The United States Armed Forces have a special Niche in the American hearts. The US Armed forces consist of the Army, Air Force, and navy, Marines, Coast Guard and the National Guard. All in all there are nearly 1.5 million men under arms. Add to this the persons who have retired and you have a formdible number of Americans. The United States is a global power and its forces are distributed all over the globe from Germany to Korea and Diego Garcia to Afghanistan. Thus our men in uniform have to travel to far off locations as part of their duty. All official travel expenses are borne by the establishment i.e. the concerned arm navy or Army. But, there could be times when a member of the soldier's family may have to travel and in that case the cost of travel would have to be borne by the man in uniform from his own pocket. In such circumstances a loan to cover travel can be a necessity. Luckily there are companies and institutions that can help out with a travel loan. Thus the immediate needs of the soldier are attended to. Generally these loans are available to serving soldiers, retired soldiers, military dependents and federal government employees.
One of the steps in obtaining a travel loan for a serving personnel or a veteran you must have the VA card. This card entitles you to a host of benefits but is not a credit or insurance card. The Veteran Identification card is essential and can be applied in person or on the net as well. On application verification is done and after that the card is mailed to you at your address. The delivery period is 7 to 10 days. This card has no sensitive information like your date of birth etc.It only shows that you are connected to the Arms or a winner of a Purple Heart or POW (Prisoner of war). Once you have the VA card then you are you become eligible for benefits associated with this card. This card is like a recognition badge that identifies you as a man who has served the nation. You become eligible for benefits to the tune of $20000 from dozens of companies including Continental Airlines, Greyhound, Western hotels, Amtrak, Allied van lines etc.
Recognition of the service man that has spent time with the United States Armed forces is at the core of these deals. Quite a few join the United States Armed forces out of patriotism. Some join for adventure and few out of necessity. Pay of US personnel is comparatively lower than other civil scales but this feeling of being a part of the United States war machine is given great importance. In such conditions a service man with a comparative low pay may find it difficult to travel on his pay. Thus we have the principle of loans for travel. However all military personnel must be aware of the options available. Carry out a survey and then make the selection. Using the online search engines is really quite simple and information is available in real time.
As can be seen from the net a serviceman or woman has many options to avail a travel loan when in need. The loan help is easily available. The United States government also chips in with its own offers. An example that will bring a quick travel loan for military personnel is the bereavement loan. This loan can be availed in case a member of servicemen's family meets a sad demise. However these loans can be used only for the purpose they are give i.e. travel and no other expenses or use can be incurred. These are unsecured loans and may require a good credit rating to be availed easily.
When applying for a travel loan it's important for the servicemen and women to see that they are not charged extra interest or other charges. This is so as there are some unscrupulous people who will stoop to any level to dupe a person even if he wears the uniform. ALL servicemen and service women need to be cautioned to read the terms and conditions of the loan offer in detail as signing up for a loan without being aware of the conditions can be almost like criminal neglect. Also do check the rate of interest as that will have a direct bearing on your monthly installment. Also do bear in mind that these loans cannot be rolled forward like a pay day loan.
These travel loans by their very nature are, generally for a short period. Also the amounts provided are not very high.However the rate of interest will perforce be higher compared to a conventional loan So do carry out a evaluation before opting for a travel loan
travel loans are also available for holidays for servicemen, both serving and retired. There are a host of sites on the net which you can tap for your travel needs. An example is the military travel store. This offers air tickets, as well as discounted air fares which can also extend to car rentals and hotels.
The military travel site can help you with a travel loan for you and your family for a holiday for rest and recreation as well as a family emergency like sickness or bereavement.
These travel loans are encouraged by the Government as one of the privileges of wearing the uniform of the United States Armed Forces. Generally these loans are available without much paper work and can be a boon to a service man that may for whatever reason be hard pressed to fork out cash for travel or holiday.