Out of country Travel

fencersmother said:
Is there some pressing reason to go to the Middle East during those short weeks?
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There are actually quite a few opportunities to travel to the Middle East while at a service academy, whether for a semester or for a 3-4 week summer program. And before you say "those programs have close supervision from US officers"...they really don't. They'll let the cadets/mids stay with host families, usually, and for the most part, leave them responsible for their own actions while they're there.

Even if it's not an academy-sanctioned program, the restrictions on personal international travel are pretty reasonable. The academies won't permit you to leave on personal travel to somewhere the government doesn't want you to go, and if the State Dept has issued additional cautions for a location, the academies will required additional paperwork/meetings both before and after you return.

The OP is asking about what steps they need to take for international travel before they're even a cadet, which shows that they're thinking ahead. I'm willing to bet that they've considered any potential risks during their travel, and are really more concerned about making sure they communicate with USAFA appropriately. I know a lot of these comments advising against international travel/high risk athletic activities/wearing sunscreen/leaving your house before inprocessing are well intended, but there comes a point where the condescension on this forum is uncalled for.
 
Proudmama1103 said:
Since we are new to all of this, no I didn’t mean it as a joke. Honestly just trying to get information.
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sep18 said:
"Hahaha! You meant that as a joke, right? No, it matters not."

Longtime lurker but I made an account for this.
It's great when you see a moderator belittling the (valid) question of a new member who is genuinely looking for help.
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Apologies. Seems like no one can take a joke these days, or my delivery is way off. No belittling intended. The point I was trying to make in what I mistakenly thought was a humorous way is that the military doesn't care.

I think I'll quit posting for a while until I recover from this series of misunderstood posts. Again, my apologies.
 
The best person to ask is the admissions counselor at the academy. They will point you in the right direction.

My son wanted to visit family in Cuba after he graduated from HS. I told him that I did not think it was a good idea.
 
Took a family cruise when DS was a sophomore in high school. Had several stops in the Caribbean. Three years later, he is filling out his security paperwork during the first few days of BCT at USAFA. They needed exact dates and places that we stopped while on the cruise. Yes, it meant he got to call me to get that info and I got to hear his voice ;) IMHO, I would let your admissions office contact know about the trip and then keep detailed info written down for those pesky forms at BCT. Good luck and Have fun!
 
You may want to review the info needed to answer the security questions in SA-86 prior to travelling so you get all that's required while over there. Sounds like you already did that though, but just in case...
You may also want to consider getting "burner" cellphones-some say it's unwise to travel abroad (to "exotic" places) with almost all of your personal info. available for downloading in your pocket. Also your phones might not work over there, not work well (Verizon), or be very expensive to use.
 
Concur with wishful on phones. DS put his cell phone account on hold here and got a new phone when sent to Okinawa, Japan. His phone wouldn't work there.
 
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