travel town drill

Travel Town Beginner’s Guide: Tips, Tricks & Strategies to Complete More Levels and Rebuild the Entire City

By: Author Barbara Craig

Posted on Last updated: April 6, 2022

Travel Town is a match and merge puzzle game developed by Magmatic Games, and it’s currently available on iOS and Android platforms. On top of the beautiful sharp graphics and matching sounds, Travel Town comes with an addictive gameplay, that fans of the genre will certainly enjoy.

To get you started on the right foot, we have put together a comprehensive Travel Town beginner’s guide . We will start this guide with explaining the basic mechanics and continue with effective strategies to advance quickly in the game, rebuild the city and help your neighbours. Of course, without forgetting to enjoy the thrill of finding new and better objects as you go merging.

Travel Town is visually similar and has the same mechanics as Merge Mansion , a game that we have covered before here at Level Winner. So if you had the pleasure of playing that game, then you probably won’t have any major problems going through Travel Town.

The game takes place in Travel Town, a beautiful seaside that was ravaged away by a storm. Your main objective is to restore it and help your neighbours who were left with nothing. Meanwhile, you discover new objects. The mechanics of the game consists of mixing matching objects to get better and better objects. You can sell these objects to your neighbours who in exchange will give you smileys among other rewards. Smileys are the in-game currencies in Travel Town, and you will use them to rebuild the town. To start to play you need to use energy. At the beginning you have 100 units of energy in the form of lightning and you must use it wisely to advance levels. But be careful, in between you must pay attention to how you organize yourself. Here I will share with you several tips and strategies to be able to advance quickly in Travel Town.

1. Starting From Scratch And Cleaning Your Place

At first, you will start with little free space to merge. Not only that, but you will also find spaces blocked by objects covered in sand. Do not worry that this is momentary and here you will see how to proceed to optimize your space.

These grey objects that you find buried in the sand have to be removed with a matching item. To do this you must take objects out of the bucket and mix until you get the one you are looking for.

Now you may ask: How do I know what I need to mix to get what I’m looking for? Well, at first you will not have major difficulties. Keep looking, you’re on the right track. Once you achieve to unlock the space you will have a little bit more room and be more comfortable.

Pay attention not to miss the opportunity to unlock a space if you have the same item. As you advance in level, more spaces will be freed up to work and you will be able to have a greater variety of objects. You will also be able to see stars with numbers drawn on the sand, these numbers indicate at what level that space is unlocked. But you may have to dig up some grey object from that new place. When the neighbours see what you achieve on the beach, they will add you to the chat group.

There you can keep up-to-date with everything they would like to improve about the city, as well as read pretty funny things apart from the fact that they don’t stop talking in that group.

2. Stay Organized And Save Space

Maintaining order in Travel Town can be crucial and makes the difference between an average player and a pro player. Maintaining order in the first levels is not something very difficult to achieve, since you will only have a couple of objects on the playground. But what happens as you go forward? As you advance in the game you will have a greater variety of objects at your disposal.

Not only that, but you will also have to achieve more complex objects and you will have the board with half-jobs distributed everywhere. So how can you improve this situation?

A good option is to organize them by type , this way you will have more ease when searching for a particular object. For example, you can group the objects that come out of the bucket in one corner, the objects that come out of the picnic basket in another corner, and so on. You can also save space by gathering all the same items , so you will have more free places.

Another option is to keep rare items, that you are not going to use for the time being, in the inventory. What happens if you follow the previous steps and still fill the sandbox with things? Can’t you keep mixing? Okay, do not worry! In this case, you have two options, one is to sell the objects in exchange for smileys, touching the object you want to sell and then below the currency symbol you can make the sale in exchange for smileys.

Some lower-tier items you will not be able to sell but if you need the space urgently you can remove them. You select the object first and then down in the garbage can. Throwing out the items does not benefit you since the sale value is not as good as the value for which the neighbours pay, but it’s still something. That’s why you have to try not to get to this point.

The inventory will also be enabled, where you can initially store up to 7 objects. You can unlock more slots in exchange for diamonds.

3. Keep Your Neighbours Happy And Successfully Deliver Orders

The neighbours seem to love the items you manage to get from the sand. That’s why they will be constantly requesting new items. Before starting to create an order object, you should review all the orders you have.

This way, you avoid making a very complicated request when you have an object that’s almost ready on your board. Sometimes the commands are very simple, but other times they are a bit more difficult. There may be unique objects , which you will have to find out where or how to get them. It may also be that you order 2 or 3 objects together.

And you have to get them all, they don’t take half orders. This may seem difficult, but as the game progresses you will become a master at delivering double or triple commands. I recommend that you try to start with the most difficult of the 2 items. When you get this object it will turn green, this way it is very easy to identify them and you will know that you have to deliver it.

An ideal scenario is that you group the objects in green in some sectors of the board where you do not move the items much. This is so that you don’t keep mixing it with the same item and you lose the needed level. So you will leave it waiting until you get the others.

Why shouldn’t you overdo the level? If you build higher-level objects, you will spend more energy and later you will not be able to sell them and they will take up space. Also, you will have to start from scratch to build it again and deliver it, since you cannot go back. For example: if a neighbour asks you for a Nautilus shell but you continue mixing until you reach a starfish, then you will not be able to go back and you will have to wait for someone to ask you for that object.

Another thing that can happen is that you see some requests in grey: when you see this, if you try to open it, it will tell you that you have to go up to the next level to be able to take that order. So first you must level up completing other orders and then you will see what the order is about.

4. Start Little By Little To Buy Buildings And Reform Them

As we mentioned before, smileys are the in-game currencies. You can spend smileys on keys, so you can rebuild the buildings of Travel Town. You have several options to get smileys:

Fulfilling the requests of the neighbours: You will constantly have orders to deliver. Although, some objects will not give you many smileys in return. Some neighbours are willing to pay fortunes for rare objects. But yes, you have to know how to find them.

Mixing certain objects: There are some objects such as photos or jewels that, when merged, may reward you smileys. You’ll notice because they will fly on the board, so don’t forget to collect them!

Buying smileys in the store: Some days there are available smileys in the store for purchase. It’s a lazy option and you must pay with diamonds in exchange if you do not want to merge.

Selling objects: Another good option is to sell some items that you have left and that you think you will not need. Once you sell an item, you will see how many smileys you got for that item in return.

Hmm… did you regret selling it? After the sale, you can recover the item by going down where it says undo selling and select the circular arrow. But be careful, once you select something else on the screen, the option to have the object returned to you will disappear.

Opening chests: The majority of the chests have smileys as a reward, and you will be able to get many out of them. But of course, getting chests is not easy. You will have to fulfil orders, level up or rebuild buildings to get them. Once you get the necessary resources you can start upgrading the city. Keep in mind that in this case, you are going to need a pile of wood planks as well as smileys. Later in this guide, we will explain how to get the materials.

5. Squeeze The Juice Out Of Your Resources

The items that allow you to advance in the game faster are the following 3. Don’t forget to take care of your resources because they are the key to success in Travel Town.

Smileys: You need to get the maximum number of smileys to be able to pay for the key to the land that you are acquiring and also for the restorations. Doing this will give you experience points and you will advance in level.

That’s why every time a face item appears on the board, it is recommended not to sell it immediately and keep them in the inventory to mix them and reach the maximum level. This way, you can obtain greater benefits than selling them one by one.

For example: If you only have one smiley and you sell it, they will give you 1 in exchange, but if you have 2, they will give you 3, if you have 4 they will give you 7, if you mix 8 they will give you 15, and if you reach the maximum level of the item (level 5) which is 16 will give you 32 smileys. This is a lot of difference to make if you are patient and wait until you have the maximum level before selling it.

Energies: the energies will allow you to continue loading objects on the board, they renew themselves from time to time, but, indeed, they are also spent quickly when you need to deliver an object. That’s why every time an energy item appears, like the smileys, it is recommended to keep them in the inventory to mix them and reach the maximum level. This way you can get more benefit from it, for an energy item at the maximum level, you will get 100 units of energy.

A tip to get more energy is to take a good look at the sign that appears when you run out, since sometimes to the right of the option to pay with diamonds it gives you the option to see a commercial in exchange for 25 energy.

And because they are short commercials, I think it’s worth watching the commercial instead of spending diamonds on energy.

Diamonds: Diamonds are definitely the most precious and that’s why you have to avoid wasting them. In Travel Town, you can use it for almost everything. For example, you can skip the waiting time of some items with diamonds, but is it worth it? Perhaps, you can be patient with the wait and use the diamonds to exchange them for space in the inventory or get energy at good prices.

Check the offers daily, there are days that for a few diamonds you can get energy packages or chests. And just like energies and smileys, diamonds can be pooled together to make the most profit from selling them. Don’t forget that every time you discover a new item, it will appear in the collection book as a gift.

You must open it and inside it, you will find a diamond. So every day at the end of playing you can go to the book to continue completing the collections.

6. Permanent Objects

Permanent objects are those from which you can obtain objects in exchange for energy. These objects cannot be sold and you can take them to their maximum level. The higher its level, the better objects you will obtain from it. Keep in mind that of the objects that you can get from inside in exchange for energy, you will not be able to select them since it will give you a random object. Permanent items have a cooldown time that depends on the item.

As much as you have energy, you will not be able to remove objects infinitely. When the inside is finished, a clock will appear indicating how long you must wait until you can get objects again. There are times when you will be lucky and it will give you some higher-level item. Here are some permanent items that you will find in the first levels: Beach Bucket: This is the first permanent item that you get in the game. It is formed from buckets and you can take it to the maximum level, which is 9. From here you can obtain pebbles, stones, sandcastles and seashells, among others. When it is at its maximum level you will be able to obtain the mysterious letter from here but to be honest it will not be easy to obtain one.

With the objects that come out of the bucket, you can complete the Shells and the Sand Castles book collection. Picnic Basket: This basket, like the bucket, is one of the first permanent items that you obtain and that requires energy to deliver objects.

From here you can obtain spoons, olives among others. And you will be able to complete the Picnic Food series and the Cutlery Tools series. Jewellery display: When you take the jewellery display to level 4 you will have a jewellery box. It is a permanent item which means that it will remain on the board forever, not only will you be able to create beautiful jewels with what is inside it but it also has a particularity.

It is that this jewellery box does not use energy to generate objects! Which means that you will have endless items? Well, yes and no, because if it has a cooldown time. You can place the jewellery box in the middle of the board and you can see how the objects jump out.

In case you have a full workspace, I recommend that you keep the jewellery box surrounded by items. This way, neither of the will pop from inside, occupying the place you need on the board.

Once they stop coming out, you will have to wait for the recharge time to expire. If you need to make a jewel and you don’t want to wait for the recharge time, you can also use diamonds to skip the time. A trick for when they give you a reward jewellery box and you have one on the board: first you empty the one you have on the board until the clock mark appears indicating that you have to wait.

Next step, you lower the new jewel box to the board and empty it too. Once the 2 are with the cooldown clock, you merge them. This will not only give you a higher tier jewel box but also resets the time so you can empty it for the third time. 

7. Reward Items

Crates: Crates have 5 levels. Inside the crates, you can get smileys or  diamonds. When you get one, either for a level-up reward or for having completed a level. You can open it or you can also save it and wait till get one of the same level to be able to merge them.

Whichever option you choose, when you want to open it you have to select them and choose the option to open there will tell you how long you have to wait. The higher the level of the crate, the greater the rewards, but also the longer it will take to open.

Energy crate: The crates contain only energy inside so nothing that comes out of it can surprise you. They are usually achieved by levelling up or completing an order. These crates cannot be levelled up as they are at their maximum level when they appear. Toolbox: Toolboxes are boxes full of tools where you can find everything from screws and wood to cement and bricks for construction. They are crucial for building upgrades. Not only that, but they are quite difficult to get, usually given to you as a reward for hard-to-complete orders.

So I recommend that you keep everything that comes out of the toolbox well until you can get the maximum level of each item. So when you manage to build, for example, a brick wall or a concrete mixer, it will be kept in the inventory until you use it in some upgrade.

These tool items will be saved in the second tab of the inventory. So you should not worry about them taking up space. You can go check what materials you have stored at any time.

8. Special Items Are Difficult To Get

Joker: The jokers are rarer items than diamonds. And they have the peculiarity of being able to duplicate any common object you have in the playground. If you’re lucky enough to get one, I don’t recommend using it to combine with a pebble.

Save it or use it to combine with an object that has a very high tier level. This way you will save a lot of time. You also have the option to buy it in the store in exchange for diamonds. So it would be a good purchase. Bubbled items: Bubbled items are items that appear inside a bubble when you are creating an object. These objects are trapped and you will not be able to use them unless you pay their reward in diamonds. Its price varies depending on the difficulty of the item. It may be that you are not interested in taking out of the bubble in exchange for some diamonds. But as soon as an item that you need appears, this may be worth spending diamonds on.

Be aware, you cannot doubt it for a long time since the bubble will disappear in a short time. Don’t worry if you decide not to pay with diamonds, the bubbles always leave you something in return, which can be a smiley, energy or even a diamond.

Mysterious letter: Just as its name says, this letter is mysterious, it is rumoured that it has a map inside and that it takes you to some hidden place in Travel Adventure, have you got it yet? Do not worry that as the levels progress they will come to your hands. As a suggestion, you should start by getting letters out of the bucket. Mysterious fossil: If there was something more mysterious than the mysterious letter, it is surely this fossil. It is much more difficult to get, but believe me, it has a very good reward.

9. Take Part In Special Events

Do not forget to complete the special events, they are a good opportunity to gather resources. Daily challenge: It is a daily event that will appear as an order on the top right and when you open it you will be able to see the tasks to complete. This order, unlike the others, has a time limit that you cannot exceed. You can see the time remaining from the order or when opening it as well.

You can also see the counter, for example, if it says 0/3, it means that you have 0 tasks performed out of 3. As you complete them, it will indicate 1/3, 2/3, and so on until it reaches 3/3. Completing it will give you the reward indicated in the order. Wildlife sanctuary: it is a special event to which you are going to be invited to travel to the jungle. Precisely to a sanctuary, where you can feed and rescue tigers, cut dry or fallen trees, and plant new and healthy ones.

During our stay in the sanctuary, you have to try to complete as many requests as possible. Here there are no smileys as a reward for orders. But in exchange for completing an order, they will give you a paw token.

As you collect the paws you will advance in level, each time you reach a new level you will need more tokens to complete it. Once the time of the stay finishes, they will give you a diploma with the maximum level you reached and with it the rewards. The levels that you can reach range from level 1 to 8.

In the sanctuary, you will have a different energy, which has the same functionality as in the rest of the game but it is blue. When you run out of energy, you can go out and wait for it to recharge or you can also buy it with diamonds.

You can also collect smileys that will appear from time to time when you mix some items, it may be that smileys appear and you can collect those, a tip to take advantage of here is that if you see that our time in the jungle is running out and they are going to be left items, the ideal is that you can sell them before leave. Because once the time is up you won’t be able to come back for anything from the place.

The mechanic is very similar to what you’ve been doing. Only that here your mission, apart from completing the orders, is to rescue the tigers that are in the jungle. To do this, the first thing you must do is get items from the worker’s hut in exchange for energy. From here you can get tools, seeds and feeding bottles.

How to rescue your first tiger? The tigers are lost in the middle of the jungle but to get to them you must first cut down the fallen trees. You do this by taking some items of tools to the maximum level until you get a chainsaw. With it, you can choose the place to weed. Note that there are two types of trees to cut, one is the dry one that you will have to cut 2 times, so you will need 2 chainsaws.

And the other one is the stump for which you’re going to have to cut only once. Both will give you lodges in return. Once you enter the jungle you will find items in grey covered by the undergrowth, to unlock it you must get a matching item. When you go into the jungle, you may find a baby tiger in grey and to rescue it you will need to have another one. To get one you have to take a feeding bottle to the maximum level, then you double-tap it and a baby tiger will appear.

Once you got the baby tiger now with it, you can rescue the one you found in the jungle.

How do you plant new and healthy trees? Once you were able to remove the dry trees, the idea of ​​the sanctuary is that you reforest it with healthy trees. To do this you must start by mixing the seeds until you bring them to their maximum level. When you manage to have a Sundari tree, it will provide you with seeds and flowers without having to spend energy in return.

As soon as you finish don’t forget to claim your reward.

10. Be Persistent And Be Patient

As you progress in the game, you can achieve more complex items. Or maybe you use up energy faster. But don’t get discouraged, you can close the game and come back when you have full energy. Some items will take a few days to form but in the meantime, you will always have some other easier items to deliver. And when you have a permanent item in cooldown, relax and do other things in Travel Town.

That was our last piece of advice, and with that we conclude our Travel Town beginner’s guide. Hopefully, the tips and tricks we shared in this article will help you to advance in the best way until you complete your collection of objects and restore the city. If you have discovered any other tips or tricks during your gameplay, we would be happy to hear from you! Feel free to drop us a line in the comments below!

Karen Lancaster

Tuesday 26th of March 2024

How do I get the sand mmmm sand castle out of bucket rather than the shells ?

Deborah Leigh

Tuesday 13th of February 2024

What is an auto producer I keep hearing them mentioned. What do I do with the items? What items should I keep on the board?

Saturday 25th of November 2023

My favorite simple trick is this: try to keep 3 jewelry boxes on the playing board. Never combine them, and they will generate free jewelry three times as fast. Same with ice cream generators. Have fun Y'all.

Tuesday 21st of November 2023

Hi can someone tell me how to make the Goddess sculpture. I believe you use the are supplies for and I'm getting paintbrushes and notebooks which gave me pipes and make a colorful palette and pieces of concrete. But I don't know what to do with them. Thank you for any advice I could get

Sunday 6th of August 2023

What do the pearls do in the beach game?

Travel Town - Merge Adventure 4+

Merge & discover‪‬, magmatic games ltd, designed for ipad.

• #3 in Board
• 4.8 • 64.4K Ratings
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Description.

Explore Travel Town, where you can combine everything into better and more useful items while you travel the world! Reveal secrets as you discover yourself and help the friendly people of Travel Town! TRAVEL TOWN FEATURES: == Match Objects == • Discover over 500 fantastic objects through hundreds of levels! • Freely drag objects around the beautiful world and match 2 of a kind evolve them into more superior items! • Fulfil the missions of the townsfolk to unlock more amazing items! == Meet New Villagers == • Discover 55 villagers who live in Travel Town, and help them restore their seaside town! • Match objects to upgrade them and unlock more and more items to support you on your journey! == Town Building == • A storm has ravaged Travel Town - Collect coins and bring the town back to its former beauty! • Discover and upgrade dozens of houses and improve the town beyond your wildest dreams! Follow Travel Town on Facebook and Instagram for exclusive offers and bonuses! Facebook: facebook.com/TravelTownGame/ Instagram: instagram.com/traveltowngame/ Terms of Service: https://static.moonactive.net/legal/terms.html Privacy Notice: https://static.moonactive.net/legal/privacy.html Questions about the game? Contact us in the game by clicking on Settings > Contact Us Our support is also ready and waiting at: https://support.traveltowngame.com/

Version 2.12.532

Welcome to the latest update of Travel Town! We’ve been busy improving the game and addressing bugs for you. Enjoy!

Ratings and Reviews

64.4K Ratings

Overall enjoyable

Fun match game, similar to other games out there. What makes this one unique is the town development aspect and the various producers that you get as you move through the game. Some are regular tap for an item, some spit the items out at a certain interval, and some need to be tapped multiple times to produce the item. Those last ones are the most frustrating, but I like the additional challenge of having to ration your energy and plan your moves to optimize order completion. I do have a few *minor* critiques. After a certain point, you stop using some producers all together. The game has a kind of cold storage for the obsolete producers to get them out of the way. However, I do wish the game would circle back to them sometimes. Just to mix it up. Also, the frequency of energy and gem drops is rather low compared to other similar games; it would be nice to have more of a chance to get energy and gems. In the same vein, the cost of energy feels high and I dislike that the item shop only offers gems prices. Overall, this is a nice game that keeps me returning daily. It’s relaxingly simple while providing a slight challenge in terms of resource management. The special events are always a fun bonus, too.

Developer Response ,

Thank you for this feedback. We appreciate you taking the time to let us know your thoughts!😊

Still getting stuck with big update…

First off, I do really enjoy this game, and I don’t mind the new update too much. Even though we had to start over, you gave us all our diamonds back, and it was kind of nice to start with a fresh board again. HOWEVER, you said it was to give smoother progresss for everyone and less instances of getting stuck and that’s NOT what’s happening for me. I’m at level 16 and progress has pretty much halted completely. Tasks that offer supplies as rewards are not often enough to continue upgrading the buildings so I have 3 buildings just sitting there waiting for me to get more cement mixers, brick walls, and boxes of nails. So progress has almost completely stopped for me and I am unable to play the game as intended. I get what you were trying to do but you need another update to accomplish it. Right now I am just disappointed and frustrated. (Side note, the amount you get for selling high level items is ridiculous. For example, the large bacota sandwich is level 13, but when you sell it you only get 12 back, which is borderline insulting! You get 1 for the mix of olives that is level 2 in the same category so we should be getting A LOT more back for the sandwich considering it takes 2,048 olives to create it…just something to think about as this is always something about your game that has always rubbed me the wrong way.)

Hi, please send us an email about this at [email protected] Thank you.

Used to like it a lot

Thie game started off really fun and I really enjoy it especially considering theres little to no ads interrupting everything. It takes so much time and energy now to actually accomplish anything and even if I use gems to replenish my energy half the time it gives me things I don't need. My board has become so full and overwhelming that I can barely tell what I have on it anymore. And random stacks of cookies now? What am I supposed to do with these? I have resorted to selling them which only gives me like 2 energy. Selling high quality items barely gives you anything. And im now stuck on trying to get enough coins and building materials. I'm pretty far along but thats because I give a lot of time between to build up energy. And also the daily challenges are near impossible, you would have you spend basically 24/7 on the game to get all of them considering it asks you to collect coins most of the time. I also hate the tile/pottery thing, takes so much energy to use it and it never gives you want you want. This game is based on luck now. Stop adding random stuff and cluttering everything. If we complete one of the producers and max everything out in it we should be able to put it away indefinitely so there's more space, allow easier daily tasks, make maxed out items worth more. And get rid of the useless items that build up.

Thank you so much for your feedback! We will certainly take it into consideration as we are continuously enhancing Travel Town.

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Reserve IDT Travel Reimbursements

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It’s not uncommon for many Guard and Reserve members travel long distances to perform their drill duty, or Inactive Duty Training (IDT). I counted license plates from about 7 neighboring states at my last drill. I have friends in different units who tell me there are some members who regularly fly to and from their monthly drills. Talk about dedication!

The good news is if you live outside the normal commuting distance, your unit should provide Lodging-in-Kind, and may even reimburse you for your travel expenses (up to a certain amount). So don’t let the cost of travel be a reason no to join the Guard or Reserves . However, the rules here are very broad, and are not standardized between the services. Reimbursements may even depend on your pay grade or your AFSC or MOS. Let’s take a deeper look at what’s available.

For the purposes of this article, we will separate the Guard and Reserves because the Reserves follow a national standard, while the rules for Guard units vary by state. This first section will cover the Reserves.

Reserve IDT travel reimbursements:  The service secretary for each branch of the Reserves is allowed to authorize travel reimbursements for members who live more than 150 miles from their base. However, not all branches currently reimburse Reserve members for travel. Here are some basic rules of thumb (but be sure to verify with your unit, as some units may have unique rules):

Travel While on Inactive Duty. Members are not authorized to receive reimbursement for travel between their place of residence and their normal drill site when under inactive duty orders.

• Commands must establish normal drill sites that are validated by the District RFRS staff. If the normal drill site is different than the unit’s location, the District RFRS staff must be notified by the member’s command and noted along with the member’s PAL assignment. This is necessary to provide a legal means of determining eligibility for medical and other entitlements when members travel from their homes to the normal drill site, and for determining entitlements associated with travel between the normal drill site and the unit.
• Reservists who are ordered to locations other than their normal drill site must be placed on Temporary Duty (TDY) orders and receive entitlements in accordance with U4000 of reference (n), The Joint Federal Travel Regulations (JFTR). TDY orders are normally issued and funded by the member’s assigned unit, with the exception of duty such as RMPs performed for RSWE participation or medical readiness, which may be issued and funded by the District RFRS staff’s reserve appropriations manager. TDY orders shall specify the member’s normal drill site. When the member travels directly from home to the TDY station, reimbursement is limited to the lesser entitlement from either the member’s home or the normal drill site to the point at which TDY inactive duty is performed.

National Guard IDT Travel Reimbursements

The National Guard is a completely different beast when it comes to determining whether IDT travel reimbursements are available. The short answer is: ask your unit.

I know that sounds like a cop-out, but it’s the easiest way to determine the availability of travel funds. Because Guard members work for their respective state, there may be differing policies. I have seen on some forums that some units offer travel reimbursements, but I’ve heard from many individuals that it is not available at their units. Please let me know if you have any specific information or references and I will update the site accordingly.

No Reimbursements? Deduct Your Travel Expenses

Even if you aren’t able to receive a reimbursement for your travel expenses, you may be eligible  claim mileage and other travel expenses on your taxes  if you have to travel more than 100 miles for drill duty. You can also claim half the cost of your meals on your taxes. Those benefits don’t negate the cost of travel, but it certainly helps when you file your taxes.

What Type of Travel is Covered

Lodging. If you live outside the normal commuting distance, your unit will usually provide Lodging-in-Kind. They will either put you up in base lodging (if available), or pay for a hotel room in town. You may or may not be required to share a room, depending on your unit, your rank, and room availability. I’m not going to try and provide a standard set of rules for this, as they vary by unit.

However, most units only cover lodging for certain days, usually the night before training (if you live outside the commuting area), and after the first drill day. They may only cover one night of lodging if you live within a certain distance. They usually do not provide Lodging-in-Kind for the second day of a two day drill, or for your return trip.

If you need lodging outside of the days that are normally covered, you will need to work it out with your unit or claim a tax deduction the following year. Save your receipts!

Transportation: There are many types of transportation that qualify, including planes, trains, and automobiles. Rental cars are not normally authorized. Mileage is typically charged at the standard IRS rate, which is $0.575 per mile in 2015. Servicemembers can also claim incidental expenses such as parking, tolls, and related travel expenses.

When in Doubt, Go to the Source

Standard disclaimer – this is a topic that gets complicated quickly. Each branch has different rules, there are different rules for Guard and Reserves, and there are even different rules within certain branches, depending on your unit, AFSC/Rating/MOS, pay grade, etc.

The best place to find specific answers for your situation is through your unit. Your recruiter will be able to help you if you are considering joining a unit. Otherwise, contact the finance or travel department.

US Code. Here is the official code as written in 37 U.S. Code § 478a – Travel and transportation allowances: inactive duty training outside of normal commuting distances.

Note: Special thanks to LT. Josué Román, USCG, for sending the information on Coast Guard travel while on inactive duty.

About Post Author

Ryan Guina is The Military Wallet’s founder. He is a writer, small business owner, and entrepreneur. He served over six years on active duty in the USAF and is a current member of the Tennessee Air National Guard.

Ryan started The Military Wallet in 2007 after separating from active duty military service and has been writing about financial, small business, and military benefits topics since then.

Featured In: Ryan’s writing has been featured in the following publications: Forbes, Military.com, US News & World Report, Yahoo Finance, Reserve & National Guard Magazine (print and online editions), Military Influencer Magazine, Cash Money Life, The Military Guide, USAA, Go Banking Rates, and many other publications.

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Robert vanhoose says

October 13, 2021 at 2:18 pm

Do I have to attend drill if I’m told that there’s no money in the budget to pay for my lodging and I must pay out of pocket?

Ryan Guina says

October 26, 2021 at 1:00 pm

Hello Robert,

When I joined my unit, I had to sign a form stating that I was aware of the travel distance from my home of record and that I may incur some expenses as a result. I believe this is standard, but I’m not 100% certain. I recommend asking your personnel/human resources office or your Judge Advocate for additional information. Best wishes.

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A History of Moscow in 13 Dishes

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Where to see medieval Moscow: Take a stroll through a historical oasis

In Krutitskoe podvorye , an old area of Moscow, you feel like you’ve been teleported to another time and dimension. This is an incredibly ancient place on the banks of the Moscow River. It was first mentioned in historical chronicles back in 1350 and as early as the 13 th century Prince Daniel of Moscow founded a temple here. A monastery was established here in 1272.

In the 17 th century this area evolved to become the residence of the Sarsky and Podonsky bishops and it experienced its peak influence from 1664-1676. The Krutitskoe courtyard stood at the crossroads of several very important routes leading from Moscow to Kolomna and Ryazan .

In times past, Krutitskoe podvorye was a lively and busy street. Churches were full of worshippers, carts bustled about and the metropolitan blessed people gathered in the square from the windows of the Krutitsky palace. He would give alms to the poor, while undoubtedly enjoying his view of the city.

Krutitskoe podvorye experienced turbulence with the arrival of Polish forces during the Time of Troubles in 1612 and the Moscow fire during the war with Napoleon in 1812. Despite medieval turmoil and complete neglect during the Soviet era, Krutitskoe podvorye has preserved 80 percent of its architectural buildings and is currently serving as the metochion (an ecclesiastical embassy church) of the Moscow Patriarch.

Fortunately, Krutitskoe podvorye hasn’t lost its ancient aura and there is much for those that love pre-revolutionary Moscow: The streets are paved with round cobblestones and there is an abundance of wooden buildings, brick chambers, defensive fortifications and 17 th -century churches.

Its touristic advantage is in its location, which is away from the main attractions while also being relatively close to the city center. There are no tourist buses or long lines: Solo travelers, photographers and filmmakers are typically the only ones that come here.

Two churches on the territory of Krutitskoe podvorye currently operate: The Temple of the Resurrection and the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary of the Assumption Cathedral. Public masses are held there and entry is open to tourists.

Krutitskoe podvorye was restored from 1950-1984 under the direction of the architect Pyotr Baranovsky, who invested half of his life to this cause. Baranovsky celebrated his 75 th , 80 th and 85 th birthdays here.

Krutitskoe podvorye is surrounded by the Moscow International House of Music , the Holiday Inn Hotel and other large and encroaching structures. So, take some time to walk through this medieval corner of Moscow before it is overwhelmed by modern buildings or the mega-mansions of Russian billionaires.

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How to get to Suzdal from Moscow

If you are ever in Moscow, you should look at The Golden Ring , a ring of towns and cities north east of Moscow which played an important part in the formation of Russia and the Russian Orthodox Church. The towns themselves are almost like museums and none more so than the jewel of the Golden Ring, Suzdal . You have to visit this town if you are in Moscow and I will tell you exactly how to get to Suzdal from Moscow.

You can do this in a return day trip to Moscow, just, but I recommend staying the night in Suzdal. That will give you the afternoon on the 1st day and the morning and early afternoon on the 2nd day to explore which should be enough time. You can get a bus from Moscow to Suzdal. However, there is only one bus a day and it is not very comfortable. A better option is to get a train to the nearby city of Vladimir and from there get a bus to Suzdal. There are multiple trains every day from Moscow and buses are almost every 30 minutes so you will not have to wait long in Vladimir.

Getting the train to Vladimir

Go to the state run website for Russian railways . In the departure station, click (or type) ‘MOSKVA’, in the arrival station type ‘VLADIMIR”, select your departure date (and return if you will go back to Moscow the next day) and click on the buy ticket button. You will have multiple trains to choose from. The fastest trains do the journey in about 1 hour 45 minutes. Be sure to check which of the Moscow train stations your train will depart from. More than likely this will be Mockva Kurskaia. Whichever station it is, you can get there very easily by using the metro .

How to get to Suzdal from Moscow? By train of course

Looking out train window

Getting Bus from Vladimir to Suzdal

When you arrive at the train station, follow everyone else that is leaving the train station. When you get outside, if you look across the street, you will see the bus station. The facilities in the bus and train station are pretty basic. the train station is a little better so if you want a coffee or something to eat, I would get it there.

In the bus station go to the ticket office and get a single ticket to Suzdal. Something like “odin billet Suzdal” should be enough to be understood. The ticket costs 98.50 rubles so its easier to have a 100 ruble note to get change from.

At the exit of the train station, the bus station is directly across the road

Bus timetables

And more timetables

My ticket to Suzdal is bus number 159, platform 10 at 12:00 and seat number 6.

Bus ticket to Sudal

When you have your ticket, go outside to the platform listed on the ticket and wait for the bus. Simple really!

Not the actual bus in the end. The bus was more of a minivan.

Staying the night in Suzdal

There are a lot of accommodation options available in Suzdal. The place i stayed is Suzdal Hotel . It is actually a house and they have a few rooms available. The breakfast that is included is very very good. Trust me on this. They will even collect you from the bus station in Suzdal and bring you back the next day.

View out my bedroom window

Returning to Vladimir (and Moscow)

To return to Vladimir, just repeat these steps in the opposite direction – return to the bus station in Suzdal, buy a ticket to Vladimir and continue your onward journey in Russia. Simples! 😉

Train to Nizhny Novgorod

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22 comments.

Melissa Butler

I went to Suzdal over 13years ago for Christmas, I was on an on the go tour and they organised the train for us which was a very interesting journey. I would love to go back and explore longer. I am definitely impressed that you have done it on your own and it sounds like you had a bit of an adventure :).

Hi Melissa, it certainly was an adventure that’s for sure! Though sometimes, there is something to be said for letting other people take care of things for you and getting to relax and not be too stressed.

Sandy N Vyjay

Moscow is a place with an intriguing and enigmatic history. Suzdal seems to be a charming place with a rich heritage. As you have mentioned it seems to be a living museum of sorts. Nice step by step instruction on getting to Suzdal from Moscow. This is indeed an invaluable resource for first-time travelers to Russia.

Thank you very much for your kind words. I hope some people find it useful!

Thanks for recommending the Suzdal Hotel, since I prefer to stay in small cozy places with good breakfast. And the service of taking the guests from and to the bus station in Suzdal is a great plus!

Yeah I agree. I would rather stay in a family type place than a bigger place too!

I have never heard of this town and it sounds like a great place to visit if you are already in Moscow. Your instructions are very helpful and I like how you put a photo of the ticket.

You’re welcome Candy. If you don’t speak the language, Russia can be difficult to get around.

Michael Hodgson

Fantastic detail and extremely useful post for anyone wanting to explore outside of Moscow. Suzdal does sound fascinating.

Thanks Michael!

This seems like quite an experience! I am surprised that I haven’t heard of Suzdal before but as soon as I go to Moscow, I will have to do a day trip to there. Is a day trip enough to explore Suzdal?

Hey Lydia, you certainly can! If you go early enough in the day to Vladimir, you can probably get 6-7 hours in Suzdal.

This is a great post with quite a few good details. Pics looks so amazing. Thanks for sharing and keep up the good work.

Thanks. Glad you enjoyed!

Wow, you are adventurous! I spent years upon years in Russia and never made it to Suzdal. Never realized Vladimir was less than 2 hrs away from Moscow.

Thanks Jenia. Russia is a huge place. You could live there your entire life and not see it all!

Thanks for the instructions. If I ever want to visit Suzdal I now know how to get there from Moscow via Vladimir.

You’re welcome!

Lauren Pears

Suzdal sounds really lovely! I need to travel to more places where there will be snow rather than just constantly chasing the sun 😉

I know what you mean! After 4 months of winter in Russia though, I was craving the sun so much!

I had never heard of Suzdal until now. Thank you for introducing me to a new place. It looks so calm and quiet under the snow. What are some things to do in Suzdal?

I think it is the sort of place you go to get away from the craziness of big cities and have some slower, quiet time. If my memory is correct, they also have a cucumber festival once a year every July. Apparently the cucumbers of the area are very good!

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