Cheap Lodging: The Forgotten Military Benefit

Rarely will travelers be able to get anything less than $50, and when they do what they get can be scary. Extremely cheap motels or hotels may have rooms filled with bugs, unclean linens and even bad smells. Yet, if a person is in the military, it’s possible to get decent lodging for as low as $25. This article will explain how.

Most hotels, inns and motels in America and abroad will offer low-cost lodging for military personnel. The reason behind this is simple military men and women are more likely to be traveling either by themselves during a deployment or with their families. In either situation they are offered a generous discount. For some military personnel the discount allows them to stay in top-notch suites at the price a civilian would pay for a normal room. These suites can include not only bigger rooms but also whirlpools.

The other alternative available for lodging is using a military hotel, if the person is on base. Military hotels will vary when it comes to how they look on the outside, but on the inside they will look the same as any other hotel, though there can be unique variations. For example, some types of lodging will allow for a residential area. This residential area includes a living room, a kitchen, and a dining area. Usually, the military family will have to share this area with another family, but not always. If a military family uses the facilities during a time where there’s not much activity on the grounds, they will be able to have access to all of the residential area. Regardless, the cost for such a privilege is only $25. Even the most low-class motel imaginable won’t charge such a low price.

So, when are the most common times military families might have to use military lodging? It usually is not for long-term deployments, since in those situations families are placed in more permanent housing. Instead, military lodging is used when there are events on base. For example, Family Day is a common, mandatory event in which families may opt for military lodging. There are also ceremonies that occur once in a while where military families may decide to use the lodging.

Of course, military families are still free to use regular hotels, motels or inns if they do not want to use military lodging or if it isn’t available. The reason for their traveling doesn’t have to be limited to military purposes either. A family could go to Disney World and take advantage of the cheaper hotel privileges if they wanted to.

In fact, as long as a person stays in the service, they will continue to remain eligible for significantly discounted hotel, motel or inn lodging. Sure, the perk of cheap hotel rates may not seem like much especially in comparison to other military benefits, but if a military family plans to travel a lot anyway, they may find that the money they save will add up to healthy amounts.