What does a production travel coordinator do?
- Last reviewed
- 4 min read
- For production crews
The short answer
A production travel coordinator books and manages travel and accommodation for cast and crew, tracks the documents each person needs, and keeps the plan current when the schedule changes. On many productions the work sits inside the production office, with a production coordinator or assistant coordinator, and on larger or more complex shoots it may be a dedicated role or an external travel specialist. The job runs from the first crew list to the last return flight.
Key takeaways
- The title varies. The National Careers Service describes an assistant production co-ordinator booking accommodation and making travel arrangements for staff, and ScreenSkills describes coordinator roles that also cover visas and work permits.
- Core duties are flights, trains, accommodation, ground transport, documents and a single, version-dated travel sheet.
- The role depends on timely information from the production. A coordinator cannot book well without the schedule, crew list and approvals.
- Decide in advance who can authorise changes and what budget is available for them.
- Some productions use an external travel specialist for complex routes or large crews, with the coordinator as the production-side contact.
What does the role cover?
The work is practical and constant. The National Careers Service lists booking accommodation and making travel arrangements for staff among the duties of an assistant production co-ordinator on film work, and notes that the job can involve evenings, weekends and nights away from home. ScreenSkills job profiles for production coordinators in film and TV drama describe arranging travel, accommodation, work permits and visas for cast and crew, and for unscripted TV, booking and organising travel and accommodation during filming. Titles and splits differ between productions.
- Flights, trains and hire vehicles for each person, matched to first and last call dates.
- Accommodation, rooming lists and arrival and departure details.
- Ground transport for people and, separately, for equipment.
- Documents: passports, visas or permits, travel authorisations, insurance and emergency contacts.
- A central travel sheet showing every person's journeys, hotel, transfers and documents, version-dated.
- Changes: re-booking when the call sheet moves, and chasing confirmations.
What does the coordinator need from the production?
The coordinator cannot book well without the inputs below. Missing information means re-booking, which costs money.
| Input | Why it matters | Who usually provides it |
|---|---|---|
| Shooting schedule and call sheets | Sets first and last dates for each department and the latest acceptable arrival | Production manager or assistant directors |
| Crew list with names as on passports | Tickets must match passport details, and nationality drives entry checks | Production office, from contracts |
| Budget and approval limits | Decides fare flexibility, hotel standard and who can authorise changes | Production manager and accountant |
| Kit list with weights and battery ratings | Drives baggage, freight and carnet planning | Heads of department |
| Special requirements | Accessibility, dietary needs, family or childcare constraints and medical needs | Individuals, collected sensitively |
Collect personal data carefully. Passport scans and medical information are personal data, so limit who can see them and delete them after the production in line with your data protection policy.
Which checks does the coordinator own or flag?
Even when the coordinator does not make the decision, they usually spot the problem first. The checks below link to our other guides.
- Entry and work rules for each person's passport. See can a UK film crew work in Europe without permits? and the passport and visa checklist.
- Equipment paperwork such as ATA Carnets and battery approvals. See travelling with film and production equipment.
- Insurance for people and kit. See how to insure production equipment abroad.
- Emergency contacts and an incident plan. The emergency contacts tool is a free starting point.
Who decides when plans change?
Shoots change, so the authority to approve changes should be agreed before the first booking. Decide who can approve a fare change, who can approve an extra night, what the spending limit is, and how decisions are recorded. The coordinator then acts quickly within that limit and escalates anything outside it. Our guide on handling last-minute crew travel changes sets out the checks to run each time dates move.
When should a production use outside help?
An in-house coordinator is enough for many shoots. Outside support is worth considering when the crew is large, the route involves multiple countries, entry rules differ by nationality, there is heavy equipment, or the production office is already stretched. A travel management company can handle supplier negotiation, ticketing and out-of-hours changes, leaving the coordinator as the production-side contact. The right split depends on the production's size, budget and in-house experience.
How Roamly can help
Roamly Travel plans logistics and group flights for production crews, working from the schedule and crew list and updating the plan when it moves. Use the free trip timeline builder and travel document checklist, or contact us to discuss how we could support your production office.
Sources
- National Careers Service: TV or film production assistant
- ScreenSkills: Production coordinator, film and TV drama
- ScreenSkills: Assistant production coordinator
- GOV.UK: Travel to France for work
General guidance only, checked against the sources above on 30 October 2026. Entry rules, airline policies and official advice change, so confirm the current position with the linked source before you travel.