Why would you want
to travel?
Pros- A lot of money out there if you know
what you are doing.
Great way to see the country and how other Local
operate.
Good way to improve your skills with the diversity
of work offered.
Keeps up your Insurance and Benefits. You don't want a "break in service".
The "Brotherhood" is fantastic and you
make friends for life.
Treated better than you are at home.
Cons- A good way to go broke if you don't
know what you are doing.
A good way to get divorced.
You could wind up Book 2 in your Home Local.
The "Brotherhood" sucks and it is very
lonely.
You have decided to
"Hit the Road". Now what?
-Call your Hall and let them know what you want to do. They can
get your paperwork in order andfill you in on the latest job info.
-Get a plan. If you know where you are going, find out these
important facts by calling the respective Local and getting the latest information:
(1) Times and procedures for sign-in, resign and dispatch.
(2) What type of travel letter (BA to BA, General, plain
dues receipt) is required.
(3) Wage and Benefit package.
(4) Work situation, do they need welders, servicemen, residential, salts, etc.
(5) How to get to the Hall. Don't rely on an address, sometimes Halls can be hard to find.
(6)License Requirements, Drug Testing, etc.
-Make sure you have enough money. Figure around $500 a week to wait in the Hall for a job.
-Figure out where you are going to stay. Hotels are the most expensive.
Other options include:
travel trailer, rentals to share, apartments (only if the
job is long enough to warrent the first,last and security deposit). If you have a travel trailer or motorhome, you should belong to Sam's Club, KOA, etc.
-Join the Auto Club. The free maps and route info will more than
pay for itself.
How to find out
where to go.
The Internet, CUTE and Target letters, word of mouth and Locals
are all tools you need to employ in your search. We will discuss
all of them. Never limit yourself to any certain are. The more
you restrict yourself, the harder it is and the less money you
will make. as an example (1-16-99), it is better to work in the
Great Lakes region than it is to try to survive on short calls in
the SF Bay Area.