Military personnel usually stay dedicatedly busy in the service of the nation around the year apart from their holidays. It is then when they actually plan to go out with family and spend some quality time. To ensure that you have a great holiday with your family and also save some dollars on your bookings, here are some useful holiday travel tips from CheapFareGuru for military families.
Choose your day
If you have the flexibility, choose to travel during the Veteran day weekend, to grab discounts and perks applicable to military personnel – veteran and active duty both – and their families. A lot of places such as Colonial Williamsburg offer special services to the military during this time; while some other places like Busch Gardens and Disney World offer discounts all year-round which you could avail in the veteran weekend.
Choose a military friendly destination
There are many cities that offer military special offers on tour packages and also provide discounted accommodation for the military families. There are multiple places such as The Hampton Roads, San Diego, San Antonio, and Fayetteville, NC that have a very strong military influence and treat the military families with priority and respect. These towns also have military discounts on food in some restaurants.
Check for flight discounts, baggage waivers, and complimentary meals
When making your flight bookings, always check with the airline for special offers available for the military personnel. Airlines such as Delta, American, JetBlue, Alaska, United, and Hawaiian offer discount flights, free checked baggage, complimentary meals, and more offers that you can take advantage of.
Claim for TSA PreCheck
Claim for a free PreCheck for free when purchasing your air tickets by giving your DoD identification number; you can take kids aged under 12 along through the PreCheck but not spouse.
Fly Space-A
You can benefit from perk called the Space-Available flights to travel at little or no cost. These military flights will suit you best if you are flexible with your schedule and sometimes even destination. You should check the official page travel page of AMC (Air Mobility Command) to know about travel eligibility, restrictions, baggage requirements, etc.
Scout for military programs
Some holiday companies’ offer discounted travel programs for the military that you can avail. You could also take advantage of places that offer free military personnel entry or other offers such as Blue Star Museums – a free museum program that offer free entry between Memorial Day and Labor Day for military families across the US; The National Park Service; VetTix – that provides free tickets for sporting events, fine arts programs, and concerts, etc. There are many more places that welcome the military with special services and discounts, you should check with the concerned place and avail them.
The list of services isn’t exhaustive and there can be many more offers that are extended to the military to honor their dedication to the nation. You should always check online, with a military coordinator, travel agent or a colleague for more perks available for military families.