The DipNotes

You're welcome.  But just to be 100% clear, you specifically asked "If I was posted, for example, in Moscow, and I would like to come back to the States for R&R, can I stop in Helsinki, for example, and spend some time there, say a week for example? "

The answer is yes.  However, you will ONLY be reimbursed for the flight from Moscow to Helsinki and back to Moscow.  The whole transatlantic flight will out of your own pocket!

Post edited 2:14 pm – March 25, 2010 by Peter

The way R&R works is as follows.  You get two options:

A:  A round trip ticket for you to fly to your R&R U.S. City of choice.  This city is ANY of the 50 US states or its territories.  You get to choose any of the above, at the time you decide to travel.  This city will be placed on your orders and used for all travel cost calculations.

B:  Reimbursement for the travel cost up the same cost of best government fare to theR&R POINT.  Each post (that has R&R) has a designated R&R point.  From Moscow, I think it may be London.  So if your R&R point is London, you can be reimbursed up to the cost of a flight to London.  There is no requirement that you ever go to London.  You may choose to go to Rome and then on to Athens and then back to Moscow, and you will get reimbursed up to the cost of a flight to London.

If you choose to go to any US City (I will use the term U.S. City to mean any city or U.S. Territory) then you MUST spend one night in that city.  It does not matter when you spend the night, just be sure to spend one night there.  If you choose to go to any other US City you will be reimbursed up to the cost of a flight to the selected R&R U.S. City.    For example, you want to fly from Moscow to to Florida, spend a week at Disneyland, then off to Vegas for 4 nights, and then to your mother's home in Vermont.  Fine, choose Las vegas as your R&R city. and then make the trip.  You may find that you will still owe a little, as they will only pay for the direct flight from Moscow to Las Vagas and then back to Moscow.  However, you may also find that you can do it.  It all depends on the Airline Price God.

NOTE:  If you select a U.S. City as your designated R&R City, but then stop off in London,  the reimbursement changes over to Option B above (overseas R&R point).  You can certainly combine a U.S. trip with an overseas one, but the whole reimbursement will be calculated on the overseas R&R point.  You can not select a more expensive flight back to the USA that includes an overseas layover – even if you pay the difference.  Once you do this, the whole cost construction flips back to the cost to the overseas R&R point.  If the airline offers you an overseas layover, and there is no difference in cost, then you can do it.  Obviously, if there is no option due to the flight schedules, then you can do it too.  For example if you want to take R&R and choose Las Vegas, but all flights from your post in Turkmenistan must layover in Frankfurt, then you can get the stop in Germany reimbursed.

You will not get reimbursed for hotels, meals, rental cars, or anything else, unless it is required and no other alternative is available.

Your dependents will get the same benefit you do, however, they MUST reside at your post.  There is NO requirement that they travel at the same time as you, or to the same location as you.  For example, you could send your teen on a skiing trip to Austria in the winter while you head off to Paris in spring.

There are separate travel allowances for children at boarding schools, or away from post because of danger or other official reasons.

There is no travel time requirement.  That is you can stay away for as long you have leave and your supervisor allows.  Dependents can go as long as you wish.  However, there is a TIME ON STATION requirement that must be met.  You must fulfill the number of days at post to be eligible for R&R.  Also, NORMALLY, you can not take R&R within the first 6 months at post, nor within the last 6 months for two or three year assignments.  That requirement does not apply to one year assignments obviously.