Is Travel Nursing Worth The Money?

You might have been contemplating travel nursing for a while, but you have been wondering if it’s worth the pay. Is it too good to be true? Travel nursing has a few things to consider, but the biggest concern is whether the pay is worth it for you.

Travel nursing pay is most likely worth it! There are a few different ways you can maximize the take-home pay for traveling. You can pick an assignment that might be long hours in the short term. You can maximize housing to bring home the most pay. You can also change your mindset to take on adventure as your form of payment!

Longer Hours with More Pay

When picking an assignment that has longer hours but more pay, you can think of it in two ways. One way to make traveling worth the money is to pick your assignments and contracts and then take breaks between each contract. Another way is to take on two or three contracts in a row with extra hours to maximize pay, then reap the rewards after all the hard work you put in. Some contracts during the pandemic have required five 12-hour shifts per week, but paid extremely high wages. Be aware of the exhaustion you may experience when choosing a contract with built-in overtime.

Some travel contracts may be full-time or part-time. To make extra money, this would mean working more hours than per week, not necessarily longer days.

Maximizing Housing

How can you maximize housing to bring home the most pay? You can opt for finding your own housing instead of the agency, and keeping the housing stipend. Look for an Airbnb or VRBO to stay in during your contract. Check out Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist for cheaper places to stay. Make a post on your social media for any local friends that might know someone who has a place! You can join local Facebook groups in the area, or stay with friends and family if you have any in the area. You can also contact local realtors for rental options.

When you find your own housing, you can save money by finding a roommate or if you have a family, by house swapping. There are also places you can “couch surf” and find cheaper housing that way. There are limitless ways you can maximize housing if you look for them! This would make travel nursing well worth the pay.

Adventure Mindset

You already may have an adventure mindset, or be willing to take the risk to do some traveling. You can think of travel nursing as a way to see different places that you wouldn’t otherwise have been able to see! Pick an area where t you can sight-see on your days off.

New experiences and adventures can make it better to accept a contract with average pay rates if you’re interested in exploring the area. The memories are priceless, and will last a lifetime. When you open your mind to new possibilities that travel nursing can offer, you open your life to new doors.

So is travel nursing worth it for the money? Yes, it can be worth the money. You can make traveling a part of your career, try it out and see how you like it. You won’t ever know until you start the journey, so make the decision and seek what your heart is calling you to do!

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Author

Kara Johnson is a registered nurse entrepreneur with a passion for new moms and babies. Kara is a mom to six and enjoys writing, reading, audiobooks, learning, educating, semi-crunchy living, knitting, coffee, hikes and good friends! Kara lives in Alaska with her husband and six children and currently works from home to be with the kids. She also has a passion for faith and family, and loves meeting new people.