[1]: 55  JTAS #2 (1979) began to include in-universe excerpts from the fictional 'Traveller News Service', which talked about 'current' events going on in the Imperium; that issue was dated 274–1105, and included two news excerpts from Regina sector, which were dated 097-1105 and 101–1105 on the Imperium calendar.

[1]: 55  JTAS #9 (1981) contributed to the development of the Traveller metaplot by detailing the beginning of a war with the alien Zhodani species.

[1]: 55  The original run of the magazine ended with The Journal of the Travellers' Aid Society #24 (1984), but GDW replaced it with the magazine Challenge, continuing the numbering from JTAS with issue #25 (1986) but included material for all games published by GDW rather than just Traveller.

The idea of the TAS is that it is an organization that exists to support what are basically 'transients,' or 'wanderers' ['Travellers' in the game's terminology] around the galaxy.

[5] William A. Barton reviewed the "Merchant Prince" supplement from Journal of the Travellers Aid Society #12 in The Space Gamer No.