Sometimes called "Space A" or military hops, the Department of Defense Military Space-Available Travel is a privilege extended to military service members, retirees and their dependents or family members. These individuals are permitted to piggyback-travel nearly for free aboard aircraft operated by the DOD, if there are unused seats during a mission flight. The cost of traveling this way is incredibly low. Space-A travelers end up paying for only head taxes, federal inspection fees and purchased meals at the aircraft terminals they go through.
However, there are rules and regulations that both active and non-active military personnel have to follow, which govern who's eligible to use the extra aircraft seats and when. Active personnel must be on official leave status when they apply for Space-A traveling and dependents must nearly always be accompanied by their military personnel sponsor.
Scheduling is also a challenge. Because of security threats posed by terrorism, the schedule of the flights themselves is no longer accessible to the public and must be accessed from the Joint Operational Support Airlift Center website through a government installation.
Because these flights are primarily for the DOD, there's no guarantee of a seat. Space-A travelers are last priority and any available seats are identified anywhere from three hours before a flight to as late as 30 minutes before departure. Potential travelers from different military services competing for the space are also so numerous that applicants are further categorized according to what the program deems their "priority."
Inexpensive lodging options for traveling military personnel are much easier to obtain than flights, and services can be extended to include certain guests and visitors.
There are thousands of rooms in American military temporary housing facilities, resorts, hotels and guesthouses across the world. Each branch of the military has its own special lodging styles and locations, but in general there are two major lodging categories between which personnel can choose: on-base lodging and Armed Forces Recreation Centers. With careful travel planning, these accommodations can be viable alternatives to expensive hotels abroad.
The U.S. Army's Lodging Success Program offers special discounts exclusively to Army personnel for hotels near Army installations. The program even offers low rates in hotels in some high-priced metropolitan areas within the U.S. mainland and its territories.
