Triage Healthcare Staffing provided this article.
Lots of times, nurses think they can only be travel nurses if they’re travel nursing on their own. Either they’re single or leave their families and spouses at home while they go off on an adventure alone. If you’re interested in travel nursing with a family, see how these travelers make it work.
Travel Nursing with Your Family: How Others Make it Work:
Travel Nursing With a Partner Who’s a Remote Worker
If your partner is a remote worker, they may be able to join you on the road. One of the positive things that came out of the pandemic was how common remote work became for office workers. Before 2020, a lot of companies were against remote working, thinking that employees needed to be in the office to work effectively, but many have loosened that requirement. If your partner can easily work from anywhere, you’ve got a built-in travel buddy.
If your partner is traveling with you, check to make sure your housing is work-from-home friendly. This might be a corporate housing apartment or private Airbnb, so your partner can easily work during the day. Before you book your housing arrangements, make sure that there’s strong WIFI that’s included so you don’t end up spending money each day upgrading your WIFI.
Travel Nursing with a Partner Who’s a Travel Healthcare Pro
If you and your partner are both healthcare professionals, it will take a little extra work to make sure you’re both in the same city and even more if you want to be at the same facility with the same shifts. One way to do this is to use the same recruiter as a resource. If you’re a travel nurse and your partner is a lab tech, make sure you’re working with an agency that has both types of contracts.
Traveling PTs Kari and Tyler love traveling together because they always have a buddy to explore a new area.
“Having each other never makes you feel too far from home because you always have your person ‘home’ with you. However, it can be difficult to find two assignments at the same time. What makes it more difficult for us is that we are a little pickier about setting and location. We see pair jobs pop up often, but not always in settings we are willing to work. Having a recruiter who knows your interests and has your best interests in mind is key to being successful as a travel duo,” said Kari.
Travel Nursing With Kids
If you’re travel nursing with a partner and kids, you’ll want to look for housing near some kid-friendly activities, especially if you’re only taking one car while on assignment. You’ll definitely want to look for an apartment or at least a hotel suite with a separate sleeping area for your kiddo, so you have a place to relax if you’re working long hours or nights. Traveler Cindy travels with her husband and small daughter and suggests Furnished Finder after finding scams on Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace.
One of Cindy’s favorite things about traveling with her family is the ability to explore new places as well as looking for a permanent place to call home.
“We love to explore the new city, museums, aquariums, zoos, parks, and the best restaurants and ice cream parlors. We are looking for our next place to live permanently and want to experience as many parts of the country that we have interest in as we can,” said Cindy.
Traveling gives Cindy’s husband, James, the freedom to attend online school while staying home to care for their little girl. She sometimes attends preschool, which gives her some interaction with other kids while allowing James time to focus on his studies while Cindy’s working. It’s an arrangement that takes a little effort but is well worth it, according to Cindy.
Travel Nursing With a Pet
Your four-legged buddies can be just as much of your family, but it can make finding housing more difficult, especially if your pet is bigger. Traveling PT Kari says their dog Spencer also has a vet in almost every state. He’s been rushed to the emergency vet after a snake attack in Louisiana, sprayed by a skunk, and even taken into work.
“The best part about traveling with a pet is having someone who is always so happy to see you! It is also great to see how much he loves to explore new places—he loves to adventure as much as we do. He is our little piece of home that is always with us,” said Kari.
Are you interested in travel nursing with your family? Triage staffs the best and brightest travel nursing, laboratory, radiology, cardiopulmonary, and rehab therapy professionals in facilities across the country. Visit our job board of travel nurse jobs, many with pay listed.
Our job board is a great place to search for your next travel nurse assignment. We have you covered with our housing page if housing is an issue. You can search for what you are looking for.
