When you are looking for housing as a travel nurse, a lot of the time, your search for places that are fully furnished will overlap with vacationers looking for a furnished place to rent during their time away. With the number of people being vaccinated for Covid 19 is on the rise, there is a good chance people will be spending even more time this summer traveling to touristy areas.
Luckily, if you use a site like Furnished Finder, you can hopefully avoid some of this overlap. However, some landlords will still rent across more than one platform, meaning the cost of living could still go up during a busy season in certain areas. Here are a few ways to plan ahead for this scenario and still be able to find affordable travel nurse housing.
Tips for finding affordable travel nurse housing:
Do Your Research
The worst thing you can do is sign a contract with what you believe is a decent rate and then get blindsided by “high season” rental rates. In the winter, northern states or areas with lots of skiing availability may see a spike in rental prices. During the summer or around Spring Break, warmer areas will see a rise in the cost of living. If you aren’t sure if there is a seasonal swing in the area where you will be living, reach out on a housing Facebook group.
Contact Landlords Directly
Another huge advantage to renting from a site like Furnished Finder is you can make direct contact with landlords. Rather than just having to take rental prices at face value, you may be able to find better rates if you can explain that you will be renting for longer than someone on vacation. Guaranteed income can sometimes win out over higher rates from tourists in a landlord’s mind.
Look for Higher Travel Nurse Pay Packages
Some hospitals might be aware that during a busy tourist season, their normal rates will not suffice for short-term housing. If you really want to get to a certain location but are afraid you won’t be able to afford travel nurse housing, try to wait it out until you see a really great rate for that area. You never know what might pop up, so just be ready to jump on the contract if it is in an area you really want to get to.
Consider a Roommate
If you are single and travel solo, this is usually a fairly easy way to save some money on travel nurse housing. You can look for travel nurse roommates on any of the big travel nurse Facebook groups or even reach out to your recruiter to see if they have anyone else living in the area. Chances are, other travel nurses also want to avoid paying vacation prices for their short-term rental, so they may be eager to split rent with another traveler.
Think of it as a “Working Vacation”
If you’ve done your research, watched contract prices for a while, and still cannot find what you would define as acceptable prices for housing, you may have to realize that this particular location won’t have the whole package available–ever. Some locations are notorious for being low-paying with a higher cost of living. Hawaii is a good example of this. Most veteran travelers will tell you that if you really want to experience these particular locations, your best bet is to go in expecting to pocket very little extra money and perhaps have money set aside for all of the fun expenses that come along with these more expensive spots.
The biggest thing you need to take away is that prices for short-term housing will naturally fluctuate in areas where there are seasonal activities or desirable seasonal weather. There are still travel nurses who take assignments in these areas year-round, so obviously, it is doable! You just have to decide what the best choice is for you and your financial situation and make the best housing choices you can.
We hope you found these tips for finding affordable travel nurse housing helpful. Have you found any other ways to find affordable travel nurse housing? Comment them below if you would like to share your tips for finding affordable travel nurse housing.
