A Successful Travel Nurse's Guide for Maximizing Pay and Assignment

When I answer "travel nurse" to people who wonder what type of nursing I do, their immediate response always is in relation to the amount of money I am bringing home… as if that can define me as a successful nurse. In my opinion, money is great, but does that really get you the most out of your travel assignments? Let's talk about it! While we are on the topic of money, let's discuss its relevance to travel assignments. Do I make more money than I did as a staff nurse? Yes! Does that mean making that money is easy? ABSOLUTELY NOT! I'll explain this further in these three topics: travel, career and housing experiences.

Housing

When thinking about taking your next assignment, ideally most travelers look for higher paying rates. There's nothing wrong with that! However, it is important to consider the area that you will be going to. What's the cost of living there? Is it higher than where you are currently? If so, it would make more sense to earn more, simply because living there is more expensive. When I look at it this way, most times when I take the "higher paying" assignment, I am breaking even. Taking home the same amount of money as I would have at a lower rated travel assignment, because it's in a low-cost area. Let me give you an example.... I am from Maryland and decided to start working in North Carolina when I began traveling. Doesn't everyone move south for the winter or because it's cheaper?

When I decided to search for where I was going next, I was interested in the west coast. Oregon, Washington and California were paying double what I was making at the time, so of course I wanted to apply. However, once I hopped on Furnished Finder and Airbnb, I quickly realized living there is not cheap. I have a family to move cross country and I would not be doing that to stay in a tiny apartment in the city that costs the same as a 4-bedroom home with a fenced in yard in NC. I also had to consider the actual move itself, compliance requirements like obtaining certifications I had to pay for, and cost of obtaining a new license. So as far as money goes for me it was not worth it. To get the most out of your money with traveling, weigh the options that work for you. I also had a mortgage back in Maryland on top of renting a place, which gets pricey!

Travel Experience

To get the most out of traveling I highly recommend trying for assignments in areas you WANT to go to and not just based on what the pay is. Three months can be a long time at a place you are not too fond of, so make sure you do your research in the areas you are looking to take an assignment in. , I don't mind extending my assignments here and there if I enjoy the hospital or area because I am not at that point yet in life that I want to settle down. I want to travel while I can, be on vacation while I work and see new places and explore new things. As mentioned, I want to try to get out west because I have never been. A good old fashioned family road trip cross-country sounds amazing to me. If I get an assignment in a state I have never visited, but always wanted to visit, like Washington for example, that would be so exciting. I could do ALL the things, hiking, eat the good food and visit friends I haven't seen in years. All these things I couldn't possibly fit in on a week's trip. Then I could hop around to a neighboring state, like Montana, and live the mountain lifestyle away from all hustle and bustle. Travel nurse to experience the world, not just work.

Work/Career Experience

When considering travel nursing, also consider if you are secure and content in your current specialty. When traveling, there is little room for change of dynamics. What I mean is switching specialties is not easily obtainable. If your specialty is medical surgical you will not be able to take a travel assignment in the ED or ICU because that's where the money is; you will need to be trained and seasoned in these specialties.