Hi there! My son spent a year in Bahrain and he did fine. I believe they have an option of living on or off base, but it might depend on rank. While there my son traveled quite a bit, visiting Sri Lanka, Dubai, and Oman. He felt that it was easy to save money as long as you don't get snagged in the souks (markets) buying trinkets and fake watches, lol. If you don't own a car there are ample taxis available, and I believe there are some that the Navy recommends. On that note, your son will be briefed thoroughly on where it's safe to go and where to stay away from. They are also briefed on local customs and courtesies, which my son found very helpful. As with any situation, safety is a must. It's best not to go anywhere alone and always let someone know where you are going. It's a moderate country as far as religion goes. Your son will hear the call to prayer throughout the day and during Ramadan he will be expected to dress accordingly while off base (Long sleeve shirt, long pants, close toed shoes).  As far as traveling there, you can visit,but the flights are rather costly. I would have loved to have gone though. Bahrain is a very small island, so I would tell your son to try and not see/do everything right away. My son did and regretted it later, I suppose that's why he felt the need to travel. It's funny though, because he left Bahrain and went right onto an air craft carrier (he's an aviation corpsman) that patrols that region, and two of it's most common stops were bahrain and Dubai! Ah well! Oh, encourage your son to get a track phone with an international plan. It's so much cheaper in the long run than trying to use prepaid cards and the reception is much better. :)