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While many travel nurses might be just fine staying in an Airbnb or a rented room, some adventurous souls prefer an RV or van as their home away from home. While the “van life” might not be right for everyone, travel nursing from an RV works for a wide variety of travelers, including couples, solo travelers, and even families with children. For all of them, at least for a while, living and traveling in an RV works better than paying for short-term housing. Below is travel nursing from an RV information and tips from fellow travelers.
Travel nursing from an RV:
Travel nursing adventure life in an Astro van
Travel ICU nurse Bob Goldnetz loved the van life because it gave him more freedom to explore the country. When he was on assignment, he’d explore the area and find places to enjoy the outdoors.
A car didn’t work because he needed something that would carry his two bikes, climbing gear, a surfboard, and more—and give him a place to sleep and do some camp-style cooking. That’s how he ended up getting into the van life. He upgraded to the four-wheel-drive Astro van after blowing out the struts on his first van on bumpy backroads. He built the van with basics, like a place to sleep, storage, and essential cooking gear.
For him, it provided the “on-the-go” life he wanted.
“I’d much rather pull over to the side of the road where no one is, make an egg burrito, and wake up to the sound of the waves than the hotel,” Bob says.
And between assignments, with the van, he could adventure all along the way to the next assignment and hang out somewhere because the surf is good, the weather perfect, or because he met buddies to go biking or rock climbing with.
RV life with family
Julie Stoddard, a travel dialysis nurse, brings her husband and their two children along on her assignments – all while living in an RV. For her family, this offers lots of flexibility and opportunities for adventures.
How does it work for them with school-age kids?
“We homeschool,” Julie says. I maintain the state standard in our lessons. I find the state tests online, and the kids usually test out early, and then we move on to the next grade.”
Stoddard says that they bring a second car while on the road. “That way, they can adventure during the day while I’m working.”
One of the biggest benefits was living in the RV while they remodeled their house. “The house just had electricity and walls. I was lucky enough to be on a travel assignment at that time. We parked the camper right by the house we renovated so my husband could work on that while I was working.”
Another reason that they are embracing the RV life?
“Monetarily, it was actually cheaper for us to get the camper, pay for it outright, and pay monthly at sites versus doing Airbnb. And then you’re not going into a stranger’s home. You don’t have to worry about messing anything up; the kids don’t have to worry about spilling anything.”
Bucket list adventures on the road
Mike Brown, an OR travel nurse, lives in a fifth wheel with his wife and their Irish Setter. His family has come along on nearly every assignment except for one of the two assignments he took in Alaska.
“Most of the places we go, we plan and find locations near where we’ve always wanted to go. One assignment we picked was in Wyoming, an hour away from Yellowstone. We had never been to Yellowstone, which was on our bucket list, so we chose that assignment. We use it as a way to go places we want to see,” he says.
A travel nursing pair in their fifth wheel
William and April Cantwell are home health nurses. They met while William was on assignment where April worked. Now, they’re both travel nurses, traveling with their young child in a fifth wheel.
They go on all assignments together as “a package deal,” and they put their son, Bradley, in daycare if they work on the same days.
It has allowed them to travel while doing what they love — travel nursing.
They’ve seen the Grand Canyon and taken a trip to Disney World over one summer. They also took a weekend trip to New Orleans during their Columbia assignment, something they’ve always wanted to do.
For April, the travel experience is especially exciting. “When you grow up in a small town in Arkansas, it’s pretty neat to see different parts of the world.”
Going places
Living in a van or RV as a travel nurse is another option for the usual housing travel nurses stay in, and it’s another way to pocket more money. It offers a unique blend of freedom, flexibility, and adventure, letting you enjoy quality time with your family or friends while exploring the U.S. on your travel nurse adventures.
We hope you found this article on travel nursing from an RV helpful. If you utilize an RV for housing and have travel nursing from an RV tips please share them below.
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