[Prudence]

Why not call it "informational interview"? That's what they tell us to do for networking. It's meeting people face-to-face - people who are in the field you hope to be in. It's not a "real" interview, and rules are that you NEVER offer your resume (although it wouldn't hurt to have one handy should they ask) or act like you expect to work THERE, just that you are trying to get a feel for what the industry/area are like. Like a ride-along in a cop car.

In theory, this is supposed to help get the word out about you, too. So you go on "informational interviews" now, and then when someone's buddy needs a new hire the someone says "you know, I talked to this person who is moving up here in a month...."

I'd probably call the email something like "[Field] student requesting informational interview". And then, to make it more open-ended and not "do it right now to fit my schedule", you can say that the soonest you will be in the area happens to be in a week, but you are also available [time in future] or by phone. (The idea is that you're trying to tell them the soonest you can make it, if they want to get it out of the way, but that you're not insisting that they fit you in on a moment's notice.) Ask if they would be willing to meet for coffee to talk about what it's like to do that kind of work (or whatever).