Active duty personnel are often sent to places that aren’t fit for their families, which of course means leaving loved ones behind in the States. However, there are places out there that can accommodate spouses and children. Usually, these areas are in Europe and Asia.
When stationed overseas with the family, there is still the obligation that you as a parent must fulfill. You must still raise an American, with all the cultural bells and whistles that go along with it. One of the mainstays of growing up an American is the family vacation. Even when you’re in a foreign culture, you can still provide great American-style experiences for the kids.
If you’re already in Europe, keep in mind that there are more than a few countries in the area that that are very safe for Americans to travel to. Some of them are even safe for servicemen and their families due to existing military alliances. For instance, Turkey. Turkey is Muslim, yes, but they aren’t an extremist Islamic State. They’re in fact quite western. If you wanted to introduce you kids to Middle Eastern culture, Istanbul is a safe place to do it. More European than anything, it’s still very much Arab. Istanbul has millennia of history. Formerly Constantinople, and Byzantium before that, Istanbul has seen more history than anywhere outside of Jerusalem. That said, they have some great landmarks that are just too unique to overlook.
Some great attractions in Istanbul are as follows:
- Ciragan Tower – former Ottoman palace
- Bagdat Street – shops, book stores, restaurants and side-walk cafes
- Golden Horn – commercial center of the city for 2000 years
- Hippodrome – Built in 203, center of Byzantium
MyMilitaryTravel.com can help you with this. If you don’t want to spend too much of your savings while you’re out of the country (you want it to stay in the bank back home collecting interest… right?), you can finance the cost of a nice family trip instead. These loans are made specifically for the military – US Active Military Service members, US Career Retired veterans, and both active and retired U.S. Government and Civil Service workers. Just complete a brief application online or over the phone. Most applications are approved within 30 to 45 minutes. It’s so fast, you can even book same day travel. Monthly payment terms range from 12 to 36 months to best suit your needs.
