Opening the briefing room…
Field notes
The crashpad briefing room
TDY life, per diem strategy, and base-by-base intel — from people still filing vouchers themselves.
TDY LifeOctober 13, 2026 · 10 min read
Buckley SFB Per Diem: Space Force TDY Lodging Money
Denver/Aurora per diem runs $215 a night in summer and $165 in winter — and hotels price right to the cap. Here's how Buckley SFB TDY lodging, non-A, and BAH really work.
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TDY LifeOctober 12, 2026 · 10 min read
NAS Pensacola Per Diem: Flight School TDY Lodging
Pensacola's lodging ceiling jumps to $149 in March and $190 in June and July. Here's how NAS Pensacola per diem, non-availability, 2026 BAH and the gate hours really work.
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TDY LifeOctober 11, 2026 · 9 min read
2026 Military Per Diem Rates: What Changed for TDY Travelers
The 2026 per diem reset changed ceilings in hundreds of cities. Here's what that actually does to your DTS voucher, your receipts, and your lodging choice on a long TDY.
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TDY LifeOctober 5, 2026 · 10 min read
Fort Gordon Per Diem: Cyber School TDY Lodging Money
Signal and Cyber courses run months. Here's how Fort Gordon per diem, the IHG non-availability process, 2026 Augusta BAH, and Grovetown rent actually add up.
Read the guideTDY LifeOctober 4, 2026 · 10 min read
TLE vs. Per Diem: Your First 10 Days at a New Base
TLE and TDY per diem are different allowances with different clocks, vouchers, and offices. Here is how each one works during your first 10 days at a new base.
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TDY LifeOctober 3, 2026 · 11 min read
Eglin AFB TDY Lodging: The Destin Seasonal Rate
Destin per diem runs $110 off-season and jumps to $260 in July and August. Here's how Eglin AFB TDY lodging, non-availability, and the Emerald Coast neighborhoods really work.
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TDY LifeSeptember 27, 2026 · 10 min read
Davis-Monthan AFB Lodging: TDY Money and Tucson Rates
Tucson per diem jumps from $123 to $171 in January through March. Here's how Davis-Monthan AFB lodging, non-availability, BAH and the east-side neighborhoods actually work.
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TDY LifeSeptember 26, 2026 · 10 min read
Goodfellow AFB: Intel and Fire School Lodging in San Angelo
Goodfellow AFB lodging in plain English: the Angelo Inn and non-availability numbers, the FY2026 $110 San Angelo rate, 2026 BAH, gate hours during the VCC remodel, and where intel and fire academy students actually stay.
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TDY LifeSeptember 25, 2026 · 9 min read
Altus AFB: C-17 and KC-46 FTU TDYs, Lodging, and Per Diem
Altus AFB TDY lodging in plain English: the Red River Inn and non-availability numbers, the FY2026 $110 rate, 2026 BAH, and where C-17 and KC-46 students actually stay.
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TDY LifeSeptember 19, 2026 · 11 min read
Joint Base Charleston TDY Lodging: The Money Guide
How Joint Base Charleston TDY lodging really works: the seasonal FY2026 per diem ceilings, the Inns of Charleston and non-A process, gate hours, BAH, and where C-17 travelers actually stay.
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TDY LifeSeptember 18, 2026 · 11 min read
Barksdale AFB TDY Lodging: The Money Guide
Barksdale AFB TDY lodging in plain English: the Barksdale Inn, non-availability numbers, the FY2026 $110 standard rate, Shreveport BAH, and where B-52 crews and 307th reservists actually stay.
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TDY LifeSeptember 17, 2026 · 10 min read
Columbus AFB: UPT and IFF Lodging, Per Diem, and Where to Live
Columbus AFB lodging in plain English: the Magnolia Inn, non-availability numbers, the FY2026 $110 CONUS rate, Mississippi BAH, and where UPT and IFF students actually live.
Read the guideTDY LifeSeptember 12, 2026 · 10 min read
2026 BAH Rates Went Up. Here's What You Still Pay
The 2026 BAH rates went up in most areas — but the data is a year behind the market. Here's how to measure your real out-of-pocket gap before you sign a lease.
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TDY LifeSeptember 10, 2026 · 10 min read
Vance AFB Money Guide: Pilot Training Lodging and the Enid Rate
Vance AFB lodging in plain English: the Cherokee Lodge, non-availability numbers, the FY2026 Enid rate, Oklahoma BAH, and the neighborhoods pilot training students actually rent in.
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TDY LifeSeptember 9, 2026 · 11 min read
Laughlin AFB Per Diem, BAH, and Living in Del Rio
Del Rio isn't a listed per diem locality, so the standard CONUS rate applies. Here's how Laughlin AFB per diem, BAH in MHA TX278, and Del Rio housing actually work on orders.
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TDY LifeSeptember 9, 2026 · 9 min read
Sheppard AFB Lodging Guide: ENJJPT and Tech School on a Wichita Falls Budget
Sheppard AFB lodging in plain English: the Sheppard Inn, non-availability numbers, the FY2026 $110 CONUS rate, Wichita Falls neighborhoods, and how ENJJPT and tech-school travelers keep the money.
Read the guideTDY LifeSeptember 8, 2026 · 10 min read
Renting Your Home to Military TDY Travelers: A Host Guide
How homeowners near a base rent furnished rooms to military TDY travelers: per diem pricing, DTS-ready receipts, order-flexible lease terms, and how host bidding works.
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MoneyAugust 29, 2026 · 6 min read
Money at Nellis: RED FLAG and the seasonal Vegas rate
Las Vegas per diem swings by season, Nellis lodging fills during RED FLAG, and the Strip charges fees your AO won't reimburse. Here's how to run a Nellis or Creech TDY.
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MoneyAugust 29, 2026 · 6 min read
Money at Keesler: tech school, off the dorms
Who lives in dorms, who gets a non-A, why the Gulf Coast rate makes price matter, and the Biloxi neighborhoods that work for a long course.
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MoneyAugust 29, 2026 · 6 min read
Money at Kirtland: 58th SOW and the Albuquerque rate
Formal training, research and nuclear courses keep Kirtland's lodging full. Where to live in Albuquerque, what per diem pays, and how BAH stacks up on a PCS.
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MoneyAugust 29, 2026 · 6 min read
House-hunting from a crashpad
Use a per-diem-funded month near your next base to learn the commute, run BAH vs. mortgage, and make a good offer instead of a rushed one.
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DTSAugust 29, 2026 · 5 min read
The TDY voucher checklist
Before, during and after the stay — what to save, what to confirm at check-in, and the six errors that return a voucher.
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MoneyAugust 29, 2026 · 6 min read
Money at Luke AFB
TDY or PCS to Luke: how the seasonal Phoenix rate affects a B-Course, whether BAH covers a West Valley house, and why the commute is a money decision.
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Per diemAugust 28, 2026 · 8 min read
TDY per diem, explained
How military TDY per diem really works — lodging caps, M&IE, first/last-day rules, receipts, and the math that makes a crashpad free.
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DTSAugust 28, 2026 · 7 min read
Non-A lodging, start to finish
When on-base lodging is full: how the non-availability number works, who issues it, what DTS needs, and the mistakes that get vouchers returned.
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LodgingAugust 28, 2026 · 9 min read
Crashpad vs. Air Force Inns vs. Airbnb
Cost, receipts, kitchens, cancellation risk, and quality of life — how the three real TDY lodging options stack up over a week, a month, and a six-month course.
Read the guidePipelinesAugust 28, 2026 · 10 min read
The UPT survival guide
What a year of Undergraduate Pilot Training actually looks like at Columbus, Laughlin, Vance, and Sheppard — and how to set up lodging, per diem, and BAH so you can focus on flying.
Read the guidePipelinesAugust 28, 2026 · 8 min read
B-Course lodging at Luke AFB
A six-month fighter B-Course is the longest TDY most pilots ever take. Here's how to set up lodging, receipts, and the West Valley commute at Luke.
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PipelinesAugust 28, 2026 · 8 min read
PIT at Randolph, decoded
Pilot Instructor Training runs 3–4 months at the Showplace of the Air Force. Lodging, per diem, San Antonio neighborhoods, and what FAIPs and returning IPs wish they'd known.
Read the guideMoneyAugust 28, 2026 · 8 min read
BAH vs. rent, base by base
How BAH is set, why it lags the rental market, and how to check whether your grade's allowance covers a house at Luke, Nellis, Keesler, Kirtland, or Barksdale.
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TDY lifeAugust 28, 2026 · 6 min read
The long-TDY packing list
A field-tested packing list for 30–180 day TDYs — uniforms, documents, kit for the house, and the things you can leave at home when you're staying in a furnished crashpad.
Read the guideLodgingAugust 27, 2026 · 7 min read
What is a military crashpad?
What a military crashpad is, how per diem pricing makes it effectively free on TDY, who stays in them, and how to pick a good one — from the team at Base Crashpads.
Read the guideMission-ready lodging
Your orders are cut. Your lodging is handled.
Send your base, dates and reason for stay — we'll match you with a furnished crashpad at the government rate.