One of the great things about running a Bitcoin and blockchain company that processes payroll for global workforces is that there is a frequent need for travel. The downside to this type of travel is that wifi is never too far away, even on airplanes, and I end up working all the time. I haven’t taken an actual vacation in over two years, but it’s hard to complain when you love what you do. Nevertheless, I set out to change that.

Several months ago I planned a cruise from Miami to the Bahamas with a friend for my birthday. We spent around $4,000 on non-refundable fees, and you can guess what happened next. My company, Bitwage, is part of Orange Fab, an accelerator run by Orange Silicon Valley, a subsidiary of Orange, the massive French telecommunications company, and we got invited to meet with their executives and other partners in Paris. That trip was paid for, but my long awaited vacation was in harm’s way.

My partners and I are currently looking to expand Bitwage’s reach into the European markets so that not only employees, freelancers, and contractors can receive their wages in the Single Euro Payment Area, but so that European employers can send payments as well. We needed to meet with bankers face to face to build relationships and establish a foothold in Europe. Bitcoin is new, the blockchain is new, and building those relationships with risk averse bankers is challenging.

Since our flights into and out of Europe were already paid for, we decided to do a grand tour. The goal was to hit five countries in four weeks, then make a flight into Miami a day before my cruise. It was a long shot, but the stars seemed to be aligning. It just might work!

But then I got a very interesting LinkedIn message.

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