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American Forces Travel

American Forces Travel℠     is the only official joint services MWR leisure travel website.

American Forces Travel is a joint service initiative combining the efforts of each of the five branches of service (Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard) and the Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Military Community & Family Policy. Who is Eligible:  Active military, Guard or Reserve, U.S. Coast Guard, Retired Military, and all eligible MWR patrons.

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What is American Forces Travel?

American Forces Travel (AFT) is a new site launched with Priceline that offers discounted travel prices to military service members and their dependents. Despite there being many unofficial sites that boast discounted travel prices for military, AFT is the ONLY official joint service owned leisure travel service for the military community.

Priceline.com a company with over 20 years of online travel expertise, won out the opportunity to sponsor AFT over other travel discount sites in a competitive bidding process AFT was launched as an initiative by five military branches of service and the Office of the Secretary of Defense to provide a modernized, streamlined method for booking travel and vacation packages for the military community.  Previously, most non-official travel for military had been orchestrated through base tickets and tour offices; AFT provides a platform where military members can search for special travel deals online.

What Sets American Forces Travel Apart From Other Discount Sites?

• AFT boasts up to 60% savings on more than a million hotel deals in more than 76,000 destinations worldwide.
• AFT offers reduced fees for reservation changes and all flights cancellable within 24 hours.  With AFT, there is also free cancellation on post-paid cars as well as cancellation discounts for pre-paid rates.
• AFT offers 24/7 customer support.
• There is a commission that goes towards military Morale, Welfare, and Recreation services and military quality of life programs with each transaction on the AFT site.
• Although Priceline.com offers similar discounts and deals for the general public, Priceline has a special team dedicated to the AFT site to search for the best prices specifically for military members.
• Priceline offers the same lowest price guarantee on AFT as it does on its main site.  If a better price or deal is found for any travel arrangements within 24 hours of booking, Priceline will refund 100% of the price difference.

Who is Eligible to Use American Forces Travel?

• Active duty and dependents
• Full-benefit retirees and dependents
• 100% disabled veterans and dependents
• Medal of Honor recipients and dependents
• American Red Cross and USA-paid personnel serving outside of the US and dependents
• DOD civilians and non-appropriated fund employees

How Do I Sign Up To Use American Forces Travel?

- Visit the American Forces Travel site .

- Select the “Get Started” link from the main page.

- You will be prompted to verify your military status by providing your last name, date of birth, and the last four digits of your social security number.

- This information does not go through Priceline but is verified against a DOD database.

- Login information is not captured or retained in any way.

What Types of Discounts Does American Forces Travel Offer?

• Travel packages

AFT hopes to also offer discounts on theme parks and other attractions at a future date

Does American Forces Travel Really Deliver Discounts to the Military Community?

A review done by Military.com of the American Forces Travel site uncovered that on travel to San Diego, hotel deals ranging $20-$50 dollars less than prices found on regular travel discount sites and $10-$18 off per day for vehicle rentals.  According to the same review, a round-trip Alaska Airlines flight from Washington, D.C. to San Diego for one February weekend was $354, while on American Forces Travel the same round-trip flight was only $323.  However, non-stop flights for the same weekend could be purchased on United Airlines for $200-$400 less on a travel discount site other than AFT.

Discounts on hotels seems to vary by season and by room type. For example, a cursory search on AFT for hotels in Seattle, WA during the month of August showed variance in discounted prices when compared to prices on other discount travel sites, ranging from prices on AFT being $10-$20 higher than to $10-$30 lower than on other travel sites. It did seem that there were better discounts on searches for double occupancy rooms than on searches for rooms for more than two people, which could signify that when looking for hotels, AFT offers better discounts for groups travelling with less people as opposed to families with children or larger groups.

Discounts on automobile rentals also vary by auto type and rental by day or by week. Cruise prices also appear to vary based on season or berthing type.

In short, there is probably still no substitute for doing the research when one is looking for good deals on travel. AFT probably does offer significant discounts for military members but not necessarily on every travel item nor in every circumstance, so it is still important to search for deals and discounts using various resources. 

It’s important to consider, too, that AFT launched only within the past few months and still has plans to expand its scope and improve its services. It would be well worth providing further analysis after the site has been up and running for a year or two. 

At the very least American Forces Travel puts another discount travel booking tool in the back pockets of military members and their dependents and can be considered a legitimate means to secure the best price for all leisure travel needs.

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Service members, veterans and their families now have a one-stop shop for finding and booking travel with military discounts. The Department of Defense has teamed up with Priceline to create a travel booking site exclusively for U.S. military members.

It only takes a quick eligibility check on the American Forces Travel booking site to begin accessing savings that claim to include up to 60% off hotel stays.

Here are seven questions about the new site, answered.

1. What kinds of travel can be booked through the site?

Eligible members of the military and Department of Defense can book everything from flights and rental cars to vacation homes and hotels. Even cruises are available on the site.

The site, which is powered by Priceline, can be used for booking domestic and international travel, and boasts hotel deals in more than 71,000 destinations around the globe.

American Forces Travel also offers packages that users can use to book flights in combination with hotels or car rental for even deeper discounts. On Priceline’s site, travelers who book a package save $240 per transaction per person, on average. People will see similar savings on American Forces Travel.

In the future, American Forces Travel hopes to also offer discounts on theme parks and other attractions.

» Learn more: Beat your travel budget and find cheap activities in any city

2. Who is eligible?

American Forces Travel is open to all military and military-affiliated personnel who are eligible to use Morale, Welfare and Recreation programs. That's an estimated 9 million people.

The list of people who are eligible to use American Forces Travel includes:

Active-duty members and their families.

Full-benefit retirees and their families.

Veterans who are100% disabled and their families.

Medal of Honor recipients and their families.

American Red Cross and USA paid personnel who are serving outside of the United States and their families.

Department of Defense civilians.

Veterans and non-active members who did not retire with full benefits should be eligible later in 2019. The Department of Defense has said it intends to make them eligible but has not specified a date yet.

3. How do I find out if I’m eligible?

The eligibility check is on the American Forces Travel site. Users will enter their last name, the last four digits of their Social Security number and their date of birth. Then the information is checked against the Department of Defense’s records.

Priceline is not part of the verification process and does not capture or retain that data.

4. What kind of savings can military members expect?

American Forces Travel will offer hotel deals up to 60% off and cruise deals up to 80% off. Military members will have access to discounts on 1.2 million hotels, as well as deals on flights and car rentals.

» Learn more: Credit card offers for active-duty military

5. Are these discounts different than what nonmilitary travelers might find on Priceline?

Some of the discounts are different because Priceline has a team dedicated to negotiating additional deals for American Forces Travel.

6. Outside of travel deals, what else can American Forces Travel provide?

The same services exist for American Forces Travel that exist for Priceline customers, including 24-hour customer service and insurance options for all forms of travel.

7. Why was American Forces Travel created?

Previously, military families would have booked travel with a travel agent on a military base. The Department of Defense created American Forces Travel to make the process faster, more modern and accessible.

In addition, travel booked through American Forces Travel will generate a commission that will support Quality of Life programs for each branch of the military.

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American Forces Travel℠

Book great military discounts on hotels, flights, cars, packages, cruises, and more., save up to 60% off hotels, discover new deals everyday, thousands of deals made every day, save more when you bundle.

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American Forces Travel

Written by Veteran.com Team

American Forces Travel (AFT), a joint venture between Morale, Welfare, and Recreation (MWR) and Priceline.com, offers discounted travel to military members and their families. AFT launched in 2019 and is the only leisure travel website dedicated to Department of Defense and veteran customers.

AFT offers discounts of up to 40% for transportation and as much as 60% off hotels, rentals, and events and is the first online MWR Leisure Travel website. Qualified users can find deals on:

• Event tickets
• Travel packages

The event tickets option is supported by TicketNetwork.

Update:  In a memo signed April 12, 2021, the Defense Department will extend online access to American Forces Travel to honorably discharged veterans of the uniformed services.

Who Is Eligible To Use American Forces Travel

The website is unique in that it is NOT open to the general public. You can use American Forces Travel if you are in any of the following categories:

• All current active duty military (Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and Coast Guard)
• All veterans of the United States Armed Forces with a discharge status of honorable or general under honorable conditions
• All members of the Reserve components and National Guard
• Coast Guard Auxiliary Active Duty
• All current active duty and retired National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
• All current active duty and retired US Public Health Service (USPHS)
• All retired military, including Reserves and National Guard who are retirement eligible
• All Medal of Honor recipients
• All veterans with service-connected disabilities
• All veterans who are Purple Heart recipients
• All veterans who are former prisoners of war
• All primary family caregivers of eligible veterans under the Department of Veterans Affairs Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers
• Eligible family members who are officially sponsored (ID card holder) by those in the above categories
• All Department of Defense and Coast Guard civilians, including appropriated funds (APF) employees and nonappropriated funds (NAF) employees
• Full-time, paid employees of the American Red Cross and United Service Organizations (USO) hired in the United States and serving at U.S. DoD installations overseas

In many cases, those who are separated from the military but who did not spend enough time in uniform to draw retirement pay are left out of certain military perks like the ability to use certain MWR programs or facilities .

But in this particular case, that is not true. On April 12, 2021 MWR opened access to AFT to all who have separated honorably or under honorable conditions.

That was a significant shift in policy for use of MWR programs. Some 16 million veterans are given access to the discounted travel perks, along with 10 million active duty troops, Guard and Reserve members, dependents, etc.

Why People Use American Forces Travel

For some, the discounted travel options are quite enough, but not all who buy tickets are doing so from the United States.

Military travelers feel more comfortable knowing the people arranging their tickets and travel understand their unique requirements–especially when it comes to having limited time to spend traveling while on leave, traveling to foreign countries from other foreign countries, etc.

An agency like AFT brings with it an understanding of military lifestyle needs–when booking from overseas, to overseas, you’ll want to know you’re getting the price you need but also the support you might have to have en route no matter what time of day anywhere around the globe.

About American Forces Travel

AFT partnered with Priceline.com to offer the travel service. There are many sites that operate unofficially claiming to offer discounted leisure travel to military and military-affiliated people. AFT is the only one that operates under the auspices of MWR.

AFT is not the only military-affiliated travel service, but it is the only MWR leisure travel site.

American Forces Travel is a multi-service initiative designed to provide greater non-official travel options. Before AFT, such travel options were available through individual Base Tickets and Tour offices.

You can sign up for AFT online by clicking on the Get Started button on the upper right of the screen. You will need to enter some personal data to prove your identity including the last four digits of your Social Security Number.

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The Military Wallet

American Forces Travel – Online Travel Discounts

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Update: As of July 16, 2021, all current and former military members* are eligible to use American Forces Travel. *Veterans must have a discharge status of honorable or general under honorable conditions to be eligible for AFT.

American Forces Travel (AFT) is a leisure travel booking website sponsored by the Department of Defense and intended for servicemembers and veterans across all military branches. Through American Forces Travel, eligible users are able to find steeply discounted rates on airfare, cruises, hotels, rental cars, vacation packages, and event tickets (concert, sporting, theatre).

Launched in 2019, AFT is a Morale, Welfare, and Recreation (MWR) program that enables servicemembers and veterans to easily search for and view leisure travel discounts and benefits exclusively available to military members, those affiliated with the Department of Defense, and eligible family members.

Why Should I Try American Forces Travel?

Convenience.

American Forces Travel offers an attractive and convenient alternative to in-person MWR facilities and Information Tickets & Travel (ITT) offices located on military installations because it can be reached 24/7 online and offers around-the-clock military traveler support. Additionally, AFT has broader eligibility criteria than in-person MWR sites; therefore, some groups who may not be eligible to benefit from MWR services on-site may be eligible to avail themselves of AFT instead.

Helps to Fund Other MWR Programs

Booking through American Forces Travel also helps to fund other MWR programs, since commissions from each booking are reinvested at no cost to users.

Lower Booking Fees

American Forces Travel has lower booking fees than other commercial travel websites and offers a “best price guarantee.” For cruises, they even offer a 110% best price guarantee , meaning that if you find a cheaper cruise within 48-hours of booking with American Forces Travel, they will refund 110% of the difference.

Exclusive Offers and Military Rates

Unlike other discount travel sites, American Forces Travel has exclusive offers and military rates, which means less time spent calling airlines and hotels inquiring about military offers.

Greater Global Reach

Users can book domestic and international travel to over 71,000 locations courtesy of American Forces Travel.

How Does It Work?

The American Forces Travel website is extremely user-friendly, owed largely in part to its partner — Priceline . Priceline.com has been a long-time leader in online travel services — which acts as the service provider. However, not all of the deals offered commercially through Priceline are identical to those on AFT, since Priceline has a specific team in place to negotiate additional deals for military members and affiliates.

In order to book leisure travel through the online platform, users will first have to verify their eligibility, which requires some personal information (last name, birth date, and the last four digits of the user’s Social Security number).

The website will search the DEERS database in order to verify eligibility, so be sure to keep your information in DEERS up to date prior to using the AFT page. After eligibility is established, you’re free to access AFT to search for discounted travel and leisure options.

Am I Eligible to Use American Forces Travel?

Currently, AFT is available to military servicemembers and those affiliated with the Department of Defense, including:

• Active duty servicemembers (Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, Space Force, and Coast Guard Auxiliary Active Duty)
• Members of Reserve components and National Guard
• Retired military (including retirement-eligible Reservists and Guardsmen)
• Medal of Honor and Purple Heart recipients ; former prisoners of war
• Veterans with service-connected disabilities
• Department of Defense civilians serving outside the United States
• Active duty and retired U.S. Public Health Service and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration employees
• Full-time, paid employees of the American Red Cross and United Service Organizations (USO) serving at overseas U.S. DoD installations
• Officially sponsored, eligible family members ( ID card holders)
• Approved primary family caregivers of eligible veterans
• All Veterans of the United States Armed Forces with a discharge status of honorable or general under honorable conditions.

However, eligibility criteria are expanding and AFT will soon (specific dates still unknown) be available to all Department of Defense civilians serving within the United States as well as all Coast Guard and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) civilians registered in DEERS.

American Forces Travel should not be confused with Armed Forces Vacation Club , another discount travel option for military members and veterans. AFVC offers discounted hotel and resort stays.

About Post Author

Meaghan Doherty Myers

Meaghan Doherty Myers is a freelance writer, specializing in military benefits, personal finance, and defense and security issues. She holds an M.A. in Strategic Studies and International Relations from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) and recently graduated from the Russian language program at the Defense Language Institute in Monterey, CA. She is an Army spouse, a former ballet dancer, and a former management consultant who lives with her husband and daughter in Alexandria, VA.

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American Forces Travel℠ is a new Morale, Welfare and Recreation (MWR) program arising out of a joint service initiative combining the efforts of each of the five branches of service (Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard) and the Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Military Community & Family Policy.

Because the Internet is now the most popular way to research and book travel, the branches of Service chose to evolve their travel offering. The Services have contracted with a world leader in travel, Priceline®, to deliver high value travel benefits to the U.S. military community. American Forces Travel℠ is transforming the way MWR provides online leisure services to our Service members and families, empowering them to revitalize, reconnect, be well, and most importantly, be mission-ready. In addition to dramatically enhancing quality of life for the military community, American Forces Travel℠ will inject critical revenue into MWR programs by providing commissions from every booking made.

Awarding the no-cost contract to Priceline® is a major milestone for the Services and a testament to their collaborative and transformative efforts. While there are many for-profit online leisure travel offerings marketing to the military today, American Forces Travel is the only official joint services MWR leisure travel website.

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Does the Military's Travel Discount Site Really Offer Deals?

A military travel discount site rolled out this month by the Defense Department and Priceline boasts that it offers exclusive travel savings for qualifying users.

The site, American Forces Travel , offers hotel, flight, car rental and cruise deals, as well as bundled or package deals that a spokesman said can save travelers an average of $240 per person.

So I put it to the test. Could using it save money for a real human like me?

The answer for me was no.

First, a few notes. For this experiment, I researched prices for airfare, hotel and a rental car for a single trip to San Francisco from my home near Anchorage, Alaska, for my family: me, my husband and our two kids. We have family near enough San Francisco that we could use that airport, but not close enough that we would stay with them if we wanted to vacation in the city for a few days. I compared prices against those on the sites I normally use for booking -- Kayak.com for air travel, Hotwire.com for rental cars and Hotels.com for hotels -- and searched dates for a fictional four-day weekend trip in late March.

This test was inspired by comments from readers on our Military.com story announcing the discount program . Many commenters noted they were finding better travel rates outside the DoD's new site. Given that our test was truly limited, I encourage you to compare rates for yourself.

Air Travel Rates

Searching for air travel rates on this new site showed no savings or, worse, much higher costs depending on how I searched.

To be fair, the site didn't claim to have great deals for the types of flights for which I was searching. The site says its flight perks are no booking fee, reduced fees for reservation changes, all flights cancellable within 24 hours and exclusive flight options with split-ticket fares.

For my four-day, Friday to Monday trip to and from San Francisco International Airport, Armed Forces Travel found me a roundtrip ticket for $610.10 per person at Delta's Main Cabin rate, which lets you pick your seats.

As advertised, no booking fee was added, and I was told I could cancel within 24 hours. I didn't try to change my ticket, so I couldn't see what their fees would be for that, but their fine print warns, "Air travel itinerary changes, if permitted by the airline fare rules, may have a change fee charged by the airline typically ranging between $200 and $300 USD per ticket that will vary by market, carrier and specific fare rule," so I am unclear as to what their reduced reservations fees might be.

Related: 4 Tips for Flying Space-A

My flight search on Kayak.com brought up significantly cheaper options. For those Delta flights, it first brought up an Economy rate of $315 per person, where seats might be automatically assigned. Then, when I clicked through to book on the Delta site, I was offered a Main Cabin rate at $435 -- still well below the Armed Forces Travel rate.

It was difficult to even compare the Kayak offers to the American Forces site because the latter didn't have as many flight options. Kayak showed me a pair of Alaska Airlines flights that allowed you to pick your seat for $343 per person, well below the $610.10 option with Armed Forces.

American Forces' website told me I might be able to save more by booking in a bundle. When I clicked through that option to search for flights, I was offered the same main cabin price -- $435 -- as through Kayak. And while the click through said I was building a bundle, the system did not appear to require me to actually select anything more than a flight to get that lower price. That felt a little sneaky.

Hotel Rates

I started my search through Hotels.com for three nights at a hotel off Market Street in San Francisco, since we'd be visiting the Wharf area and shopping on my fictional trip. The hotel options in that area range from nice to really fancy without any familiar name-brand budget options, so I looked in the "nice" range. I then searched for the same area on the American Forces site.

The sites tended to offer different hotels. But they both offered the Hilton Parc 55, so I chose that hotel for this comparison. I wanted accommodations for two adults and two children. Hotels.com gave me a rate of approximately $178 a night for about $622 total, which includes $87.66 in taxes and fees. It had no trouble searching for two adults and two children.

The American Forces site, on the other hand, first told me that it could offer me only double-occupancy rooms, even though "four guests" was a drop-down menu option when I searched. That was confusing. When I changed it to two guests and searched, the next screen showed me as having searched for "two adults, two children." The top of the page said I was getting exclusive discounts, and the photo of the Parc 55 said "13 percent off."

But when I clicked through, it said my best rate was $635 for three nights, plus about $105 in taxes and fees for a total of about $740. If that's an exclusive discount, it's not a very good one, and it's definitely not better than the non-exclusive discount on the other site.

I also tried booking my hotel through the bundling option, which had found me extra savings with the flight. For the hotel reservation, it made no difference.

Car Rentals

American Forces again boasted exclusive rates and two specific perks -- the ability to cancel on cars reserved for payment at the time of pickup, and lower rates if you pre-pay.

My search on American Forces revealed my cheapest alternative to be an economy option with Hertz for $22 a day if a pre-pay. For $27, I could reserve through Thrifty and leave myself the option of canceling at any time.

Heading over to Hotwire.com, my site of choice for rental cars, I found the same Hertz deal of $22 for pre-paying. And again, over at Thrifty, I was offered the same $27, cancel-anytime option.

In short, for my trip, booking through American Forces offered me no savings.

I also tried booking a car through the bundling option. Like the hotel, bundling for the car brought no price difference.

I Didn't Find This Site to Be a Money Saver

A Priceline spokesperson said that for cars and hotels, "certain suppliers will be contributing exclusive rates to American Forces Travel. There are a lot of ways to save on the site," but she didn't offer clues on how to find those, specifically. She also said that hotel rates are likely to get better over time.

"As American Forces Travel continues to grow after the initial launch, we are constantly working to improve the product for our customers and have plans in place for an even more diversified inventory, as well as booking options for the near future," she said.

So, yes, likely there are deals I didn't find. After all, this experiment was limited to one trip to one major city in one state.

But as part of their target audience, I can't say I'll be hitting it up to find deals for my family any time soon.

-- Amy Bushatz can be reached at [email protected] .

Amy Bushatz

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American Forces Travel Privileges Extended to Eligible Veterans

The Department of Defense announced today a policy change to the current shopping privileges on the American Forces Travel website. As directed by acting Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness Virginia S. Penrod in a memo signed April 12, 2021, the department will extend online access to the website to honorably discharged veterans of the uniformed services.

On average, customers save 35-40% compared to commercial travel pricing by using AFT. This includes discounted rates on hotels (up to 60%), airfare, rental cars, vacation packages, event tickets, and cruises.

“Sixteen million veterans will now be able to access the American Forces Travel website, joining the 10 million active duty, Guard and reserve service members, family members, DOD civilians, and other patrons who are already receiving the benefit,” said Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Military Community and Family Policy Patricia “Patty” Montes Barron. “We are committed to providing quality-of-life programs to our military community, which includes our honorably discharged veterans.”

The change will not affect access for existing patrons, and the increased customer base will allow AFT to negotiate better prices for its customers. 

AFT launched in 2019 as the only official joint service morale, welfare, and recreation leisure travel website exclusively for DOD patrons. In addition to improving access to DOD’s MWR benefits, every booking on American Forces Travel generates revenue to support critical quality-of-life programs for service members and families.

To access the exclusive military discount pricing on travel products, visit the American Forces Travel website . Proof of eligibility is required.

About Military Community and Family Policy

Military Community and Family Policy is directly responsible for establishing and overseeing quality-of-life policies and programs that help our service members, their families and survivors be well and mission-ready. Military OneSource is the gateway to programs and services that support the everyday needs of the 5.2 million service members and immediate family members of the military community. These DOD services can be accessed 24/7/365 around the world.

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7 Things to Know About American Forces Travel

February 2, 2019

Service members, veterans and their families now have a one-stop shop for finding and booking travel with military discounts. The Department of Defense has teamed up with Priceline to create a travel booking site exclusively for U.S. military members.

It only takes a quick eligibility check on the American Forces Travel booking site to begin accessing savings that claim to include up to 60% off hotel stays.

Here are seven questions about the new site, answered.

1. What kinds of travel can be booked through the site?

Eligible members of the military and Department of Defense can book everything from flights and rental cars to vacation homes and hotels. Even cruises are available on the site.

The site, which is powered by Priceline, can be used for booking domestic and international travel, and boasts hotel deals in more than 71,000 destinations around the globe.

American Forces Travel also offers packages that users can use to book flights in combination with hotels or car rental for even deeper discounts. On Priceline’s site, travelers who book a package save $240 per transaction per person, on average. People will see similar savings on American Forces Travel.

In the future, American Forces Travel hopes to also offer discounts on theme parks and other attractions.

» Learn more: Beat your travel budget and find cheap activities in any city

2. Who is eligible?

American Forces Travel is open to all military and military-affiliated personnel who are eligible to use Morale, Welfare and Recreation programs. That’s an estimated 9 million people.

The list of people who are eligible to use American Forces Travel includes:

• Active-duty members and their families.
• Full-benefit retirees and their families.
• Veterans who are100% disabled and their families.
• Medal of Honor recipients and their families.
• American Red Cross and USA paid personnel who are serving outside of the United States and their families.
• Department of Defense civilians.

Veterans and non-active members who did not retire with full benefits should be eligible later in 2019. The Department of Defense has said it intends to make them eligible but has not specified a date yet.

3. How do I find out if I’m eligible?

The eligibility check is on the American Forces Travel site. Users will enter their last name, the last four digits of their Social Security number and their date of birth. Then the information is checked against the Department of Defense’s records.

Priceline is not part of the verification process and does not capture or retain that data.

4. What kind of savings can military members expect?

American Forces Travel will offer hotel deals up to 60% off and cruise deals up to 80% off. Military members will have access to discounts on 1.2 million hotels, as well as deals on flights and car rentals.

» Learn more: Credit card offers for active-duty military

5. Are these discounts different than what nonmilitary travelers might find on Priceline?

Some of the discounts are different because Priceline has a team dedicated to negotiating additional deals for American Forces Travel.

6. Outside of travel deals, what else can American Forces Travel provide?

The same services exist for American Forces Travel that exist for Priceline customers, including 24-hour customer service and insurance options for all forms of travel.

7. Why was American Forces Travel created?

Previously, military families would have booked travel with a travel agent on a military base. The Department of Defense created American Forces Travel to make the process faster, more modern and accessible.

In addition, travel booked through American Forces Travel will generate a commission that will support Quality of Life programs for each branch of the military.

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You want a travel credit card that prioritizes what’s important to you. Here are our picks for the best travel credit cards of 2019 , including those best for:

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Savvino-Storozhevsky Monastery near Moscow

No comments · Posted by Sergei Rzhevsky in Religion , Travel

The Savvino-Storozhevsky Monastery is a very picturesque Orthodox monastery of the Moscow diocese, founded in 1398 and located 2 km west of the city of Zvenigorod in Moscow Oblast , about 60 km west of Moscow .

In the 15th-17th centuries, the Savvino-Storozhevsky Monastery played the role of an outpost of the Moscow Principality in the west. The monastery was a favorite place of prayer for many Russian tsars. The Savvino-Storozhevsky Monastery on Google Maps . Photos by: Alexandr Lipilin .

The Zvenigorodsky tract was laid from Moscow to the Savvino-Storozhevsky Monastery, which was also known as the Tsar’s Way, on which all Russian rulers made mandatory pilgrimages to the monastery. In the first half of the 20th century, this road was called Zvenigorodsky highway. Today, it is better known as Rublevo-Uspenskoe highway.

During the Soviet years, the monastery housed various institutions: military units, a sanatorium, and a museum. In 1995, the monastery was revived. Today, 30 monks and novices live here. Exhibitions of the Zvenigorod Historical, Architectural, and Art Museum are also located here.

Monument to Saint Sabbas of Storozhi – the founder of the monastery.

The main church of the Savvino-Storozhevsky Monastery is the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Virgin, built at the beginning of the 15th century.

For an excursion to the monastery, you should dress appropriately: men should be in trousers, women in skirts, with covered shoulders and heads.

Tags:  churches · Moscow city · Moskovskaya oblast

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