Your first DTS authorization starts with an accurate itinerary and a clear picture of the travel you need approved. Enter the trip, arrange required reservations, review estimated expenses and per diem, confirm funding and your profile, then sign and submit through your unit's routing process. A saved document is not an approved trip. DTS Guide 1, system introduction, DTS Guide 2: Authorizations
This walkthrough follows DTMO's September 2026 authorization guide for routine TDY. The steps were checked against that guide, not a signed-in military account. Screen labels can change; use the current official guide and your unit's instructions for special trip types and local routing.
Authorization versus voucher
The authorization records the planned trip and estimated expenses for approval. After travel, the voucher records what actually happened and supports settlement. Estimates from the authorization carry into the voucher, so they need review rather than automatic acceptance. DTS Guide 1, Chapter 1, DTS Guide 3, Chapter 1
Before creating anything, check whether your unit has already created a document for this trip or expects an arranger to do it. That simple question can prevent duplicate work.
Gather the inputs before opening the itinerary
Use this as a preparation checklist, not a universal list of required attachments:
| Input | What to confirm |
|---|---|
| Official purpose and location | Course or mission, actual duty installation and reporting instructions |
| Dates | Authorized travel days, duty dates and any proposed personal days |
| Transportation | Authorized mode, airport choices and need for local transportation |
| Lodging | Required booking process, arranged rooms and availability records |
| Meals | Applicable government-meal or other meal arrangements |
| Funding | Which organization provides the line of accounting and approval routing |
| Profile | Current contact, payment and travel-card details through approved channels |
For a school TDY, compare the course dates with the reporting time. Arriving at the airport when the class begins is not the same as arriving ready to report.
Build the itinerary around official duty
After signing in, select Create New Document, then Routine TDY Trip. On Create Itinerary:
- Enter the arrival and departure dates for each TDY location. For an installation TDY, select the installation rather than the nearby city.
- Identify the transportation mode and whether a rental car is needed, consistent with your authorization requirements.
- Review the Trip Overview departure and return dates. They initially match the TDY-location dates, so correct them when authorized travel requires different dates.
- Enter the departure and return locations.
- Confirm the trip type and purpose before saving. The guide warns that the trip type's allowances lock once the itinerary is saved.
If personal leave is involved, resolve the official-versus-personal portion with your travel office before booking.
Do not choose a nearby city solely because its per diem is higher. Do not use the course's classroom dates as a substitute for authorized travel dates. Keep a private list of questions you cannot resolve rather than guessing a location, trip type or funding code.
DTMO's authorization guide groups the process into reservations, finances and review. Its review screens include Review Profile, Review Authorization, Other Auths and Pre-Audits, and Sign and Submit. DTS Guide 2, Chapter 3
Review reservations and estimated expenses together
Follow the required booking channels. The JTR addresses transportation through the TMC and lodging through the electronic travel system or servicing TMC, with applicable exceptions. Rental cars require authorization or approval; a reservation alone does not establish reimbursement. JTR 010201-C, 020209 and 020303
Compare your planned reservations with the expense estimate. Look for missing lodging nights, duplicated costs, an unapproved rental car, taxes mixed into the wrong category, or meal assumptions that conflict with the school instructions. Keep quotes and supporting documentation where your unit requires them.
For each unusual cost, explain the actual mission-related reason. A pre-audit justification should describe your facts, not copy a phrase from another member's document merely to clear a warning.
Confirm funding and complete the review
Ask the unit's travel support team to identify the correct funding and routing when you are unsure. A classmate may have a different funding organization even when attending the same course.
Before signing, compare the document against your inputs:
- Are the locations and travel dates correct?
- Do reservations match the authorized plan?
- Are lodging limits, meal arrangements and estimated expenses consistent?
- Are required explanations and supporting documents included?
- Are your profile and payment details current?
- Is the document routed to the appropriate officials?
Visit Review Authorization, then Other Auths and Pre-Audits, and resolve the required explanations and errors. On Sign and Submit, review the routing, check I agree to SIGN this document, and select Submit Completed Document. Confirm the success message and check the document's history. Signing starts routing toward approval; it is not the approving official's decision. DTS Guide 2, sections 8.2–8.4
Monitor the document after submission. If it is returned, read the reason and resolve that issue before resubmitting. Ask your travel office to interpret an unfamiliar status rather than assuming “created” or “signed” means approved.
Confirm ticketing before departure
Approval and airline ticket issuance are separate checks. DTMO explains that the TMC sends a ticketing invoice containing ticket numbers and costs. Before travel, verify that your flight has actually been ticketed and retain the servicing TMC's contact information. DTMO Travel Management Company Services
Prepare with classmates once the official plan is clear
TDY Spy is being built to connect Air Force members attending the same class. Use that connection to discuss reporting instructions, arrival logistics and practical preparation. Keep orders, account information and funding documents in your official travel channels.