You can do a printout but that still is just a check that sez you have zeros and ones somewhere on the internet.
And I've heard all these stories on how bitcoin is infallible and safe yet they've already had incidents wherein people gamed the algorithm and produced illegal bitcoins.
So no thanks.
I'll put my trust in precious metals. Copper Brass Lead Aluminum and Steel.
“And I’ve heard all these stories on how bitcoin is infallible and safe”
Not safe from stupidity though. Last week a UK guy lost 7,500 bitcoins (then 9 million worth) when he threw out the hard drive that contained them and he had no backup. Buried in a landfill with little to no chance of retrieval.
Bitcoin is a commodity the value of which depends on the supply and demand. The supply is fixed as the formula has a fixed number of solutions. As folks become leery of government manipulations of currency this one seems more reliable.
I say Bitcoin is going to be around for a long time and will become ubiquitous - you will be able to use it in all countries without the need for currency exchange.