Your first Air Force TDY is easier to prepare for when you work through it in order: confirm your assignment and reporting instructions, resolve travel arrangements, organize your documents, and pack for the actual course and location. Before departure, you should know where to report, how you will get there, where you will stay, and who can help if something changes.
Use this checklist for a routine TDY, especially travel to a school or training course. It is a preparation aid; your orders, current reporting instructions, and applicable travel rules determine the requirements for your trip. Overseas travel, unusual duty statuses, and specialized training may need additional preparation.
Start with your orders and reporting instructions
Create one place to track your travel paperwork and unanswered questions. Read the current instructions for your specific course rather than relying on another member's older packing list.
Confirm these details:
- The course name, class identifier, and training location.
- Your authorized travel dates and the course reporting date and time.
- The reporting building or meeting location and the uniform for arrival.
- Any prerequisites, documents, equipment, or assignments listed by the school.
- The school contact and your unit's travel support contact.
If two documents disagree, resolve the difference before making plans around either one. For example, a class start date does not, by itself, tell you which day you are authorized to travel.
For SOS, start with the official Squadron Officer School student information and follow the instructions for your class. Use the corresponding official school page for other courses.
Resolve DTS and travel questions before booking
If your trip uses the Defense Travel System, check that you can access your account before you need to arrange travel. Review your profile and flag outdated contact, payment, or travel-card information through the appropriate official process.
Work through these questions with your unit's travel support team:
- Is the authorization complete, and what still needs approval?
- Are the destination and travel dates correct?
- Which transportation arrangements are authorized?
- Is a rental car included, or do you need another arrival plan?
- What should you do if you want to drive, add personal leave, or arrive early?
- What documentation will the approving official need?
Keep personal preferences separate from the approved plan. If you would prefer to drive instead of fly, resolve that question before starting the trip rather than assuming the costs will be treated the same.
Use the official DTS information and training guides for system instructions. A checklist from your unit can help identify its routing requirements.
Confirm lodging and your arrival plan
Before committing to a room, confirm the lodging process that applies to your destination and course. A convenient location or an advertised government rate does not answer every booking and reimbursement question.
Ask:
- Does the school arrange rooms, or do you make the reservation?
- Which lodging options and booking process apply to this trip?
- If the required lodging is unavailable, what documentation and next steps are needed?
- Do the reservation dates match your travel plan?
- What are the check-in, late-arrival, and cancellation arrangements?
- How will you get from the airport to lodging and from lodging to the reporting location?
Keep the reservation confirmation and any instructions that explain an unusual arrangement. Check the official JTR lodging guidance, paragraph 020303 alongside the instructions for your course.
Picture the first evening: your flight arrives, you have your bags, and you need to reach lodging. Save the address and contact information somewhere you can access without searching through work email. Do the same for your first morning's reporting location.
Check the money questions before spending
Review the allowances and expense assumptions shown for your trip. If something is unclear, write down the specific question rather than relying on what a classmate received on a different trip.
Useful questions include:
- Which lodging amount and meal rate apply to my dates and location?
- Does the school provide information about meal availability?
- What should I do if the available hotel costs more than expected?
- Which expenses need specific approval or documentation?
- How will payments work during a longer trip?
Use the official per diem information and rate lookup resources as your starting point. Resolve the application to your trip with your travel support team.
If you have a government travel card, check its expiration date, account access, and any issues with your agency program coordinator before departure. Keep your card support information handy. The official travel cardholder guidance is a useful reference.
Organize documents and receipts from day one
Keep your orders or authorization, amendments, reporting instructions, reservations, and useful contacts together in an approved, secure location. Follow your organization's rules for storing and carrying official documents.
For expenses, a simple habit helps: save the receipt when you incur the cost, then give it a recognizable name. For example, an airport parking receipt is easier to find later when its filename includes the date and expense type.
Before leaving your hotel, request an itemized receipt and check the stay dates and charges. Keep transportation and other expense records together. Ask your travel office which receipts and supporting documents your voucher requires; do not assume a card statement will answer every documentation question.
Pack from the required list first
Start with the school's required items. Then add what you need for travel and daily life.
| Category | What to check |
|---|---|
| Identification and documents | Required identification, travel documents, reporting instructions, and contacts |
| Uniforms and course items | Required uniforms, footwear, equipment, and school materials |
| Daily essentials | Toiletries, weather-appropriate clothing, medications, and laundry supplies |
| Electronics | Permitted devices, chargers, and any required accessories |
| Hotel setup | Confirmed laundry access, food storage, and cooking facilities before packing around them |
| Arrival bag | Items you will need before you can unpack, including the next day's required uniform |
This is an organizing framework, not a universal military packing list. School requirements and restrictions come first. Keep optional items proportional to your trip length and transportation limits.
Connect with classmates before arrival
Some preparation questions are easier to discuss with people heading to the same course:
- Which part of the reporting instructions needs clarification?
- What practical items are people bringing for a multiweek stay?
- What arrival or local transportation questions should the group resolve?
- Which questions need to go to the school rather than rely on a guess?
TDY Spy is being built to connect Air Force members attending the same class before arrival. The aim is to help you compare packing questions, clarify arrival logistics and get to know classmates while you work through this checklist.
Keep orders, financial documents, and sensitive travel details out of public discussions. Use the school or travel office for official answers about requirements and reimbursement.
Before you leave and after you return
Before departure, revisit the details that are easiest to overlook: the current itinerary, reservation status, reporting location, required documents, and who to contact after hours.
During travel, retain documentation of changes and seek instructions when the approved plan no longer fits. When you return, reconcile what actually happened with your travel documents, gather supporting records, and complete the voucher process within the applicable deadline. Check your travel-card account and payment status rather than assuming every charge has been settled.
Quick Air Force TDY checklist
- Read the current instructions for my specific class.
- Confirm authorized travel dates, reporting time, location, and uniform.
- Resolve account access and authorization questions.
- Confirm transportation and lodging arrangements.
- Resolve questions about driving, leave, rental cars, or unusual expenses.
- Check applicable allowances and travel-card readiness.
- Save documents, reservations, and support contacts securely.
- Pack required school items before optional hotel extras.
- Make a practical arrival and first-morning plan.
- Prepare a system for saving receipts and documenting changes.
- Identify useful questions to discuss with classmates.
- Complete the required voucher and payment checks after the trip.
Common first TDY questions
What should I do first after receiving a TDY assignment?
Read your orders and current reporting instructions, then confirm the dates, location, prerequisites, and travel support contact. Those details guide the rest of the checklist.
What documents should I have available?
Start with the documents your unit and school require. Organize your travel authorization or orders, amendments, reporting instructions, reservation details, and necessary identification. Use approved storage and access methods.
Should I use the same packing list as someone in another class?
Use it for ideas, then check every required item against your own course instructions. Another class's requirements or lodging setup may differ.
What if my classmate gives me different travel advice?
Compare the underlying facts and take the specific discrepancy to the appropriate school or travel contact. Peer experience can help you identify a question; it does not establish what is authorized for your trip.