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Meet the Couple: Chris + Lesley
Chris and Lesley have been travel nurses for 2.5 years and together for the last five years (married for two!). They met on a dating site, though they like to tell people they met on Craigslist’s casual encounters. Chris and Lesley like to travel and explore nature, learn about different cultures, and find the best hole-in-the-wall eateries and craft beers (Chris is a huge fan).
Lesley is currently between assignments (she’s at a private-duty job on the side) taking a break to do some international travel while Chris is working for the US Embassy in Pakistan.
Discover your dream travel assignment here.
Why did you get into travel nursing?Lesley: We initially got into travel nursing to pay for our wedding, but we fell in love with traveling so much that we decided to continue. We have met so many wonderful people along the way and have experienced so much together in a short amount of time. It’s definitely made us a stronger couple with the challenges of traveling together!
Chris: For me it has been a goal, and when my life finally allowed me to go, I seized the opportunity. I had just asked Lesley to marry me right before we started our first contract. We made it our goal to travel nurse, so we could pay for our wedding. Now, that we’re married, we continue to travel nurse because we love it.
Chris: A pro is you always have someone to travel with not only to explore, but someone who can takeover driving cross country. Also, when you start at a new hospital and you’re on two different floors, you get to meet twice as many people — you make friends so much faster.
If you work on the same unit, then you never get any time apart, which can be a con. This happened to us for a couple of contracts and you begin to really appreciate your alone time.
Lesley: Pros of traveling together — he does all the heavy lifting! We travel with a travel trailer, so he handles the majority of that. I also have someone I trust if I have nursing-related questions. Chris is a very intelligent nurse is is well-respected at all of the facilities we’ve traveled to (I’m so proud to call him my husband!) One con of traveling together is living in our small travel trailer, especially when we both were on night shift and working opposite nights.
Chris: Take it slow and do your research. Join FaceBook groups and read discussions, ask questions, and soak up as much knowledge as you can. Also, no matter how many years experience you have, you are the new nurse every assignment.
Discuss as a couple what your goals are as travel nurses and stick to them — Is it to pay off debt? See the country? Or, to to decide where to settle down?
Communication is key! It’ll cut down on the stresses that packing, moving, and resettling every 13 weeks can put on a relationship.
Chris and Lesley
Lesley: Be open minded and flexible. Your wish list of places and/or facilities may not work out, so explore all of your options. Find a recruiter that the both of you trust and have a good relationship with. Also, one of you my have an assignment while the other doesn’t — always have a backup plan and money saved up!
Chris: Definitely, Alaska, and either Guam or Hawaii. I want Barrow, Alaska above the Arctic Circle, but I may have to compromise for something more mild like Anchorage.
Lesley: Alaska has always been on our bucket list travel destination! Neither of us have ever been, and we’ve talked about how great of an experience it would be.
Explore the country while doing what you love! Click here to connect with a recruiter.
Meet the Couple: Krystal & Nick
Krystal and Nick have been nurses for about 2.5 years and been dating for 1.5 years. They met on Instagram through the unintentional matchmaking skills of Angelina from @travelnursinginsider after Nick happened upon a photo of Krystal and DM’d her. That DM turned into phone calls, then FaceTime dates, then to a handful of flights out to Vegas, where Krystal was living. Soon Nick was living there too.
Krystal and Nick enjoy everything from hiking and camping to binge-watching their favorite show (currently, This Is Us, though Nick won’t admit it). Avid readers and self-proclaimed wine connoisseurs, they also like to cook and work out (Nick runs. Krystal runs to Target.)
Discover your dream travel assignment here.
Krystal: Travel nursing sounded exciting and challenging (it 100 percent is!) and I knew I’d regret it if I didn’t try. But, it wasn’t until I met Nick and we talked about doing it together that I was ready to take the leap.
Nick: I like challenges and to test my ability to adapt to the way the new unit works, new charting systems, new policies, etc. Being a travel nurse has boosted my nursing self-confidence and is great experience. I also love to travel and meet new people.
Krystal: Having the opportunity to explore a new place with your best friend is a big pro, but it can be tough if your schedules don’t line up. Currently, I’m on night shift and Nick is on day shift. Traveling together has made us stronger — it hasn’t always been easy, but we’ve managed to support one another and make it work.
Nick: It’s a great testament to your relationship if you can work through the stresses of frequently moving and traveling together. It’s also pretty great to get to share the experience of a new city with someone you love. There would be a lot of FOMO if one of us was traveling without the other! You have to be more flexible to find contracts that accommodate both of you, though — we’ve had to compromise for two contracts that are at the same hospital with same dates.
Krystal: Have patience! It took us awhile to find contracts that worked for both of us, since we’re in different specialities. Be willing to compromise a little too — I wasn’t thrilled that Nick and I would be on opposite shifts, but ultimately, we knew it wouldn’t stop us from enjoying our free time together.
Have patience with each other too. You’re going to learn a lot about each other — somethings you’ll love and others not so much. Be able to acknowledge when you need some space or “me” time.
Pro Tip: Find a travel nurse recruiter who has patience to give you the attention you need as a couple.
Nick and Krystal
Also, hospitals can be fluid with position start dates. We found that submitting applications for contracts and then telling the interviewing managers about our unique situation has encouraged some flexibility on the hospital’s part. When I interviewed for my current unit, I told the manager that I was traveling with my fiancée and we were a package deal. He worked with HR and they placed her in a unit quickly!
Nick: Seattle, of course! It’s been our only assignment, but prior to coming we heard from our travel nurse friends how great we’d be treated here. The hospitals are incredible, the mountains are gorgeous, and the food delicious.
Krystal: Yes! The mountains are incredibly beautiful and it’s so green. After living in Vegas for so long, I’ve also learned to appreciate how much water there is around here.
Krystal: After this assignment, we’re going to pause on travel nursing for a bit. But, when we pick it up again, we’d love to go to California, Alaska, and maybe out of the country!
Nick: I’m starting graduate school in May to study to be an Acute Care Nurse Practitioner, which is forcing us to pause on traveling. If we start back up, then definitely California, Alaska, and potentially Hawaii.
Explore the country while doing what you love! Click here to connect with a recruiter.
Meet the couple: Chase & Lindsay
Best friends who are also married, Chase and Lindsay are currently RV-living full-time with their cat, Moka. They met at WVU during their freshman year of nursing school, and have been together for over five years, married for over three.
Their primary interest is traveling, but their other hobbies include photography, drones/videography, hiking, snorkeling, and woodworking. Their woodworking hobby is a side business too — funding their travel adventures and helping pay off student loan debt.
Guilty pleasures: local food and craft breweries.
Discover your dream travel assignment here.
Lindsay: We both worked staff for four years and were always planning trips every month to go explore somewhere new. The wanderlust was real. We decided that travel nursing was the perfect balance of nursing and traveling for us. We started getting serious about a year ago, did the research, bought the RV, and started the journey. You get paid to travel, what more could you possibly want!?
Chase: We also talked to other nurses at our home hospital who had done travel nursing and were able to ask a ton of questions. I have to give credit to Lindsay though — she did hours of research online and got us set up with recruiters. Before we knew it, we were actually planning our first assignment. Now, here we are six months later totally enjoying this adventure together.
Chase: The biggest pro of traveling together is that we get to experience everything together and be there to support each other. We both admit that doing this alone would be significantly more difficult. One con is that some facilities are hesitant to hire couples, but if we ever get turned down for a job, we know it wasn’t meant to be and keep looking.
Lindsay: I would say the pros totally outweigh the cons. I love having Chase to adventure with and to vent to after a long, demanding shift. It beats traveling alone any day! To us, being together is a MAJOR plus, but to some it may be tough. When travel nursing together, you have the potential to be around each other 24/7, so alone time and personal space may be a con for some.
Also, we have to find two job openings in the same unit for the same shift since we both specialize in CVICU nursing. That can really narrow down the job search for us and may be considered a con.
Chase: Be professional. Often people don’t even know we’re married or traveling together. Their reactions are priceless when they find out.
Lindsay: What Chase said! We had a physical therapist at our current assignment try to set us up before she found out we were married.
Another piece of advice is to try and work the same shift (not necessarily the same schedule, but the same shift). It would be too hard for us if one worked days and the other nights.
Chase: We’ve completed one contract in Orlando and are now on our extension. We’ve been able to explore both Florida coasts and a few natural springs. The natural springs here are something to experience!
Lindsay: We’re currently in Orlando, Florida and loving it! The assignment is busy and challenging and we love the location. Orlando is central, you can take day trips almost anywhere in the state. There is a lot to do and explore.
Chase: Our hope is to head west and explore. Some states in mind are Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, Washington, and Oregon. Then, we hope to travel to Alaska and Hawaii.
Lindsay: This is such a hard question, because I want to see everything. My top destinations are Alaska, Hawaii, the PNW, Arizona, and possibly Guam or St. Thomas in no particular order.
Explore the country while doing what you love! Click here to connect with a recruiter.
Looking for love is hard, but it can be especially challenging for those who travel for work. Travel nursing is no exception. But, what if you could increase your odds by taking your next travel assignment in a dating-friendly city.
WalletHub recently compared more than 180 cities across the U.S. on three key dimensions of dating-friendliness — economics, fun and recreation, and dating opportunities. Then they evaluated each dimension on 34 metrics, from the number of singles in an area to the nightlife options per capita to restaurant-meal cost. View the entire list of cities and WalletHub’s full methodology.
All 180 cities seemed a bit overwhelming, so below are the top 20 cities for singles that made the list.
Get started on your adventure. Find open assignments here.
Get started on your adventure. Find open assignments here.
Whether you’re currently with someone, looking for love, or casually dating, relationships take work. And, if you layer in consistent traveling, then you increase the challenges.
Learn from travel nurses who have navigated the dating world while on assignment:
6 Ways to Make Dating Work with Travel Nursing
The Pros and Cons of Long-Distance Relationships
Also, read about how other couples met and thrived in their relationships while travel nursing:
Travel Nurse Interview (Couple Edition): Chase + Lindsay
Travel Nurse Interview (Couple Edition): Krystal + Nick
Travel Nurse Interview (Couple Edition): Chris + Lesley
Everyone has a dream location they would like to be a travel nurse at. Some want the ocean. Some want the mountains. Some want rural. Some like the big cities. There seems to be something out there for everyone.
“I don’t think nurses find it hard at all to determine what destinations they would like to pursue,” says Kat Griffin, senior recruiting consultant at Republic Health Resources. “With more and more states becoming compact, it’s also becoming easier for nurses to bypass licensing processes.”
She adds that some nurses find it hard to be flexible when the market changes.
“When there are no openings in the destinations they prefer, then often they have to look elsewhere. Or if the money isn’t good where they want to go, then it’s better for them to be flexible and look at other locations,” she explains.
“It’s is a little more difficult for a new traveler to decide on their first destination, but mainly because this is a new venture for them,” Griffin says.
There also is some hesitation on which hospital to work at, or how far to travel from home. Some new travelers are very adventurous and open to going anywhere for the first time.
But most times, a new traveler will stick to in-state or neighboring states, “in case things don’t work out.” This makes them more comfortable.
“As a recruiter, it’s my job to make their transition to traveling as smooth as possible. This is why I always try to suggest some of our more popular hospitals, whom we know are more travel-friendly and have great traveler reviews.”
Looking for your next travel nurses location? Click here!
This will vary. But for the most part, the older nurses and more seasoned travelers know exactly where they do and don’t want to go, Griffin adds.
They tend to be less flexible. Younger travelers and ones that don’t typically have a lot of family ties yet, seem to be more free-spirited when it comes to choosing a destination.
“When helping a traveler decide where they want to go next, I try to find out more about them,” she says. What weather they prefer, if they like rural or urban areas, and if they enjoy outdoor activities or social events.
She also questions them about what is most important to them when looking for their next assignment. Is it money, location or the shift they work? This helps her determine their motivation, and even how flexible they may be.
“If giving advice, I would tell the nurse to consider all the above. But they should remember that in travel nursing, you have to go where the jobs are. So, flexibility is key,” Griffin states.
Need a new travel nursing agency? Find one here!
It’s great if you can get all of the things you want including the money, location and the shift you prefer. But more often than not, you will only get two, she says.
Plus, nurses really should try to look at traveling as an adventure. There will be bad assignments. But you should always be able to learn something from each of them.
Flexibility always will play a huge role in choosing an assignment, Griffin says. Finding good assignments takes some research by both the nurse and recruiter. There are many sources available to find current feedback on hospitals. Recruiters will have an idea of where the good assignments are, too, based on their experience and feedback. But in the end, the less flexible a nurse is, the more challenging it is to find a good assignment.
“Most times, these bucket-list locations are more broad, like a whole state such as California, Hawaii, and Alaska,” she says. “From my experience, once a nurse has traveled for a while, they tend to circle back to where they’ve been before because they know the area, and they are comfortable with the hospital. With many, I think this becomes more important with time.”
See where you can go! Amazing travel nursing jobs up to $2,300/week.
As every travel nurse knows, all that time away from home can begin to wear on you. You may even begin to forget why you started the journey in the first place. Sometimes, you just need a little inspiration, a reminder to rekindle that sense of adventure you had in the beginning.
These five books will not only bring all the romance of the road back, but they’ll make you a better human being. After all, this is literature – the stuff great dreams are made of!
Start your travel nursing adventure here!
Along with our favorite books about the road, we’ve also included a couple that are a bit more practical in nature. These page-turners will help you get through any rough patches you face along the way.
1. On The Road, Jack Kerouac
The quintessential story of the American road trip, Kerouac’s telling of freedom, generosity, and longing established him as the voice of the Beat Generation. His jazz-like prose captured the heart of the 50’s underground movement and proves to be an inspirational work with lasting importance.
2. The Alchemist, Paulo Coelho
Don’t let the diminutive size of this novel fool you, its depth and heart are larger than books ten times its length. A fable about following your dreams, it centers on an Andalusian shepherd boy who longs to travel in search for riches. Ultimately, his journey leads him to something of far greater value.
3. Travel Nurse’s Bible (A Guide to Everything on Travel Nursing), David Morrison
This comprehensive guide to travel nursing manages to provide a wealth of useful information in an enjoyable, easy-to-read manner. It covers every aspect of travel nursing including qualifications, personality traits, staffing agencies, and even tax considerations. The author also offers personalized assistance to anyone seeking a travel nursing career.
4. Cruising Attitude: Tales of Crashpads, Crew Drama, and Crazy Passengers at 35,000 Feet by Heather Poole
Not surprisingly, flight attendants share a lot of the same experiences as travel nurses. This hilariously charming account will not only give you an insider’s view from the jumpseat, but will keep you entertained as you navigate yourself through the friendly skies.
5. I Wasn’t Strong Like This When I Started Out: True Stories of Becoming a Nurse by Lee Gutkind
This incredible collection of personal narratives reveals the diverse and dynamic lives of nurses in many different stages of their careers. Working in the frontline of patient care can be as stressful as it is rewarding, and the reflections of these writers can help you when you’re struggling against burnout or bureaucracy.
Nurses are often an inspiration to those around them — so much so that people tend to forget that they could use a little inspiration themselves. What books help keep you inspired?
It’s the middle of summer, which means it’s also the middle of beach season. There’s something at the beach for everyone and fortunately for travel nurses, one of the best beaches in the nation can be a quick drive away – or possibly right across the street! Finding the perfect city that also happens to be close to a beach is much easier than you might expect.
New travel nursing jobs available here.
When people think of Washington state, the first thing that comes to mind is usually rain and evergreen trees. While that’s not entirely untrue, there’s a lot more that this west coast state has to offer.
The beaches in Washington state come in all types of varieties. There are sandy beaches that draw big crowds whenever the sun comes out, and there are rockier beaches that are excellent for finding a secluded area for kayaking or jumping in the water.
There’s really no way to rank the best destinations for beaches without mentioning Hawaii. Hawaii is one of the most beautiful areas in the world, home to volcanoes, forests and, of course, beaches.
One reason Hawaiian beaches are to die for is the great weather that Hawaii is famous for. Sure, it’s not perfectly sunny year round. However, it will be easier than not to find a day to enjoy beaches that people travel across the world for.
Explore the country while getting paid! Find assignments in your dream city here.
Alabama isn’t usually on people’s list for great beach destinations. That makes sense, considering Alabama only has a little over 50 miles of coastline, but the coastline Alabama does have is definitely worth getting excited about – especially since their weather is consistently warm.
Many of the beaches in Alabama are long and sandy making them perfect destinations for weekend retreats or day trips. Also take into account that you’ll be able to get some of the best seafood on the Alabama coast and it’s hard to think of reasons not to travel to Alabama.
Discover new travel assignments in your specialty here.
Fun fact: Florida has the second largest coastline of any state (after Alaska). Not only does Florida offer beaches in the Gulf and Atlantic coast, but Florida also shares the same waters as the Bahamas.
Travel nurses should be sure to check out Miami, Tampa and Jacksonville if they are looking to be right on the beach.
Who said the best beaches had to connect to the ocean? Michigan borders four of the five Great Lakes, and each of them is much more impressive than expected. Michigan beaches can get a little chilly to visit during the winter, but during the summer they are just as good as any ocean beach you’d find.
See the country while getting paid – find open assignments here
New Jersey gets a bad rep because of certain people, but it can actually be an awesome place to take a travel nursing assignment in. Jersey beaches are severely underrated, and all it takes is one visit to realize it.
The best beaches in New Jersey are easily reachable from Atlantic City. Those willing to travel farther to get to the beach may even consider taking an assignment in Newark or Jersey City.
California and Nevada share one of the most appreciated lakes in the country: Lake Tahoe. Because it’s in the mountain, Tahoe beaches can get frigid in the winter, but waiting until the summer is totally worth it. Not only are the beaches beautiful and the weather great, but water visibility is usually around 70 ft – meaning you can see clearly 70 ft down into the water.
Discover your dream travel assignment here.
And such concludes our list of the top beach locations for nurses! Did we miss anywhere great that you visited on a previous travel nursing assignment?
Nursing is a labor of love. Like most labor, it can be exhausting, frustrating, and often times, thankless. What gets you through it and keeps you coming back for more? Some would say caffeine or pillow-screaming, but I think the best remedy is to share some laughs with your nurse compadres. These memes perfectly sum up what it’s like to be a nurse at my hospital.
Travel nurses make up to $10k a month plus a sign-on bonus. Get paid today!
The time is now! Start your travel nursing adventure today!
Forget hospital politics. Enjoy the freedom that comes with being a travel nurse.
For some, the greatest attraction of travel nursing is the adventure of visiting new places, making new friends, and enjoying unique experiences; for others, it’s the high salary that makes it worthwhile. One thing is for sure, traveling can be expensive, but doing so as a travel nurse can help you rake in some seriously big bucks.
Many would argue that high pay is just reflective of a high cost of living; however, a substantial contributor to this is the high cost of housing. In this regard, travel nurses are in luck because most travel nursing agencies will pay for housing or include a stipend commensurate with local housing costs.
Here’s a list of states with the five highest salaries for nurses, along with highlights and cost of living in each state.
Explore the country while getting paid! Find assignments in your dream city here.
The Golden State boasts some of the best weather in the country, along with the highest salaries for nurses. The hourly rate for RNs in California averages $48.68.1 Meanwhile, the demand for nurses is higher than most states because California law requires specific nurse-to-patient ratios.
California is ranked as the third most expensive state to live in.2 And while it has a very high cost of living, housing costs are the main factor, eating up an average 33% of a resident’s income.3 Since your travel nursing agency pays for your accommodations, this affords you a significant boost in spending power.
Discover all the excitement of a nursing assignment in California. Sign up today.
The cost of living in Hawaii is the highest in the nation.2 Despite this, everyone still wants to live here, and can you blame them? With its beautiful beaches, tropical climate, and rich local culture, Hawaii is a travel nurse’s dream. Like California, a relatively disproportionate amount of Hawaiians’ income is spent on housing, putting travel nurses in a strong financial position.3
The majestic scenery and pristine waters of Alaska will have you reveling in all its natural beauty as you cash in on the high demand for qualified nurses. Paying an average of $42.55 per hour,1 Alaska is a veritable gold mine. Additionally, housing costs are 38% above the national average,3 making your housing allowance even more valuable.
One of the earliest proponents of the organic, sustainable, and “slow food” movements, Oregon has established itself as a mecca for quirky, progressive creatives, offering some of the highest wages for RNs with an average of $40.29 per hour.1 Though the housing costs are relatively high,2 Oregon beats out every other state on this list for food and other living expenses.3 In fact, transportation costs in Oregon fall below the national average and gas stations are mandated to pump your gas for you4.
The New England state that is home to so many significant moments in U.S. history is also one of the few states whose law mandates a specific nurse to patient ratio in hospital ICUs. With the hourly wage for nurses paying an average of $43.331, you’ll be making history of your own as you explore the Boston Harbor, visit Plymouth Rock, enjoy music at world-famous Tanglewood, visit Emily Dickinson’s home, or walk along the roads of Paul Revere’s Midnight Ride.
Though it ranks as the 4th most costly state to live,2 housing costs can be as high as 50%5 of a normal resident’s income; luckily, you won’t be just a “normal” resident.
There are many benefits of being a travel nurse, and the earning potential in these five states could make those benefits even better. Best of luck exploring your options in these locations that will give you more bang for your nursing buck!
Explore new frontiers. Find out where travel nursing can take you.
Sources:
1. “Occupational Employment and Wages for Registered Nurses.” US Bureau of Labor Statistics. BLS.gov. May 2015. Web. Accessed Jan 2017.
2. “Cost of Living Data Series.” Missouri Economic Research and Information Center. Missourieconomy.org. Oct 2016. Web. Accessed Jan 2017.
3. “What percentage of Household Income is Spent on Rent in Each State?”. Overflow Data. Overflow.Solutions. Oct 2016. Web. Accessed Jan 2017.
4. “Why can’t Oregonians pump their own gas? Let us count the reasons.” The Oregonian. Blog.Oregon.Live. Feb 2012. Web. Accessed Jan 2017.
5. “Housing puts heavy burden on many in Greater Boston.” The Boston Globe. Bostonglobe.com. May 2015. Web. Accessed Jan 2017.
