In 2017 I discovered cryptocurrency for the first time. I was a late starter. I was simultaneously confused and excited. Prior to that I had, of course, heard of Bitcoin but I really had little idea about what it was and how it could be used. I had also been told it was just for sociopaths and drug dealers — neither of which I could claim to be. So, I ventured forth and signed up to Coinbase and Binance and started to get involved. I quickly became overcome by an inane excitement — I felt like a kid in a candy or toy store and my wife rejected me. All around me were peculiar possibilities — a veritable cornucopia of coins with quixotic names and one named after a dog. So, I bought a bunch of them. My initial selection was guided by nothing more than how interesting the coins sounded. I am a huge sci-fi fan so I was drawn to Tron. I am still not sure whether that was a particularly auspicious move but then — c’est la vie.
After a couple of weeks of blindly accumulating various coins I soon came to seriously ponder upon the question of how I would actually use the coins. At one point I had more fiat equivalent tied up in cryptocurrency than I did in actual fiat. This became an issue when I needed to buy my daughter a birthday present — I had a fairly tidy sum in crypto but I had no way of directly utilizing it to purchase her the gift she wanted. Further to that I was planning on booking flights to Bali and a carbon copy of the prededing situation presented itself. I just loathed the idea of selling my coins — my precious coins…I had become Gollum.
For a few months I did not really find anything that met my needs — that was until I was presented with two possibilities — Travelblock and Zeex. These made my eyes bulge with expectation. I realized, of course, that they were not the only possibilities and that other extant businesses out there offer something analogous but after closely examining them I came to the conclusion that they were favourable for me as an prospective investor and, secondly, great for allowing me to actually spend my crypto!
Both Travelblock and Zeex are currently in the Initial Coin Offering stage — they both serve the basic function of allowing the user to purchase holidays (Travelblock) and products (Zeex) using Cryptocurrency. This is precisely what I have been searching for — so, having the inquiring mind that I have I looked a bit deeper.
TRAVELBLOCK
Travelblock, on the surface, just looks like any other online travel platform. It behaves and looks like, let’s say, Expedia. In fact, they actively compare themselves to Expedia in relation to the underlying functionality of the site. A video embedded into the site shows a live demonstration of the way in which the site is used and also a direct comparison with Expedia. I was very pleased with the minimalistic design of the GUI; the simplicity and accessibility of use and the fact that the prices were between 30% and 60% cheaper than Expedia. It appeared pretty damn appealing.
According to the Travelblock website it explained why their prices were so much cheaper than any nearest competitors. It states, ‘Hidden fees and external taxes will be eliminated from final pricing, as all components will be accessible through the blockchain. Complete transparency is the end result, delivering a 30% to 60% reduction in final costs to the consumer by way of eliminating travel agents and online services’ applicable commissions, guaranteeing the best rates marketwide’.
On Travelblock you can book hotels, flights, hire cars, cruises and holiday homes — and in order to pay for them the user is required to hold the TRVL tokens. There are a total of 600,000,000 TRVL tokens and no new tokens will ever be created. The tokens themselves we be kept circulating through the travel platform — going from direct bulk providers and assuring the best rate for the users.
At the moment Travelblock is offering a fantastic offer — for every 5 Ether that you invest into the ICO you will receive a free vacation. To be honest, that is all I needed to hear! I invested and I cannot wait for that free holiday.
ZEEX
Zeex is also providing something pretty awesome. It is giving the user the facility to spend their crypto to buy almost anything online. The diversity of affiliates is really quite something and I can only imagine it will continue to grow. Through the Zeex platform the user can instantly convert cryptocurrency to corporate currency (gift cards) and then back with no fiat and no fees. They proudly announce that their site enables the user to access everything on Amazon, Foot Locker, Gap, Ticketmaster and a further 350+ major brands. This is exactly what I have been looking for.
The Zeex site reiterates the claim that they intend to make the online shopping experience simple and intuitive and that the interface is easily operated and convenient wherein access to each store is merely three clicks away. I guess we will just have to wait and see about that aspect but, nevertheless, I like it.
Zeex is backed by Zeek — their sister company. Let’s be honest here — I have never heard of Zeek. According to a quick search Zeek were established in 2014 and since then have sold one million gift cards comprising of more than 350 top brands (Including Amazon, Adidas, Nike, Tesco and many more). Not bad!
The token used on the Zeex platform is ZIX. Owning this token provides lifetime precedence for discounted corporate currencies over any other user, based on an offering catalogue. The owner of the token will, apparently, own the right to:-
· Get a precedence over the Zeex supply, based on their offering selection, selection time and quantity (Zeex Brands Catalogue).
· Once the supply is fulfilled by Zeex, the owner will get a time window in which they will be able to purchase that supply from Zeex, or to pass on that opportunity
· Pay for the supply using the ZIX token. Zeex is obligated to treat ZIX coin as a pre-paid, closed-loop, payment method (exactly as a digital corporate currency).
Both Travelblock and Zeex are offering a solution to a perennial problem that has faced cryptocurrency holders for some time — actually getting to spend their hard hodled crypto. A feature that, prior to this, has deterred many potential investors from having a go and dipping their toes. I often hear the argument, ‘what is the point of having crypto if you can’t spend it?’
Well, soon you will be able to with Travelblock and Zeex.
If you would like to look further then take a peek at their websites:-
www.zeex.me and telegram: https://t.me/zeexme
www.travelblock.io and telegram: https://t.me/travelblock
I soon shall be doing a youtube video on both of these ICO’s so subscribe here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCaU0UDD1LDUWAB5BJskrW5g?view_as=subscriber