Another path out of the doldrums is to become a Travel Coordinator. This path is just as idiosyncratic as the path toward becoming a script coordinator, definitely not as clear-cut as the one that leads to production secretary.
A travel coordinator plans the travel and hotel accommodations on a show that travels. As far as I can tell, they are wined and dined by hotel managers looking to obtain their business. There are a lot of perks with being a travel coordinator – namely good relationships with hotels around the world. One of my bosses was the de facto travel coordinator on a show. It got him free pillows and a comforter from a swanky hotel, as well as a week in a suite for the price of a regular room… in a resort city in Mexico.
There is no free lunch, however, and the travel coordinator position comes with more than its fair share of stress. Imagine how stressful the airport can be. Now multiply that by the size of the cast and crew – anywhere from fifty to four hundred people. Multiply that again if the show goes international. The resulting stress ends up looking like this:
A girl I PA’d with on my first show has transitioned to a travel coordinator on the East Coast, so the path is definitely possible.
How do you get there? Work on a show that travels and ask as many questions as possible.
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Hence the complicated math equation.
This post made me laugh “As far as I can tell, they are wined and dined by hotel managers looking to obtain their business.” Trust me, free cookies and pillows do not make up for being on call 24/7 and working 16+ hour days. (Also, you are usually still on a 12 hour 5 days/week flat rate, no overtime, no weekend pay). There’s no perk to being out with friends on Saturday and having to drop everything to book or change airline tickets, hotels, car services, and rental cars because the schedule is changing and 15 stunt guys now have to travel in/out by Monday morning. Just thought I’d share the other side of travel coordinating…