How This Family Survived 40 Countries Living Solely Off Bitcoin for Four Years

At the Kapıkule border crossing between Bulgaria and Turkey, bitcoin is not accepted as a form of payment for the mandatory visa application fee. The Taihuttus, however, were not deterred.

The Dutch family of five parked their bitcoin-branded VW California T6 camper van on the shoulder of the D.100 state highway, determined to find a way to pay for their passage with the cryptocurrency.

For four years, the family has subsisted on bitcoin alone. After liquidating their assets, from their retirement accounts and cars, to their clothes and toys, they bet it all on the volatile cryptocurrency, back when it was $900 a coin in 2017.

They also made a vow to never pay for another service or good ever again, unless the transaction was somehow made in bitcoin.

“We waited until we found a person who was willing to accept bitcoin,” said Didi Taihuttu, patriarch of the so-called Bitcoin Family.

After educating this traveler about the merits of the cryptocurrency, they installed a bitcoin wallet on his phone and made an exchange of bitcoin for cash.

“With the cash, we bought our visas,” continued Taihuttu. “It led to some yelling inside the car. I can tell you that my wife and my kids were not happy. But if you try to live the bitcoin life, you have your ups and downs.”

The most bitcoin-friendly cities on the planet

Since the Taihuttus went all in on bitcoin in 2017, they have traveled to forty countries. Mass adoption of cryptocurrencies over the past few years has made it easier for the family to transact solely in bitcoin, but to get by, they have had to get creative.

Through a combination of bartering, bargaining, bitcoin debit cards, and convincing vendors to accept the cryptocurrency, the family has managed to traverse much of Europe, Asia, and Oceania.

But they say there are two places on the planet where you can pay for literally everything using bitcoin: the Slovenian capital of Ljubljana and a small Italian village called Rovereto.

In Ljubljana, they paid for things like car repairs and cinema tickets in the cryptocurrency, and in Rovereto, it is possible to buy a motorbike, pay your taxes, or get a haircut using bitcoin.

Source: gamesfortnite.medium.com; nbcconnecticut.com