Travel on a Miami video quote: out-of-town shoots, crew travel days, per diems and shipping gear

Updated: October 25, 2026

When the shoot is not in Miami

Plenty of video projects that start in Miami end up somewhere else. A hotel group wants its properties in Orlando and the Keys filmed by the same team. A manufacturer needs footage at a plant in Georgia. A company with offices in Bogota, Mexico City and Sao Paulo wants one consistent look across all three. A nonprofit is documenting a program in the Caribbean. And sometimes the travel goes the other way: a New York or Madrid brand books a Miami company to shoot here instead of flying its own crew in.

Travel changes a video quote in ways that surprise buyers. The shoot day may cost the same, but around it come travel days, flights, hotels, meals, gear shipping, insurance and sometimes customs paperwork. This guide explains each travel line on a typical Miami video quote, how they are usually billed and how to keep them under control.

Travel days

A travel day is a day the crew spends getting to or from a location instead of filming. Most production companies bill them, because the crew cannot work for anyone else that day. Common approaches:

• A reduced day rate. Travel days are often billed at a fraction of the shoot day rate, frequently half. Check what your quote assumes.
• Same-day travel. For destinations a short drive or flight away, the crew may travel early and shoot the same day. That saves a hotel night, but shortens the shoot day and can push the crew into overtime, as our article on shoot day length and overtime explains.
• Drive days for regional work. Trips to the Keys, Naples or the Palm Beaches are often driven, with the gear in a van. Billing usually combines crew time with mileage or a vehicle rental.

Ask how travel time is counted. Does the day start when the crew leaves home, at the airport, or at the location? Small differences in wording change the total.

Flights, hotels and ground transport

Most companies pass flight, hotel and rental car costs through to the client, either at cost or with a handling markup. Either is legitimate, as long as it is stated. Things to clarify before you sign:

• Who books. Some clients prefer to book flights and hotels through their own travel department, at corporate rates. Others want the production company to handle everything. Decide before the quote, because it changes the numbers.
• Fare flexibility. Shoots move. A refundable or changeable fare costs more up front, but much less if the schedule shifts.
• Room standards. Crews generally expect one room per person. Shared rooms on a long shoot are a fair point to negotiate only if everyone agrees in advance.
• Ground transport. A van for gear and crew, parking at the location, and tolls all add up, especially in large cities.

Per diems and meals

A per diem is a daily allowance for meals and incidentals while the crew is away from home. Some companies use a flat daily figure, others follow the federal per diem rates published by the US General Services Administration for each city, and others bill actual meal receipts. On shoot days where the production provides catering, the per diem is often reduced.

The important thing is consistency. The quote should say whether per diems apply on travel days as well as shoot days, and how meals that are already provided are handled, so the invoice has no surprises.

Getting the gear there

Camera, lighting and sound equipment for even a modest shoot fills a dozen or more cases. There are three main ways to move it:

• Checked baggage. Simple for small kits, but airline excess baggage fees add up fast, and lithium batteries have strict carry-on rules.
• Shipping ahead. Freight services can deliver gear to the hotel or location, which costs more but removes risk at the airport.
• Renting at the destination. For larger lighting or grip packages, renting from a local rental house is often cheaper than moving it. The crew brings only the cameras and specialist items.

International shoots add customs. An ATA carnet, a document that lets professional equipment enter many countries temporarily without paying import duties, is often worth arranging, though not every country accepts it. Budget time for it: carnets take days to issue, and the crew needs to arrive with paperwork in order.

Insurance and safety away from home

Production insurance needs to cover the destination. Check that the company's policy covers equipment and liability in the states or countries you are filming in, and whether extra cover is needed. Our guide to insurance and liability on video shoots covers the basics. For international travel, ask about medical and travel cover for the crew, and about any safety plan the company uses in less familiar locations.

Hiring locally versus flying a crew

Travel costs raise a fair question: would it be cheaper to hire a crew where the shoot is? Sometimes yes. Options include:

• Fly a small core team. A director or producer and a director of photography travel, and the company hires local camera assistants, grips, gaffers and sound recordists at the destination. This keeps the look consistent and the travel bill smaller.
• Use a local partner company. Many Miami production companies have trusted partners in other US cities and in Latin America, and manage the project from Miami while the local team shoots.
• Hire a separate local company. Cheapest on paper, but you lose consistency across locations and take on more coordination yourself.

The right choice depends on how important consistency is, how many locations there are and how much management time your team has. Our article on freelancers versus a production company covers similar trade-offs.

When the client travels to Miami

For brands based outside Florida, the same logic works in reverse. Booking a Miami company for a shoot here removes crew flights, hotels and per diems from the budget entirely. Your own team may still travel to attend, but those costs sit on your side, and the production quote stays focused on the work itself.

Reading the travel section of a quote

When you compare quotes for an out-of-town project, check that each one:

• Lists travel days separately from shoot days, with the rate used.
• States whether flights, hotels and cars are estimates or fixed, and whether a markup applies.
• Explains how per diems work.
• Says how gear gets there and who pays for shipping, excess baggage or carnets.
• Covers what happens if weather or a flight delay costs a day, since a delayed crew still has to be paid.

A quote with no travel section at all is a warning sign. Travel costs are real; leaving them off only moves them to the final invoice.

Out-of-town projects with Miami Video Company

We regularly take Miami crews to other Florida cities, other US states and Latin America, and we host clients from abroad who want to shoot in Miami. Our quotes list travel days, flights, hotels, per diems and gear logistics as separate, clearly labeled lines, and we suggest when hiring local crew at the destination will save you money without changing the look of the video.

If you are planning a shoot away from Miami, or several locations in one project, send us the locations and dates and we will put together an itemized estimate with every travel cost shown. You can learn more about our team or read more buyer guides on our blog.