San Juan, Puerto Rico. Photo by Sean Pavone from Getty Images Pro via Canva.com.
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What’s motivating your travel abroad this year? Epic holiday vacation? An overseas PCS move? Regardless of the reason for packing your bags, an adventure across the ocean is something to get excited about, especially since military families have so many affordable military lodging and activity options across the globe.
We’ve rounded up some of the best OCONUS military resorts, hotels, and recreation facilities that military families return to over and over again. The locations are phenomenal; the prices are right, and the military travel deals are amazing, but the secret is definitely out! So, if any of the facilities look appealing, make reservations ASAP.
How Military Families Save Money on OCONUS Travel
Most military travel deals were created to serve military families in multiple ways, such as improving quality of life and convenience, and by offering priority status. However, most often, military families choose from the options below to save money on airfare, lodging, or entertainment.
Morale, Welfare, and Recreation Programs
If your family is new to the military or hasn’t used the Morale, Welfare, and Recreation (MWR) Program, it's never too late to take advantage of one of the best perks of military life.
Although each base has specific MWR offerings, they all provide some type of low-cost recreation program. On base, they can include youth centers, bowling, swimming, holiday events, equipment rentals, and much more.
MWR programs also offer travel opportunities, including lodging and destination entertainment tickets to in-demand destinations like Disney World and Disneyland. Entertainment tickets also connect with local amenities near the base, such as professional football or baseball games.
According to Military OneSource, the following have full access to MWR services and programs:
- Active-duty service members and their families
- Members of the National Guard and reserves and their families
- Service academy and Merchant Marine cadets
- Retired service members and their families
- Honorably discharged veterans with a 100% service-connected disability
- Medal of Honor recipients
- Surviving family members of uniformed service members or retirees until they age out of eligibility or their dependent status associated with the deceased member or retiree changes
- Defense Department and Coast Guard civilian employees (both appropriated fund and nonappropriated fund) have access to in-store and online shopping at military service exchanges
MWR Travel Options
One of the best parts of MWR is the many travel choices offered through the Information, Tickets, and Travel office. Most lodging options are more affordable than comparable civilian properties or offer unique amenities or locations that make them popular destinations.
Military families are looking for military lodging of all kinds, including vacation and PCS/temporary lodging. OCONUS locations are especially busy, particularly during the school and holiday breaks.
The rest of this article describes affordable OCONUS military resorts and recreation centers perfect for military families.
Armed Forces Recreation Centers
One of the best military travel benefits is visiting one of the four Armed Forces Recreation Centers. Whether traveling for a true vacation, a PCS pit stop, or a mid-deployment family meet up, you can affordably visit Waikiki, Hawaii; Garmisch, Germany; Seoul, South Korea; and Orlando, Florida. But you have to plan well in advance in most cases, especially for holidays (usually six months out).
Fees slide based on several categories, including active duty and retiree status, as well as other eligibility brackets, such as former and/or surviving spouses, POWs, and Purple Heart recipients.
There are plenty of compelling reasons these resorts stay at full capacity. Ask ten families what they think are the best OCONUS military resorts and recreation centers, and they’ll likely respond with ten different answers. This is a good thing! The more quality options military families have, the better. Here are some of the most requested stays and what you need to know about each location.
1. Waikiki, Hawaii: Hale Koa
The Hale Koa hotel sits on prime real estate on Waikiki Beach in Honolulu on the island of Oahu. The resort sprawls over acres of manicured Hawaiian gardens. The main pool entertains families for hours, while the adult pool is a treasured getaway.
Take advantage of the tour and activity options, including a trip to Pearl Harbor, scheduled luaus, and all the water sports you can handle, especially snorkeling to view the underwater Hawaiian paradise.
- Reservations accepted up to 365 days before your arrival date.
- There is an Exchange and laundry on site.
- If you can’t reserve a room, you can still take advantage of the military hotel amenities such as restaurants, shows, tours, and events.
Venture further out with these amazing hikes on Oahu.
If a quintessential Bavarian mountain getaway is your dream destination, the Edelweiss is your must-stop location. First, choose between a traditional room and a quaint, cozy log cabin with views of the Alps, including the breathtaking Zugspitze (the highest mountain in Germany).
And then, anguish over the time of year to visit—your mountain vacation will be perfect regardless of the month you travel. Try all the snow sports during the fall, winter, and spring, or hike, ride, swim, and camp during the summer. Between the scheduled tours and activities and exploring on your own, find time to relax and enjoy the lobby’s fireside lounge area.
- A tourist favorite, Neuschwanstein Castle, is nearby. Walk the steep hill or hire a horse-drawn carriage.
- Come during the Christmas season and enjoy German town squares filled with Christmas markets selling festive food and gifts.
- Dogs are welcome in specific cabins and rooms.
If your travels take you to Asia, the Dragon Hill Lodge in Seoul, South Korea, is the perfect starting point. Located in the heart of Seoul, you can explore the rich and diverse culture right outside the resort and beyond.
The hotel provides travel concierge services to help plan trips to the museums, art exhibits, teahouses, and even a tour to the DMZ. The Dragon Hill has American-style rooms and offers access to The Point health club, pool, dining, and lounges.
- Dragon Hill Lodge is part of the Yongsan Army Installation.
- Tour the nearby Lotte World. It’s the world’s largest indoor theme park.
- The lodge offers designated pet rooms.
Garmisch-Paternkirchen in Germany. Photo by FooTToo from Getty Images via Canva.com.
U.S. OCONUS Military Resorts and Lodging
You might initially think OCONUS only refers to foreign countries, but it also includes states and territories outside the continental U.S. The following are U.S. OCONUS military resorts and lodging.
You’ll find the Seward Military Resort in Seward, Alaska, a couple of hours south of Anchorage on the Kenai Peninsula. If this is your first time at the Last Frontier, it's an ideal way to try the Alaskan lifestyle.
You can find something to do year-round—fishing tours, snow sports, hiking, ziplining, and glacier-gazing. Choose accommodations from traditional rooms, townhomes, log cabins, an RV park, campsites, and yurts.
5. Other Hawaii Locations
Try one of these amazing Hawaiian getaways instead if you’re having trouble booking Hale Koa reservations—they’re not affiliated with AFRC.
Oahu
Kauai
If you prefer tropical vacations, head down to Puerto Rico to the USCG’s Air Station Borinquen. Spend your days exploring Camuy Caves, a local coffee plantation, and Serralles Castle. Or, head into San Juan for the day and take in the sights of historical Puerto Rico while dining and shopping along the colorful city streets.
Moving overseas? Get MilitaryByOwner's FREE Overseas PCS Quick-Start Checklist to get organized for your move!
OCONUS Military Recreation Locations
You’ll find these affordable destinations near military facilities in Europe and Japan. They're usually affiliated with the dominant military branch in the area.
7. Grafenwoehr, Germany
No room at the Edelweiss? Consider this German getaway instead. Wild B.O.A.R. Outdoor Recreation Cabins lets you pick between two cabin locations: the cabins at Vilseck (Rose Barracks) and the cabins at Grafenwoehr (Tower Barracks).
Grafenwoehr and Wild B.O.A.R. Outdoor Recreation Center sit on Dickhäuter Lake, where you’ll have access to plenty of fun, including a wall and ropes course and equipment rental for year-round outdoor activities, plus day trips and tours.
8. Japan
Tokyo: The New Sanno Hotel offers American-style amenities and rates based on the military member's rank, like AFRC, but it is operated by the U.S. Naval Joint Services Activity. If you want an authentic experience, check out the Japanese suites and spend the night on a traditional futon.
Okinawa: Okuma Beach military resort is a beachfront getaway on Okinawa that immerses you in all kinds of vacation activities. A well-planned couple of days could include jet skiing, go-karting, and a glass-bottom boat tour. Later, try to fit in a round of golf or a couple of tennis matches.
9. Italy
Carney Park, near Naples, isn’t just any old park; it's a recreation center set in the crater of an extinct volcano! Golf, bike, camp, swim, and rent outdoor sports equipment during your visit. If you’re looking for area tours, book them through the Navy Outdoor Recreation Center.
10. Greece
Souda Bay in Crete is a well-loved but less popular destination, and the Navy Gateway Inn offers affordable stays. The key to maximizing your time here is to contact the MWR office and schedule activity rentals or planned day or overnight trips.
Tokyo and view of Mount Fiji. Photo by Torsakarin from Getty Images Pro via Canva.com
OCONUS Military Travel Deal Resources
It never hurts to check multiple resources for the best savings. Try these outlets to maximize your location options and save on military travel.
You’ve probably heard of this military vacation club, but didn’t realize there were OCONUS locations. Planning an affordable overseas vacation is always challenging, but AFVC will inspire you to take a chance on a destination you’ve always considered too far out of reach.
Check out the R&R vacation rooms available. The properties are located across the globe, including popular resorts in Canada (skiing!), the Caribbean (sailing!), Europe (Paris in the spring!), and Asia (Climb Mt. Fuji!).
Military families know that you need to research several options to get the best OCONUS travel deals, including one of the newest entries in the military discounts game, Armed Forces Travel. The Department of War (MWR) and Priceline operate the website to provide military travel deals on flights, hotels, rental cars, cruises, event tickets, and planned packages. First, you must verify your eligibility through DEERS on the website to book.
You're not alone if you’re overwhelmed by the OCONUS recreation and resort possibilities and think there isn’t enough time to visit them all. Military families love these destinations, but it takes careful planning to check off all the options. So, choose your favorites and set your sights on a couple to visit over the next year or two. This schedule allows plenty of time to get familiar with Space-A travel.
What Is Space-A Travel?
Everyone loves free or low-cost airfare, especially paired with a discounted military vacation. Space-A flights are a common way military families save money on overseas travel.
Space-A travel (also known as Military Airlift Flights or military hops) allows service members and their families to travel on military aircraft to bases around the globe at no cost or for reduced airfare. Although these flights can stretch a vacation budget, their unpredictability can derail the best-laid plans.
Basically, non-essential passengers are subject to the military’s needs, and this often means seat openings that suddenly disappear or flights being canceled altogether. Families must build flexibility into their travel schedule and, at a minimum, have the funds to fly the service member home so they can return to work when leave is over.
There is a process to register and a detailed hierarchy (active duty, retiree, emergency, PCS, etc.) for Space-A flights. Air Mobility Command maintains a list of terminal contact information for planning. Allow plenty of time to learn the Space-A process and even more time to arrive at your preferred OCONUS locations.
Learn more about Space-A specifics:
Using Space-A Travel and Military Lodging
There aren’t any rules against combining Space-A flights with military lodging, but the logistics don’t always allow for set-in-stone dates at the most popular OCONUS facilities. To pull off this discounted travel feat, flexibility is a significant factor, and the vacation likely won’t take place during major holidays or summer breaks, when the demand for military resorts and Space-A travel is high.
Whether you're an experienced traveler or just starting, you might not be aware of all the military travel benefits related to your military service. Learn more with our free resource below.
MilitaryByOwner has helped military families navigate housing and relocation decisions since 2000. Explore additional PCS resources, military housing guides, and relocation tools designed specifically for military life.
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