Why Travel Nursing? Discovering Your Reasons to Travel

So you are facing some changes and considering travel nursing. You might have even contacted a recruiting agent and making some decisions on which company to work with. Before you get too far down that road though, I suggest considering some intentions for your travel. 
Firstly, pay is the smallest of reasons to consider travel nursing. Sure, recruitment techniques always brag about pay, but I have found little improvement in take home pay while traveling when you consider expenses for living in the area. My current permanent salary far exceeds any travel assignment pay and that's before paid benefits, leaving me to scoff at recruiter enticements of pay. 

The main reason I have found travel pay to be lucrative is that I no longer had home maintenance and upkeep to contend with, Mary and I also reduced to a one vehicle couple.
Trust me on this, if pay is your only motivation for travel you will be lonly, miserable, and burnt out in a short time. 

So why travel then? 

I have found it difficult to travel as a tourist on nurse pay, but taking travel assignments can change all that. Visiting long distance family can be a motivation for an assignment and provide more time than just a holiday visit. 

I have a friend who is an avid snowboarding fan, guess where he spends winter assignments? One of my traveling goals is to avoid winter weather all together, which might explain my current Hawaii residence. 

Yet, another nurse might choose to follow the changing seasons along eastern coast being sure to view the autumn leaves change. If, so starting in Maine during summer may be a great start. 

Advancing your career might be a motivation as well. Sure hospitals want experience, but that doesn't mean you won't learn something or be exposed to new learning opportunities at various teaching hospitals. 

If you are learning to speak Spanish there's great communities to live in and experience immersion with the culture. San Diego was a big help for me in mine. 

Taking assignments means we can take extended time off if we choose. This concept blows aways folks holding a steady permanent position, as I saw when moving to Hawaii. Your extended vacation might be Europe or South America, it won't seem so impossible when you are accustomed to living a traveler's lifestyle. 

There are other opportunities as well, have you considered working on a cruise ship, a large summer camp or resort? 

Taking charge of your travel life is not much different than taking control over your life. Find your dreams, turn them into intentions and then call a recruiter. 

This post is dedicated to Reanne, whose spirit for adventure is an inspiration.