Travel & Leisure

August 2010 Navy

by LCDR David M. Bradley, USN (Ret)

I’ve written before about Space-A travel, but what about a place to stay or visit when you get to where you’re going? What if you’re driving and are in the area of a military base? We’re all probably familiar with the Navy Lodge, but did you know that there are more than 400 military bases, posts, and stations that offer lodging? In addition to the official lodging facilities at which you may stay at these installations, they may also offer recreational lodging. These facilities may consist of cabins, cottages, trailers, trailer or RV parks with hookups, or campgrounds. Additional lodging information may be found at www.navy-lodge.com for the Navy lodge; www.mwr.navy.mil for Navy campgrounds; www.usmc-mccs.org for Marine Corps lodging; and www.armymwr.com for Army lodging.

The military also operates five Armed Forces Recreation Centers overseas and in the US. The Dragon Hill Lodge in Seoul, Korea; the Edelweiss Lodge in Garmisch, Germany; and stateside, in Honolulu (the Hale Koa), Orlando Disney World (the Shades of Green), and Ft. Story, VA (the Cape Henry Inn and Beach Club). Reservations and information may be found at www.armymwr.com. Room rates vary and are on a sliding scale favoring junior personnel in rank/rate. The Navy runs a similar resort in Tokyo, Japan, called the New Sanno Hotel with rates considerably lower than normal Tokyo hotel charges. More information may be found at www.thenewsanno.com. Not to be left out, the Air Force is allied with the Rocky Mountain Blue at Keystone Resort. Located about an hour and a half from Denver airport and two and a half from Colorado Springs, it is located in prime ski and snowboarding country. Go to http://www.rockymountainblue.com/ for more.

The Armed Forces Vacation Club (not directly connected to DoD, but in association with the various service MWR operations) can provide a search capability for space-available vacation rentals for relatively low prices. They are more or less a consolidator and sell unused time-share and other discount travel and cruise packages. You may find more information at www.afvclub.com.

Another resource for discounted travel and vacations is Government Vacations Rewards (GVR). Operated through and connected with the various military exchange systems, Government Vacation Rewards is a travel discount program specifically designed for government employees and military personnel to save money on their vacations. You will have access to the savings on-line at www.govvationrewards.com or by calling their vacation consultants. Government Vacation Rewards offers over 40 cruise lines and more than 4,000 different resort properties at major destinations worldwide with no blackout dates. Every booking comes with a Best Price Guarantee, and even friends and family members can take advantage of the prices! A portion of Government Vacation Rewards proceeds support the Department of Defense MWR activities, the Wounded Warrior Program, and Vacations for Veterans.

To access their discounted prices and take advantage of their savings, Government Vacation Rewards requires that you have a membership (free) in the program. Since their prices and discounts are not available to the general public, they only make the site available to eligible participants. Eligible groups include: Active Duty and retired military, National Guard and Reservists, veterans, federal, state, and local employees, Retired Federal, State, and local employees, and civilian government contractors (actually a pretty wide range of eligibles). I checked fares on several travel sites and airlines and GVR’s were the same (without booking fees) and have the advantage that they support the military.

I found that the following restaurants are known for offering military discounts (as well as senior), but all locations may not participate. So while you’re traveling and have that need to “graze,” check for discounts at the following:

• Applebee’s
• Arby’s
• A&W
• Back Yard
• Burgers
• Barnhill’s
• Burger King
• Captain D’s
• Carl’s Jr.
• Chick-Fil-A
• Ci-Ci’s
• Cotton Patch
• Denny’s
• Dunkin’ Donuts
• Golden Corral
• IHOP
• Java Café
• KFC
• Long John Silver
• Maggie Moo’s
• McDonald’s
• The Melting Pot
• Moe’s
• Pancho’s Mexican
• Buffet
• Panda Express
• Papa Murphy’s
• Pat & Oscar’s
• Pizza Hut
• Quizno’s
• Red Robin
• Shoney’s
• Sizzler
• Sonic
• Taco Bell
• Texas Roadhouse
• Wendy’s
• Whataburger

If you need auto parts to do that “roadside restoration” (a term used by us vintage car owners) check with:

• AutoZone
• Checker Auto Parts
• Big 10 Tires
• Kragen Auto Parts
• NAPA Auto Parts
• O’Reilly Auto Parts

Both AMTRAK and Greyhound offer discounts as well as many cruise lines. Military discounts on airlines are for full fares only and are almost always more than other discounts. Most all theme parks offer a military discount to Active Duty personnel and many to Reserve and retired personnel.

Remember, whenever you are making a purchase, a reservation, or travel arrangements, always ask if they give a military discount. It doesn’t hurt and you deserve it. Take care. david.bradley@ausn.org