In-Country Training Travel
The Best Bang for the Army's Buck

By CPT Andrew W. Jenkins

When I reflect back on the last eight months and my time in Argentina, I will remember a number of things. I surely will fondly remember the great officers and non-commissioned officers I worked with in the embassy, the highly dedicated Argentine, Venezuelan, El Salvadorian, Korean, Paraguayan, and Brazilian officers I served with in the Escuela de Guerra, and the rich experiences I had while living abroad. However, I believe the thing that will be most poignant in my memory will be the incredible travel experiences that I was fortunate enough to have.

If one was to look at my life in 1998 they might think I was a businessman, a historian, or a diplomat. One might even assume that I had won the lottery or had a rich mother or father. But the reality is that because I am training to be a FAO I have had an unparalleled opportunity to travel and learn about the area in which I will soon be working. While all this travel sounds like great fun, and it is, it also requires a lot of hard work. The keys to successful travel are thorough preparation and attention to detail.

When I look at the ICT experience from a travel perspective, I would say that there are four distinct steps that lead to success: (1) long-range planning; (2) short-term preparation; (3) the travel, itself; and (4) post-travel clean-up. The following are some observations regarding traveling.

Long-range Planning

- Develop a solid travel plan as part of your ICT Program of Instruction (POI). While this takes a lot of time and work to balance your travel wants against the realities of the Service (to include budget, time available, and school requirements), a solid POI will certainly reduce the "wheel spinning" syndrome that many FAO's experience during ICT.

- Budget sufficient time and money for each trip.

Short-term Preparation

- Research the areas you want to visit. There is a ton of information on the internet, at the embassy travel office, and of course from other FAO's. Some of the things a FAO might want to see during a trip would include the U.S. Embassy, the capital and national centers of government, the economic center, and any host-nation military units available.

- Plan for the technical aspects of international travel. There are a number of things that have to be done when you are traveling abroad. Some of these things include:

- Calling ahead to the target country to verbally clear the proposed travel dates with the local DAO. This should be done prior to the submission of your country clearance.

- Obtaining country clearances (NLT 30 days prior to target travel dates).

- Submitting visa applications.

- Making plane and hotel reservations. Ask DAO staff for recommendations on hotels that give an embassy rate.

- Developing a set of questions and a good knowledge base for your embassy discussions. Do not show and say "brief me."

Traveling

- When packing for a trip, ensure that you take the appropriate military uniforms and civilian suits.

- Take impeccable notes of your travel experiences. After 10 days on the road, everything begins to look the same.

- Keep better than impeccable financial records of your trip. If you forget to write something down, you won't remember it later and you won't get paid.

- Be careful of the "good deal" when traveling. Use only licensed tour agents .

Post-travel Clean-up

- Write your trip report as soon as possible following your return to your homebase. If you have a lap-top computer it might be possible to get a draft done on the airplane while returning home. The longer the time between the trip and the report, the fewer details there are remaining in your head. Include in the trip report information about good and bad hotels and worthwhile sites that should be visited by other FAO's.

- Submit your travel claim in a timely manner. Usually this is not a problem, as you will want to receive your money as soon as possible. KEEP ALL RECEIPTS AND MAKE A COPY OF BOTH THE TRAVEL CLAIM AND SETTLEMENT.

- Tell other FAO's about your experiences to help them make their future trips good ones.

- Advise the travel office in the embassy (if you use them) of any problems you might have encountered during your trip. This will assist future travelers and prevent repetitive bad experiences.

While this article is not intended to be an all inclusive guide to traveling, I hope it will assist FAO's in their ICT experience. Ultimately, the most important aspect of traveling on ICT as a FAO is good planning and meeting all required deadlines. Lastly, besides your own embassy officers, I recommend that you use the Army Attache, AARMA, and FAO in the country to be visited, as sources of information in planning and executing a trip plan. Their help will go a long way toward making your trip a good ICT experience. In that light, if you are planning a trip to Argentina in the near future, I would be happy "to show you the town."

1999, Foreign Area Officer Association
Springfield, Virginia
Maintained by LTC Steve Gotowicki.
http://www.faoa.org