I grew up as an Air Force brat, and most of our family vacations were road trips. I really enjoyed exploring new places and made a lot of good memories visiting 47 states by the age of 21. Back in 2012, I had the total joy of unvoluntarily attending a “ladies’ luncheon” for the battalion, and we talked about how to have the best Army experience at each duty station. My advice was to actually get out there and do stuff. Sitting at home every weekend is a surefire way to not enjoy the 3 years the Army gives you in your temporary home. But these are a few ways to get the best experience.
1. Do some research.
I bought travel guides for Colorado and Colorado Springs in the local section of Barnes and Noble. You can also check out AAA or the travel office on post. Flip through them and find stuff that interests you. TripAdvisor is a handy website to find local points of interest.
2. You don’t have to break the bank.
Locally, the USO puts on some great programs for free. Always ask for the military discount at museums and local sites. If you want to go away, you can find a lot of ways to save money. Many hotel chains offer military discounts, and the travel office on post coordinates day trips and vacations at discounted rates.
3. Make plans for at least one weekend a month.
Most Army posts still do a four-day weekends, and they pair up with federal holidays. Even if you just take a day trip, you still have a whole weekend to run errands.
4. Try new things.
We are beyond guilty of sticking with the same old same, especially with restaurants. It’s easy to fall into a rut, so there’s no time like now to try that new restaurant you keep passing. We found our favorite restaurant in Fayetteville, Luigi’s, because Olive Garden was too crowded and we were on a mission to eat Italian.
5. Don’t be afraid to travel.
Fayetteville has a reputation as a town with nothing to do. North Carolina is a wonderful state, and Fayetteville is within two hours of everything but the mountains. Wilmington is a beautiful city that has tons to do (without even including the beach). I also enjoyed dragging Mac up to Atlanta for Braves games when we were at Fort Gordon. Some friends I know at Fort Irwin have been exploring Sin City. Dallas is an easy long weekend destination from Fort Sill or Fort (we’re so) Hood.
Had do y’all explore your new duty stations?
