Temporary Housing

Chances are that, at some point during your military career, you will need temporary housing. Perhaps your home at a new duty post wasn’t ready when you thought it would be, maybe you’re traveling on military related business or taking a vacation, or perhaps you need a place to stay while finding a new home. Whatever your reasons, the military does have options for you during your transition.

A good first step to finding temporary lodging is to check with the nearest military base to see if they have lodging available. For the Army alone, almost 22,000 lodging units, temporary housing, and guesthouses exist at 80 locations in the United States, Korea, Japan, Belgium, Germany, Italy, Alaska and Hawaii. On base lodging can often be an extremely frugal and convenient place to stay and it is open to nearly all armed service members, including reservists, National Guard members, and service members who have retired but have not yet reached aged 60 and begun to receive a retirement check. Lodging is provided on a space-available basis, so make sure that you reserve your place quickly.

You’ll need the following information to reserve a room:

• Destination
• Name/Rank/Grade
• Work phone number
• Point of contact information
• Credit card

Military travel centers are another great option to pursue if military base lodging doesn’t seem like the right choice or if you simply want affordable and enjoyable accommodations while you’re on vacation. Military travel centers are generally luxurious and are conveniently located in several of the world’s top travel destinations including Seoul Korea, Honolulu Hawaii, Tokyo Japan, and Orlando Florida. They’re a fantastic option, especially for family vacations!

One more great option for temporary military lodging is timeshare condominiums. The military offers Department of Defense affiliated personnel affordable condominium rental rates at resorts around the world (on a space available basis). The base cost is $299 per unit per week which averages to only about $42 a day. Compared to regular hotel or condominium prices of $70 or greater per day, this program can offer a real savings for military personnel.

Temporary housing, whether it’s for vacation or some other purpose, can be an inexpensive and affordable proposition for service members with a little forward planning and research. It’s absolutely worth pursuing all military-sponsored options before making reservations at a hotel or other form of public lodging. The savings are immense, and you can often find better accommodations, making your time a bit more pleasant.