Between Christmas, New Years, Kirby's birthday & Valentines Day these 3 months have flown by. We have 3 work weeks left before our Italy trip! We have enjoyed our time here, primarily d/t the multiple restaraunts & shopping in the area. During our time traveling together we have stayed mostly in rural areas, so it has been a nice change to be close to everything. 
Kirby has extended for an additional 13 weeks at her peds clinic & I am going to join her there after our trip. We are moving our RV to a park closer to the clinic next week. Then we can both ride our motorcycles to work!
That will keep us in Texas through the end of June. Bring on the heat! It has only been in the 60-70's here this winter.

Get Out and Shake you RUMP!!!
    A lot of travelers that go on assignment by themselves don't  get out and experience the area they are in. That is one of the reasons to travel! Get out there and experience history and random fun things! So in other words...GET OUT AND SHAKE YOUR RUMP!!!!!  Have fun doing what you love! TRAVEL!

As Fall rolls in, and the weather starts to cool, you have to start thinking about where you want to be working when the holidays come around. We prefer to be on the East Coast of the US for this time because both our families are there.
Thanksgiving, being on a Thursday, is a tough holiday because companies want you to work the Wednesday before & the Friday after, leaving you with only Thursday off. Before a traveler begins an assignment, usually you can put in the contract a "planned vacation". Full-time employees take time off around the holidays, so travelers have to pick up that slack. We try to take time off the week after a holiday so there is more flexibility.
Some skilled nursing facilities will give you Thursday off, & then expect you to work Saturday to make up minutes for RUGS; outpatient is closed; hospitals usually will let you work holidays for time & 1/2 pay; rehab hospital, etc. it is just another day & patients have to have their 3 hours of therapy.  
The point... plan before you begin your assignment what days to have off & have your recruiter put it in writing in your contract. Remember, if you don't work 40 hours your per diem, & housing get cut along with your hourly pay. 

It's been a while since we have written. Quite a bit has happened here in Florence. We bought our motorhome, traded in our trucks so we can ride together between assignments, & have loved every day in it... but, have spent a few nights in the RV store parking lot for repairs... it's all good now! Our philosophy... don't let problems & unexpected hiccups throw you off, this is life, things go wrong, daily! Just go with it & travel on!
 
Traveling therapy or nursing is a blast! The excitement & uncertainty of a new job, my feet are gettin itchy just thinking about it. We have 7 more work weeks left here. My boss keeps trying to convince Kirby & I to settle down here in Florence. Why give up the traveling lifestyle? We, and I moreso, have been traveling for so long I'm not sure if a full-time job will ever suit me.

Anyone else have thoughts on these subjects?

Go for it! 

When beginning to look at traveling therapy or nursing for the first time, consider a few things. 
First, figure out what general area of the country you would like to travel to. California & Washington state take longer to get licensed in, but always have a ton of jobs. Whereas, Texas is fairly simple to obtain licensure and also has a good amount of jobs no matter what time a year. When traveling for longer than a year or two, having those "fall back" states where you can get a job quickly if all else fails is crucial. 
Know what your strengths & weaknesses are. Strong ortho & manual therapist? Or, love neuro? In the hospital or outpatient? When recruiters talk to you they are going to ask you what settings you have experience in & where your strengths are.
Next, get job openings from 2 or 3 recruiters from different agencies. This way you can "feel out" the recruiters & who you jive with. 
Lastly, look at a few different pay packages, including short term disability & health insurance packages. Many companies cover healthcare premiums but only the cheapo package & they carry high deductibles. Otherwise, their medical is $27/wk. & dental is $12/wk. It adds up. 

After almost 9 years of traveling physical therapy, my advise... 

Go for it!  From home health in the USVI to LTAC in Anchorage!
Experience life & grow your career.

If any therapists, nurses or any other healthcare professionals are considering a traveling career... got questions? Tell us about your experiences!

We are very excited to get our new site up and running. We hope it will be a helpful resource & fun forum for everyone.