Advice for travel dancing?
Hey, ladies. So I'm planning on heading out with a couple friends to the east coast from Portland, OR at the end of this week. It's going to be a fairly long trip, down through the southern states and up through New York. This will be my first time traveling to dance. I guess I'm just looking for a little advice, dos and don't, words of caution, etc. that might be helpful to me for the trip. Thanks a ton.
Re: Advice for travel dancing?
Work out a plan in the case someone doesn't get hired. Or if you guys are sharing a car work out everywhere you guys need and want to go etc.
Re: Advice for travel dancing?
If you've got your eye on any clubs in particular, call them up in advance to find out dress code (don't want to not get hired over not having a gown) and hiring (some clubs only hire on certain days/shifts or don't let you start to work right away, so good to know for planning purposes).
Definitely talk it out with your friends about what to do if y'all don't get hired at the same club -- depending on how many you are and the clubs you're going to, clubs may not be open to hiring so many dancers at once/to work the same shift. Also, what will you do if you guys do all get hired at the same club but then someone doesn't want to stay there?
Hammer out how you'll be splitting expenses and driving.
Have some emergency cash (or a credit card, but some cash never hurts) on you in case things go south and don't let the others know about it. Traveling in general can bring out very different sides of people than you've seen before, and if you throw the competitiveness and stress of travel dancing in the mix, it can get ugly. It can work well too, of course, but with a big group, conflict is bound to arise.
Also -- figure out how you'll be dealing with your cash. Your best bet is to deposit it every night and not let your friends know how much you're making/have on you. You just never know what someone will do, especially if they're having a string of mediocre shifts and you're banking.
Re: Advice for travel dancing?
Get AAA. The peace of mind is WORTH IT. There's nothing like your car breaking down on some deserted highway in the Southwest and realizing you'll need to pony up $200+ to get your car towed. AAA has a great deal where you get free towing up to 100 miles for ~$90/year (the AAA Plus membership).
Re: Advice for travel dancing?
^ THAT. Seriously, AAA is great. They'll come out and jump you, bring you gas, etc.
Budget how much gas will be, split it up. See if you can stay in motels or hostels with kitchenettes, so you can cook instead of relying on eating out.
Make sure all of you are on point... clubs will totally reject all 3 of you if one is not up to their standards.
Re: Advice for travel dancing?
^^^ many great points ... which I'll elaborate upon ...
- Cost Control - If you expect to wind up with more money dancing 'on the road' than you could have earned by staying at your 'home' club, minimizing expenses is a major priority. As already pointed out, having a microwave and refrigerator in your room will allow you to ( at least partially ) eat grocery store food instead of expensive restaurant / fast food. If staying in the same location for a week, it's possible to call up local hotel managers to try and negotiate a discount 'weekly' room rate in advance of your arrival.
- Emergency Preparedness - As was already mentioned, AAA is a huge help in the event of minor car problems. But to address MAJOR car problems, you'll need to have sufficient cash or credit available to cover the cost. Similar situation in regard to the possibility of needing major medical treatment ... given a high probability that medical care providers in distant states will not accept your 'home' health insurance. Similar situation if, God forbid, the club you are dancing at is busted and bail money is instantly needed !!!
- Cash Management - If you are earning decent money dancing 'on the road', by the end of the week you're likely to start building up an 'uncomfortable' amount of cash. Having a big wad of cash in your purse can be 'dangerous' in terms of potential robbery ( i.e. 'shady' local club customers noticing you are a travelling dancer ), and can be just as 'dangerous' in certain states where a routine traffic stop can lead to local LE seizing your wad of cash on the presumption that it originated with 'illegal' activities which you can't immediately disprove ( google civil forfeiture ). Thus once your wad of cash exceeds a couple of thousand dollars, it's a very good idea to 'get rid of' the additional cash ASAP. One way to do this is ATM deposits. However, performing ATM deposits at non-affiliated banks may not be possible at all, or can require that you include a completed deposit slip from your 'home' bank. Thus advance research is required. In the worst case, you can always purchase money orders at the USPS, at WalMart etc. and snail mail them to your 'home' address. However, in some states, sizeable purchases of money orders may be reported to the IRS and/or the state tax dep't, which could in turn 'complicate' your end of year tax filings.
- Getting Hired - as Selena pointed out already, when dancers are traveling in a group, there is a significant risk that not all dancers will be hired by the same club in the same distant city ... or that not all dancers will be able to earn decent money. One way to minimize this risk is to contact prospective club owners / managers well in advance of your trip ... to try and get a commitment that you'll actually be allowed to dance once you show up on the club's doorstep. In a scenario where some but not all dancers in the group are hired, it's essential that the group members have had advance discussions regarding 'Plan B'. Does the entire group of dancers pass on the club, and move on to a different club / different city in hopes of all of the dancers being allowed to work ( but maybe risking none of the dancers will be hired )? Do the dancers who were not hired 'sit around' while other dancers who were hired are working ? If so, who makes up for the 'expense' money that the unhired dancers are not earning, but still needs to be spent ( on food, share of hotel room, share of gasoline etc. )
After getting 'hung out to dry' by another dancer who I took along on a couple of road trips ( and to whom I wound up 'loaning' money which was never repaid because her earnings were lower than her share of 'expenses' ), I quickly resolved that all future road trips would be a 'solo' operation.