Travis AFB is located in northern California right next to Napa Valley and Sacramento! Although this assignment tends to have long missions for your significant other there is so much to do to keep busy during their time away. The base is very inviting and has a lot of information on wineries with military discounts and hot spots close by! My husband, daughter and I have only lived here for a year but we are both military brats so we know that Air Force family is a real thing and every base is made great by the people you meet. We love the location and hope to add more information the longer we live here!
Things to know about Travis Air Force Base
– We have learned to become way more patient due to all of the traffic in the area. There is actually no way to ever predict when there will be traffic or not, it is just always really bad. We find ourselves always using Google Maps to get places we already know how to get to, just to make sure we are going the way with the least amount of traffic delays. I’ve been stopped on the highway at 9:00 p.m. on a Wednesday before. It’s crazy.
– Since we have lived here we have been through some major California wildfires and would definitely recommend having emergency bags ready and a plan for any pets you have. The rule of thumb here is to have all of your important documents, medications, and enough supplies to last you three days (such as food, water, and pet food). Have a discussion about what items are the “must grab” items in the case of an emergency, just in case. If you have camping gear, that is a good place to start. We keep our backpacking gear ready to go with extra dry food and supplies. Just be sure to have a plan that works for you and your family.
– We successfully figured out the BART system, and that has been super helpful. The nearest station to the Travis AFB area is in Concord, but we usually park at the Walnut Creek Station as we were told it was the safest to leave your car for the day when going to the city. Parking is free on the weekends at the BART stations. The good thing about BART vs. the Vallejo ferry is that BART runs more frequently (about every 20 minutes) and it runs later. If you miss the last ferry then you are stuck finding another way back, which can be very expensive. Not to mention BART takes half the time and doesn’t cause seasickness. Make sure to buy the round-trip price so you don’t have to reload your ticket on the other end!
– Get a FasTrak pass, it will make the toll bridges way easier. It is free to get the pass and you can easily manage it online and load money there. You need cash for the tolls if you don’t have the FasTrak pass.
– Register your pets if you have them. Solano County takes this very seriously. If for some reason your pet escapes and is turned into a shelter, they will fine you for not having your pet licensed and then charge you for the licensing. It’s cheap enough and better to be safe than sorry.
– The drought caused restrictions on water. When we first moved here the drought was still in full force and so we had certain days of the week that we were allowed to water our lawn or else we could be fined. Right now we don’t have any restrictions, but they could come back. The same goes for fire restrictions. Make sure you check for burn bans before having even a backyard fire pit fire (possibly banned seasonally depending on air quality). Check out SpareTheAir.org for alerts.
– Sign up for Nixle alerts. It is a great local system that allows the local public safety agencies to send you updates on things like road closures, evacuation notices, etc. You just text your zip code to 888777 and they are automatically sent. These are a huge help! PG&E does “Public Safety Power Shutoffs” (PSPS is how they abbreviate in alerts) now when conditions are right for fires to start (usually during dry, hot days with really high wind), because the winds take down power lines and start fires. So it’s really important to get those Nixle alerts because they let you know when they are shutting power off, where it’s being shut off, and for how long.
– You will soon be very familiar with the term “CA CRV”. There is a fee for every bottle/can that you purchase (most are $0.05/bottle). You can save these items (plastic, glass, aluminum) and turn them back in to get your money back. We usually save up for 6 months and then take them in bulk. The most convenient location here is Recycling Zone located on Peabody near Cement Hill. There’s usually a line down the road on Saturdays, so get there early!
– California also no longer provides plastic grocery bags. It’s definitely worth investing in good reusable bags because it costs $0.10 per bag if you need one from the store. My best advice is to just keep a stash of bags in your trunk at all times.
-Megan
We have really taken advantage of the fun areas, food and drinks that Northern California as to offer! We are now big wine drinkers living so close to so many beautiful wineries! We have always loved wine but we found a whole new love for it since living here. We have had the luxury of being able to visit Italy a few times, since my Mom and Dad were station there for five years. Let me tell you what, the wine here in Northern California tastes SO much like the wine in Italy and that is saying a lot! Along with being wannabe wine connoisseurs, we have become huge sushi fans. Y’all, before I thought I liked sushi (like just California rolls) but since living here I have ventured out of my comfort zone and I feel like I didn’t know what sushi was until I got here! One fun thing my husband, daughter and I have adopted during our time here is visiting little towns close by! There is an adorable little town 15 minutes down the road from us and they have the cutest shops. It is so true that the base you are stationed at is whatever you make of it, keeping a positive outlook is key 🙂
-Ashlyn
This is our first assignment and we have really taken advantage of the military friendly wineries in Napa and LoDi! Lake Tahoe is a great place to cool off in the summer and ski in the winter! Squaw Valley offers a great Oktoberfest! We have so enjoyed that we can go to the city (San Francisco) in about an hour and a half and to the mountains in two hours! If you’re a city person you’re in the right place and if you’re an outdoorsy person than you’re also in the right place.
-Abby
Looking for more specific recommendations from the WAF community on topics like best neighborhoods, favorite restaurants, or doctor recommendations – join the conversation in our private Facebook group of incredible WAFs!
In an effort to better serve every WAF across all branches, and with the help of some amazing other WAFs, we’ve curated branch specific Facebook groups. You can find your branch’s group by joining the general WAF Facebook page and then clicking “visit group”.
