Job description: Travel Nurse

I have met many travel nurses at my hospital job and as someone who rented out a room to travellers. Let me be clear, I am writing from the perspective of a nurse who has shared stories with many travel nurses. I have not been one myself...yet.

I have met travel nurses who travel as a couple or in a group. I lived and worked in Hawaii and Hawaii is a sought-after travel location. With that being common knowledge, the contracts are not very wage competitive. Lodging is expensive so having that taken care of is a huge plus. I have met nurses who traveled in their RV and worked along the way. I have met travel nurses who travel with their family and home school their kids. I have met local travel nurses who only take contracts in their area. Some nurses travel with pets, but this may be challenging to find a temporary rental. Some travel nurses have been travelling for many years. Others started out travelling during the 2020 pandemic when contracts were paying out huge salaries which shadowed traditional staff positions. Overall, I have found them all to be adventuresome, confident, and outgoing.

A travel nurse should have experience and be knowledgeable in the field they are applying to. Please do not risk your license by trying to be a travel nurse with only 6 months of experience like some of these agencies are saying is OK, it is not. I would recommend at least a couple of years of nursing experience because you are expected to perform as a seasoned nurse once you arrive with little orientation. I would not call it training. You are shown where to go, where things are, electronic health record training, and then it is all on you to hit the floor running.

Some facilities will book your contract in one area with the knowledge that you may be floated to another area. For example, as an ICU nurse, it may be expected from some facilities that you float to Telemetry or MedSurg because they are lower levels of care and they assume you can function there. Some facilities have a culture of giving you the worst of the worst patients, while other facilities appreciate that you are there and give you a better assignment. If you work a 12-hour shift, you may be floated mid-shift to another floor.

I understand that it is your recruiter that makes all the difference, even within the same agency. Some travel nurses work for more than one agency. I have met a group of travelers all travelling to the same facility with different contracts. They did not compare notes prior to acceptance and some were making much more than others for the same work. The contract is nurse specific. A recruiter may receive a bonus for booking a nurse and may pass on that bonus, or keep it for themselves. Get everything in writing.

ALWAYS READ THE CONTRACT. There is a difference between guaranteed hours and guaranteed pay. The first means you are guaranteed the number of hours per your contract. The second means you are guaranteed the pay even if you do not work those hours. Stipend refers to housing, meals, and incidentals while on assignment. Stipends are usually tax free allowances. Agencies add the stipends to the taxed salary, providing the funds in advance.

You must maintain a "tax home" which is your primary residence at which you pay rent or mortgage to qualify for these non-taxable stipends. If the stipend for housing is higher than what is offered, the nurse can keep the excess. Some nurses travel together to keep costs lower.

Stipends may sound like a perk, but there are times when it may work against you. If you are trying to make a large purchase such as a house and need to apply for financing, your earned salary is what is considered - not the stipend. When considering future social security, your reported annual income is only your earned income, not the stipend. Also, your base rate may be lower because the agency is offering you a package which includes the salary and the stipend together. In this case, overtime may not be as much as you think.

Know the laws of the state you are working in, they may vary.

You may or may not have the option to find self-housing. Some nurses stay in a hotel temporarily while they scope out a temporary rental. Furnished rooms for rent is a great way to save money and many times they are furnished and offer duration flexibility. There are Facebook sites that post rooms/rentals for travel nurses. I rented out a room to travel nurses. Some were already working in the area when they found out that I had a room for rent. Other times, I was contacted by someone who stayed with me before to ask to return or asking for a friend. Once I had a few different travel nurses, their friends would contact me to book my room. It was a great experience and extra income for me. Always be cautious when sending funds ahead of time. I had one nurse whose contract was cancelled. I gave her partial money back. Since most of the nurses who stayed with me were friends of friends, they felt comfortable sending me a deposit and I told them it would be applied to last month's rent.

I learned about the flexibility of Southwest Airlines from a travel nurse and have enjoyed the benefits of 2 free bags when travelling with them. In May 2025, Southwest is changing this perk to just 1 bag if you are a Southwest credit card holder. Southwest also offers cancellation of the flight for a flight credit and no expiration on earned miles. I have not seen this with any other airline. Check Southwest Airlines for up-to-date details on their perks.

Travel nursing provides flexibility and opportunities to experience different locations.

You may or may not choose to settle down someday, but knowing what it is like out there may be helpful when choosing where you set roots down. If you choose to travel, have fun with it! I have made friends that still keep in touch to this day.

I welcome stories if you would like to share your experiences with me and/or information that I missed about being a travel nurse that I could add to help other nurses : )