How to Plan a Trip to a Big City
Thousands of young people want to travel. Any professional only wants to work with the few who can make their own arrangements to get themselves to a city. They do not have hours available to make travel arrangements for you. There are tons of other guys who can get themselves to the city. They will become models and not you.
This is your first test at adulthood. If you cannot get yourself to and from a major city without it becoming a big drama, you should definitely stay home. You will not always be able to bring a guide with you. If you cannot travel for a simple photo shoot, you will likely never be able to accept any Model Jobs later.
Avoid These Mistakes
Keep your trip short and for business. Just get there with a firm plan, execute the plan and go home. Go on vacation with your friends another time.
Do not stay overnight with strangers you met through the Internet. Spend money on a hotel instead of being cheap. When you have a hotel room, you are in control of where you go and your belongings. If something goes wrong, you have a safe place to go to and phone your parents.
Find a Hotel Near The Studio
Most of your time in planning your trip should be spent in locating a hotel based on its location in the city. Find out the zip code of the studio and search by same zip code as the studio, not by city.
When you do an internet search for hotels, the search results may show that a hotel is located in Los Angeles, but it is the neighborhood that matters. If you choose the wrong hotel because it is the cheapest, you may find that the hotel is indeed located in "Los Angeles", but it will be 2 hours away from your photo shoot location. You will regret being stuck in traffic for 2 hours just because you wanted to save $20 by booking the first cheap hotel you found.
You need to look up potential hotels on a map. Spend $4.95 on a Lonely Planet map at your local Barnes and Noble store to look up the location of the studio. The money you spend on a map will be saved in taxi cab fares later.
If you search Travelocity for a hotel near a specific address, it will give you results that are nowhere near the address you gave. This occurs because Travelocity earns a bigger commission from those faraway hotels. Take the extra time to look up the hotel's address on a map and compare it to where you want to be using "driving instructions." If the hotel is more than .5 miles away, it is too far. A hotel on a sidestreet may be closer than another hotel that is on the same street as where you wish to be. Check the distance on a map.
Los Angeles is composed of neighborhoods, each with a distinct name. Find out the name of the neighborhood where the studio is located. Look at a map and only book a hotel in that neighborhood. Your parents have likely heard of gangs in Los Angeles. Well, LA is a huge and has crime-ridden areas just like every other city. You will be staying an hour away from the gang violence - in the tourist area.
Ask the photographer you are visiting to give you the name of a hotel that is close to his studio. That hotel may costs $40 more per night that some hotel you found on the Internet, but you will spend more than that each day in added cost.
Book a Flight
After you schedule a date for a shoot with a big city photographer, go to Orbitz.com to book a flight (Approx. $300). Book a flight at least 14 days in advance. Fares often jump in price if you wish to fly less than 2 weeks away.
Getting from the Airport to Your Hotel
Schedule a Supershuttle appointment ($22) to get from the airport to your motel. (You do not need a rental car.) This is the only tricky part of traveling. If you book a hotel that is located far away from where you need to be, you will spend more money getting to and from your hotel and where you need to be. Say, I need to be So, don't simply choose the cheapest hotel, choose one within walking distance of where you need to be.
You booked and paid for a Supershuttle fare. Los Angeles has scam artists. If someone approaches and tells you he is with Supershuttle, but his van does not say "SuperShuttle" on the side. Don't get in. It is that simple. Just because someone says something does not mean it is true. If you plan was to take the Supershuttle from the airport, stick with that plan. You body should not get inside anything that does not say Supershuttle on the side!
If you are under 21, it will definitely have difficulty renting a car. It may not be possible, If you rent a car for a week, parking tickets and rental fees may amount to $300. It may be smarter to spend a little extra to chose a hotel that is within walking distance of where you need to visit. That way, you do not need a car and save money.
Gyms
Is there a gym nearby? Remember what qualifies as a "gym" means something different to non-weightlifters mean something different. You do not want a hotel gym if it is some small room with no free weights. You need a real gym with members. It will likely not be a member of your hometown gym's system, so be prepared to pay $20 per day. It is not smart to drive an hour just to get to a gym that is part of your hometown's system.
Internet Access
Choose a hotel that offers free Wifi or internet connection. Wifi is not always free, sometimes hotels surprise you by telling you internet costs $20 per day. So call the front desk of the hotel to ask about wifi before you book it.
Travel is Not a Vacation
Your goal in traveling for a photo shoot is to network with industry professionals and obtain excellent photos. Traveling does not mean a vacation. So, get yourself to the photographer's city and do not treat your trip as a vacation. Avoid wasting time on bringing friends and girlfriends. Just get to the photographer's city and go home. This is not a vacation. You can plan vacations later.
You will often need to travel alone to modeling jobs. You cannot drag an entire crew of your friends with you.
Don't Involve Parents In Modeling Jobs. If you want to be successful, you need to learn to travel on your own without parents holding your hand.
You Can't always take your girlfriend along -especially on short trips.
Read How to Travel For Modeling Jobs. Learn to take precautions, avoid getting duped by scam artists and learn what research you should do before getting on a plane. This article tells you what to do if your trip for a modeling job turns out to be a complete mistake!
If you are ready to become a male model, consider our innovative advice on how to get your modeling career started locally, on your college campus. Its a fun way for you and 11 of your on-campus buddies to take a giant leap ahead of other aspiring models!