Experience new sights and sounds. Get paid to travel the country and help others. Avoid workplace drama and monotony. Bring home more cash. 

Have we peaked your interest yet? Travel nursing is one of the hottest careers out there. 

High-demand nursing positions are waiting for you in hospitals and medical facilities across the United States. Travel nurses bring their skills, expertise and passion to areas that need it. They often fill permanent staff shortages and meet seasonal needs while working as contractors for assignments generally lasting 13 weeks. 

Nurses enjoy the change of pace, new faces and experience different hospitals. And, if a city or workplace just isn’t the right fit, the next position is just around the corner. 

Check out our five reasons why traveling nursing is the best thing since sliced bread. 

Reason No. 1: Hand-pick your next adventure

There aren’t many other jobs that allow you to spend your winter in sunny Florida and your summer in energetic New York City. The flexibility of travel nursing is unparalleled. Travel nurses choose which city they want to go to and when. You pick the time. You pick the place. Chances are, an agency can make it happen for you.

From charming Midwestern suburbs to Southern small towns, there is something out there for everyone to enjoy. Travel nurses can be in New Orleans, LA in February for Mardi Gras before traveling to Savannah, GA the next month for St. Patrick’s Day celebrations. Those who hate the cold can leave their hometown of Omaha, NE and venture to warmer Phoenix, AZ for the winter. Empty-nesters can travel to a bustling big city for an exciting new adventure or spend some time with their out-of-state children. Travel nursing is the ultimate way to combine work and play.

The flexibility around scheduling these adventures is great, too. Family reunion in July? Schedule a week off between assignments. Getting married in October? Take a month off to prepare for and celebrate the big day. You can also go straight from assignment to assignment and bring in some serious cash flow.

Reason No. 2: Immerse yourself into new cultures

The adventures are limitless for travel nurses. While many people may work in one area for most of their lives, nurses can experience different sceneries, cultures and weather--all in a years’ time. Travel nurses can turn their work life into one long road trip by taking assignments in various places across the country. Experience new hospitals, people and more, all while answering your calling of helping people.

It’s common for nurses to become bored working the same assignment every day. Take a look outside your current medical facility and discover the endless possibilities. If you’ve lived in Boston, MA your entire life, you don’t know what it’s like living in sunny San Diego. Why not spend a summer on the west coast sight-seeing and beach-going? Make new friends who you could very well run into on a future assignment. Become personally fulfilled by traveling to new corners of the US. Whether it be a big city, small town or somewhere in between, there are no limits to where you can go. 

Reason No. 3: Become a better nurse

While there are a ton of personal benefits to travel nursing, there are professional development opportunities waiting for you, too.

Working at a new hospital or facility will give you the chance to learn new protocols and experience different procedures. There will be chances to interact with new equipment and technologies you may have never came into contact with at your old gig. You’ll learn from new people and have endless chances to broaden your skills. 

Working several different assignments a year showcases your adaptability and readiness to seek new challenges. And, who knows, you may learn about a specialty or pick up new techniques you had never worked with before. Talk about a resume booster!

Reason No. 4: Bring home more dough

Travel nurses typically make more money than permanent nurses. It’s as simple as that.
On top of the competitive salary, travel nurses’ housing (which is usually furnished) is often paid for or drastically reduced. Oftentimes nurses will be strategic and take an assignment in a city where cost of living is known for being low. This equals more money in your pockets. In addition, meals are usually paid for. 

On top of all that, don’t forget about bonuses, shift differentials and weekly paychecks. We can see the dollar signs in your eyes as you’re reading this.

Reason No. 5: Figure out where you want to settle down

Traveling gives you the opportunity to experience any and all new cultures your heart desires. While you may not want to hop from city to city nonstop until you retire, travel nursing gives you the opportunity to decide where you want to settle down long-term. 

As a travel nurse, you can discover that you like working in smaller, specialized facilities more than larger hospitals. Or that you prefer a suburban feel over city life. Or even find that you prefer working with the elderly population more than children.

You never know what opportunities will present themselves when you travel. You could meet a new best friend or future spouse on assignment and decide to stay right where you are. Or fall in love with a hospital and its culture and never want to leave. Use travel nursing as an opportunity to expand your horizons and figure out which type of environment and city best suits you. 

All in all, travel nursing is the best option for nurses who are ready for a change, crave new adventure, and want to fatten their wallet. Contact GHR Travel Nursing today to stamp your passport for your next journey. Adventure is out there.