- Send BTC to your cache wallet from wherever you keep Bitcoin — exchanges (yikes), cold storage, and other wallets.
- With your collection of UTXOs, consolidate and label them according to their purpose: reserves and spending.
- With your UTXO sets, send them to their designated wallets. If you have multiple spending UTXOs, you can send one at a time to your spending wallet and leave the rest in your cache while traveling (assuming you’ll have access to Sparrow) to add an additional layer of protection.
Do NOT consolidate any no-KYC UTXOs with doxxed UTXOs!
Doing so will link your identity of the doxxed sats to your no-KYC sats, completely destroying their privacy. If you have no-KYC sats, create a separate spending wallet for them.
You should batch UTXOs according to your trip’s spending needs. We wouldn’t go lower than 100,000 sats per UTXO. Refer to mempool.space for the current fee environment; consolidate while fees are low!
Book Your Flight With Bitcoin
Airbtc always recommends BitcoinTravel.com for the best Bitcoin-only flight booking experience.
BitcoinTravel connects you with more than 250+ “normie” airlines, but handles the payment backend so that you can avoid credit card processing, spend your sats, and live out the Bitcoiner ethos.
To book your flight:
- Specify your home airport, destination, and travel dates.
- Browse available options and select your preferred flight.
- Enter your passenger information and click “Confirm”.
- Pay with sats to book your flight!
Book Your Stay With Bitcoin
Airbtc lets you truly travel like a bitcoiner.
We’re committed to growing the Bitcoin circular economy. We offer the #1 booking experience for bitcoiners looking to book their next stay with sats. We simply don’t accept fiat currency. It’s Bitcoin-only and will always stay that way. Not only do we attract bitcoiner customers, but our platform naturally attracts bitcoiner hosts around the planet.
Booking with Airbtc is simple:
- Sign up at airbtc.online.
- Choose your destination and travel dates.
- Browse available properties.
- Book with sats!
Just for reading thus far, scan this QR for 10% off your next booking!
Bitcoin Hotspot Destinations
Looking for travel inspiration?
These are some of the top destinations for bitcoiners, whether you’re trying to embrace Bitcoin living, find new communities, or simply want to engulf yourself in new surroundings:
🔸 El Zonte, El Salvador: The world’s Bitcoin epicenter
🔸 Lake Atitlán, Guatemala: Buzzing adoption & laid-back living
🔸 Medellín, Colombia: Home of the Bitcoin Medellín conference
🔸 Lugano, Switzerland: Europe’s Bitcoin experimentation zone
🔸 Madeira, Portugal: A zero-tax haven for long-term hodlers
🔸 Uvita, Costa Rica: A tropical escape with lively Bitcoin beaches
🔸 Bali, Indonesia: A Bitcoin-friendly paradise for Digital nomads
🔸 Cape Town, South Africa: Africa’s leading technology center
🔸 Austin, Texas: For Bitcoin builders & BBQ
Conferences to keep up with:
🔸 The Bitcoin Conference: Bounces around the US every year
🔸 Bitcoin Medellín: South America’s premier Bitcoin meetup
🔸 Adopting Bitcoin: South Africa, El Salvador, & the Netherlands
🔸 BTCHEL: The Nordic’s first large-scale conference in Finland
🔸 Bitcoin Mena: The Middle East Bitcoin experience
Additional Resources
Throughout our years of traveling, these resources have come in handy for finding Bitcoin hubs and orange-pilling on the go.
For spending Bitcoin
🔸 BTCMap.org or Bitcoinwide.com for vendors that accept BTC.
🔸 Coinatmradar.com to find Bitcoin ATMs.
🔸 Bitrefill to purchase gift cards with sats, for spending at places that don’t accept Bitcoin currently.
🔸 PayWithMoon for Bitcoin-funded virtual credit cards that you can spend wherever Visa is accepted.
For finding Bitcoin communities
🔸 bitcoinonly.events: find local meetups and conferences.
🔸 Orange pill app: real-time connection at Bitcoin events.
🔸 Satlantis: a social app and travel directory for bitcoiners.
🔸 bitcoin-only.com: touch base with Bitcoin event organizers.
For getting your mind right
🔸 Be Your Own Bank: a high-level philosophy & actionable organization plan for any traveling bitcoiner.
🔸 Check Your Financial Privilege: understand the gravity of the situation, and the impact you make while traveling like a bitcoiner.
🔸 Get a second passport: for greater autonomy if SHTF.
Thank You
We created Travel Like A Bitcoiner to inspire pioneers around the world to take Bitcoin adoption to the next level.
Bitcoin is proving itself as a reliable store of value. To fulfill Satoshi’s vision of an electronic peer-to-peer cash system, however, it needs boots-on-the-ground involvement from volunteers willing to put their money where their mouth is.
If you believe Bitcoin is the monetary evolution that the world needs, then travel like a bitcoiner.
Prove to the world that Bitcoin is not only better savings technology, but a better currency for all. With the resources shared in this eBook, we hope that you’re better prepared to pick up your torch and pioneer the path to better money.
