enVoyage - page 46

ʔ੭ତږ̘ࣚБ
Traveling
Without Cash
BY NEIL C. HUGHES
ᎇഹ߅ҦٙආӉdνʦʔ੭ତږɰঐ̘ࣚБf๿Պཫࠇί2025ϋϓމ
ೌତږ਷࢕d஢ε਷࢕ɰ஼န೯࢝ཥɿၾ̔˪˕˹dᜫ຅ή֢͏ၾࣚ
ɛீཀ˓ዚe߈Ꮦༀໄeڦ̔͜ၾཥɿୃ̔˹ಛdჀᕦɦکлf
Upon grabbing their luggage from
the baggage carousel, travelers can now
hail a ride from Uber or Lyft with a tap
on the screen of their smartphone. The
fare is taken directly out of their
account, and if it's hooked up to PayPal,
they can avoid punitive foreign-
transaction fees.
Many of the world’s leading
capitals offer one-day or three-day
travel passes that allow cash-free travel
on multiple modes of transportation. No
more rummaging through your pockets
looking for loose coins in an area rife
with pickpockets!
In Taipei, the EasyCard allows
users to navigate around the city and hop
on the MRT subway system, pay bus
fares, rent a public shared bicycle, or
pick up supplies at convenience stores.
You can also use the card to enter local
attractions like Taipei Zoo, museums,
and events organized by the city.
he days of carrying a
book of traveler’s checks in
a money belt may be fast
disappearing, but travel
finances remain a bugbear
for most of us. As I recently
found out, navigating around the chaotic and
overwhelming souks of Marrakech was a
breeze compared with attempting to
obtain Moroccan dirhams before leaving
home. That’s the problem with a closed
currency — it can only be obtained at
major airports or in the destination
country itself.
However, the golden grail of
cashless commerce is beginning to look
more viable as consumers embrace
mobile and card payments. In fact,
Sweden is leading the race to become the
world’s first cashless country, perhaps as
s o o n a s 2 0 2 5 . O t h e r c o u n t r i e s ,
particularly Sweden’s Scandinavian
neighbors, have similar plans.
44 enVoyage
Tech
Roundup