When & Where It All Began
St. Thomas – USVI
July 2002
After beginning a career in a Rehab Hospital in LA & two skilled nursing jobs on the west coast of FL I decided that after two and a half years of therapy there had to be more than I had been experiencing. I researched travel PT positions in multiple states across the US online. A recruiter suggested home health in the USVI & two weeks later I was on my way to the islands & began my exhilarating career in travel PT.
What to say about the USVI... wow! Eye-opening patient issues, the poverty of a territory, great people, fun in the sun & an amazing place to begin traveling PT. If you can work at the nursing facility, the hospital or home health agency it would be worth the modest pay & expensive rental market. Be sure to take in all the tourist spots; including Megans Bay, Trunk Bay, American Yacht Harbour & many, many shops and great restaurants strewn about the islands. The British Virgin Islands are very close & only a ferry ride away. Much more to explore on your own & always on “Island Time”, these are the the islands where I spent every moment after work hours.
Ok, the downfalls... very expensive to rent an apartment, buy food, (Cruzan Rum inexpensive!), expensive to eat out, can be dangerous in the wrong part of town, which can be avoided. Any frugal traveler can easily make do with the reimbursement, however do not expect to pay off your student loans down there. Shipping my Honda Passport approximately $800 each way & 21’ boat $3700 each way. Ouch! Don’t forget... tax deductible as long as you don’t get reimbursed for it from your travel company.
Licensing is reasonably priced, completed in one month or less, & currently no $ for verification to other states.
Naples – Florida
January 2003
The beautiful Southwest coast of Florida, even in the winter, is an experience all its own. Breathtaking white sandy beaches, world famous sunsets every night over the Gulf of Mexico & a water enthusiasts’ dream-land all year round. Great dining on the water & a good night life is waiting for any ambitious traveler in Naples.
Licensing in Florida has been taking 2-3 months, so plan ahead.
Boston – Massachusetts
March 2003
One the most historical cities in the US, Boston affords a traveler any & all choices of what to do. Not many cities have the depth and the pride of the American Patriot like Boston. So, so many points to hit on in this city. Beginning with the Freedom Trail, a red line you follow walking throughout the city to historical landmarks including Bunker Hill, the US Constitution & Paul Revere’s House. After taking in the history, make your way over to Faneuil Hall, a great marketplace, & the Bull & Finch, also known as Cheers. $1400 per month for a furnished one bedroom in Quincy, MA, a few miles outside the city. In my early days of traveling I did not try very hard to be frugal with my housing stipend. Hind-sight... 20/20.
I worked at a skilled nursing facility, more of a TCU for a local hospital, admitting a whopping 100-120 patients a month! Evals, evals & more evals. Forced to learn quickly due to high acuity & volume, think on my feet & multi-task constantly 8 hours a day. This travel position taught me the most up to this point in my career.
Licensing was quick when I applied, however now requires 4+ weeks.
Cape Cod – Massachusetts
June 2003
Cape Cod in the summer! I lived in a one bedroom apartment on the first floor of an old victorian home located 2nd row on Hyannis Harbour. At that time I thought I had taken a step up in the world since I could look across the harbour at the Kennedy compound any time I wanted. Kayaking, catching stripers daily off the rock jetty & many, many vacationing college students to keep the night life very active. If you know anyone who is from Massachusetts or lives in New England, my bet is that they, or someone they know, has vacationed on Martha’s Vineyard or Nantucket in the summer. Ask them and watch closely as their eyes light up with great memories as they talk about the intriguing lighthouses, Yacht Clubs, & shoppes you can’t find anywhere else in America except Cape Cod & its islands. It would be a sin to work on the Cape and not hike the National Seashore and parks & definitely experience the nightlife of Provincetown...
A 60 bed Rehab Hospital about 20 minutes from Hyannis is where I worked with 20 other PT’s, OT’s & SLP’s. This assignment helped to shape my true belief that rehab is a muti-disciplinary team sport & everyone has equal roles in every patient’s rehab.
Hilton Head – South Carolina
October 2003
Hilton Head in the late fall is beautiful & many tourists still come to vacation. Summer life is great, nightlife is hopping, and the beaches are nice, although most are private to the condo or villa that adjoins that section. However, the winter weather isn’t so great. January rolls around and a cold, chilling Atlantic Ocean wind and vacant rentals best describe Hilton Head. However, even if the winter turns out to be one of the cold ones, Beaufort, SC & Savannah, GA are just a short drive and offer the southern charm and old plantations of the South that are in the movies. Beautiful architecture and some of the oldest plantations in the country are there to be explored. Bluffton, SC is just over the bridge West towards I-95. Many more everyday restaurants, bars, gyms, etc are here. I would recommend this to be a good place to rent an apartment... cheaper and more to do after work. I worked in four skilled nursing facilities on Hilton Head and even commuted (45 mins) to Beaufort to work in the hospital. This area is really a vacation area; tons of travelers, a bit transient, however, good times can be had by all no matter what you are looking for.
Spartanburg/Gaffney/Laurens/Rock Hill - South Carolina
May 2004
I had been traveling for almost two years by myself, from place to place, working at different facilities, meeting new people then leaving, and having to start all over again. As fun and educational it is to be a traveling therapist, it is a lonely existence. I had decided that I would stay in one place, buy a house, and travel only in the immediate area of my new home. Spartanburg was it. The foothills of the mountains, lakes & still close enough to the ocean. For a few years I traveled 60 miles North, South, East & West of Spartanburg, and even signed on an internal traveler for 6 months within a Rehab company. Ultimately after a few years, I realized my heart was not in what
I was doing at that point, so I picked up stakes and traveled on. Where is the best place to go when you need advise and support... close to family.
So I took a travel position in Durham, NC close to Raleigh where my parents live. My sister, her husband and two kids live just a mile down the road from them.
Raleigh/Durham & Fayetteville - North Carolina
June 2007
A two month assignment in Durham, NC led to me to another position with the same rehab company in Fayetteville, NC. The day after my birthday in August 2007 was when I found what it was that I was looking for with all this traveling. At about 8:00 in the morning I arrived for my first day of work and was introduced to my boss, and the rest of the rehab staff. It was then that I shook the hand of a beautiful, young, ambitious COTA. An hour or so later we were co-treating a heavy CVA in the gym, and again our paths crossed in the doorway of the office, and by ten-thirty that morning, my first day on the job, I asked her to lunch. We immediately hit it off and were soon inseparable. I never would have met my wife if I was not a traveling PT.
Morehead City - North Carolina
October 2007
Over the next 3-4 months I worked at a hospital on the coast of NC. The position was close enough to Fayetteville so my new girlfriend and I swapped every weekend driving 3 1/2 hours to see each other, one weekend in Fayetteville and the next on the beach. The company that contracted into the hospital also contracted therapists at three local nursing facilities and home health. Traveling within a large company allows you to also work PRN when your motivated. Morehead City, Beaufort (pronounced bo-furt) & Atlantic Beach houses some cute beach shops, ocean-side bars and some great musicians. One of my favorite restaurants/bars was “Backstreet” in Beaufort. Great live music and it is a retreat mostly locals only know about! The Beach Tavern, The Ruddy Duck, O’Malley’s & Jake’s are some good hot spots to check out if you make it down that way.
Fayetteville - North Carolina
January 2007
The opportunity arose for me to return to Fayetteville. I have heard people say that they have heard Fayetteville is a military town and that there is not much to do. I am here to tell you that only half of it is military, and the other half has every restaurant you could want & cool places like “Its”. A great comedy club with 3 bars, billiards, darts and more. Included in these restaurants is Smokey Bones, North Carolina’s best BBQ & ribs place.
When you find a good company (or one that owns all the buildings in the area) with good buildings and they like the work you do, they tend to keep you traveling with them for as long as they can. Three more months split between three SNF’s and I was ready to take my young lady traveling...
Lubbock – Texas
March 2007
I had finally convinced my girlfriend to let go her inhibitions, forget starting roots and go traveling with me! The difference between traveling alone and traveling with a partner is night & day. I had a great time, moving, meeting new people, & seeing new things, but there was always something missing. The right person to do it with, rocks! Sharing adventure, sharing uncertainty, sharing weekend explorations!
Some people hear horror stories about traveling therapists being stuck in horrible buildings with horrible managers and hating every minute of an assignment. At this point I had worked in 20+ facilities and over seven years when we started to work for this company in Lubbock, Texas. We could not believe the horror we stepped into. I’ll just say that if you ever come across a situation where you question yourself in your head, “Should I do that...” or, “Is that really right to do...” Don’t do it, and stand your ground for what you believe is right & ethical. In that situation you can contact your recruiter and they can remove you from an assignment immediately or you can give a 30 day notice, so don’t feel as though you have to stay in an assignment you hate.
Dry counties in west Texas, sandy wind storms, tornados & hail. Our weekend trips kept us sane. Roswell & Ruidoso, New Mexico were fun, fun, fun. The Hubbard Museum, outside Ruidoso, a tribute to the early West, has original pieces from the settlers adventure westward & Billy the Kid artifacts.
Morehead City - North Carolina
June 2008
We returned to the same hospital, SNF & home health contract company I had worked for previously. Lesson to learn... never burn a bridge... it is a small therapy world out there. We stayed at this travel position for 9 months. The less you move around, the more you can save in the long run. We reunited with our great therapist friends we will have for the rest of our lives. A weekend camping trip on Shackleford Island was where I proposed to Kirby.
Murray – Kentucky
April 2009
An unknown place, in the Southwest corner of KY, a small apartment on the outskirts of town was our home for over seven months. The hospital was expanding, and the employees were hopeful the hype would come to fruition. It was a great place to work. The Land Between the Lakes (LBL) was our playground. It was thousands of acres stretching from mid-Kentucky to Northern Tennessee, surrounded by two large lakes. We camped, hunted, shot target practice, fished, 4-wheeled, kayaked, swam and hiked endless hours over endless trails in the “LBL”. Truly the best playground we have ever enjoyed. Three times we ventured to St. Louis, Missouri. The walking city was full of shoppes, eclectic restaurants and who can say they went up the the St. Louis Arch in the gondola? 5 people squeeze into a pea pod & emerge onto the observation deck to soar over the entire city.
Camden – South Carolina
November 2009
After our wedding in North Carolina and a honeymoon in Paris, France we started a home health contract in Camden, SC, a quaint country town with a historical past. A rural town approximately 40 mins NE of Columbia along I-20. Reenactments of the civil war and historical markers throughout the town give the town a true Southern charm. We rented a 40 acre farm with a jacuzzi on the back porch. Peaceful, country bliss.
The Gourmet Deli is a great lunch spot downtown, and serves delicious soups and sandwiches. A couple other restaurants and shoppes comprise most of what is left of the town.
Anchorage - Alaska
February 2010
One of my dreams for as long as I can remember, was to visit the last true frontier... Alaska! We contacted all of the facilities in alaska seeking traveling therapy jobs. Finally, after many, many calls, we received a call back wanting us to work at a specialty hospital in anchorage. We drove from SC to Anchorage, in 8 days. An experience of a lifetime, the drive to Alaska overwhelmed us. In January, as you can imagine, we did not see much blacktop once we hit Canada. What we did see was herds and herds of bison, deer, moose, mountain goats, and bears. Truly worth the $3000 in gas, lodging, and food. Don’t complain about gas prices here in the US... we paid $1.87 Canadian per liter at a gas station in Muncho Lake.
Having experienced Alaska, we would recommend working in Anchorage & taking weekend trips to other provinces, only because most other towns only have a few buildings, little shops, one or two places to eat & commodities are more expensive. Juneau, Ketchikan & other SE towns are difficult to get to and do not allow weekend getaways due to isolation. We were disappointed to learn a plane ticket roundtrip from Anchorage to Ketchikan is $750+, in the off-season.
The dynamic long-term specialty hospital was the focus of our time during work hours, however, after 5 Alaska was our new playground. Weekend trips to Denali, Fairbanks, Chena Hot Springs, Homer, Seward & Wasilla to watch the official start of the Iditarod were some of our adventures, along with ski-machine trips, skiing in Anchorage & Alyeska & experiencing the Northern Lights.
Licensing is a hassle if your paperwork is not meticulous.
Brownsville – Texas
May 2010
The most beautiful and rugged scenery in the lower 48 states is out West. On our way to South Texas we drove through Yellow Stone National Park. Old Faithful was yet again faithful for us at 8:52 am after driving through the night from Canada. What an amazing trip! From the cold of Alaska to the heat of South Texas. In the summer, Brownsville is all about humidity and bright sunshine. Smart to live on South Padre Island if a woman traveling alone, only a 35 minute commute depending on traffic. Laguna Madre, one of the best fishing grounds in all East Texas, boasts HUGE red fish, as well as many others. Fireworks on South Padre Island every Friday should give you some indication of the wild nightlife with great bars on the water. Brownsville is a bit unruly and poor, but for the most part safe despite the recent issues with our southern neighbor country. The Sea Ranch on South Padre Island is the seafood restaurant you do not want to pass up ($25-40 per plate). Mostly beach shoppes, bars, and tourists make up this transient island, but you can drive your car on the beach anytime you want for a few bucks.
Lynchburg – Virginia
September 2010
We rented a 20+ acre ranch outside Lynchburg, VA and provided home health therapy to a wonderful population of country folks. Downtown Lynchburg by the James river is dirty and unsafe, while south lynchburg & west lynchburg areas are beautiful with huge oaks and large properties. Appomattox to the East is rural and down-home country. Home to three Universities, any store or specialty shop you need is close at hand. We extended our contract at this location for a total of 6 months & are now moving on.
Ashland -- Kentucky
March 2011
Let's see... Ashland is in the NE corner of KY & borders the Ohio River next to OH & WV. We enjoyed home health in this area because it is mostly country farming folk outside the town of Ashland. Ashland is not a tourist destination! Some historical sites & fair restaraunts make up most of the excitement in this area. Not too many boats navigate the OH River due to it's swift current & brachish waters, plenty of coal barges though. A couple of lakes in the area are pretty good for boating. If we could do it again, we would not live in Huntington, WV. Some of the worst crime per capita in the country. We had great neighbors luckily!
Florence, South Carolina
June 2011
In order to get back to SC for 3 months, Kirby had to start a contract & leave KY 3 weeks before I did. What a nightmare. Traveling back and forth from KY to SC on the weekends. Nevermind Kirby having to move into a new place alone, & me having to pack up the house and meet her down there. We do not recommend this, & would have definately reconsidered our decision if we knew the headache of spliting up, even for a short time.
Here, in Florence, we took one of the biggest steps in our traveling careers and bought a Fleetwood motorhome. Our new traveling home away from our home. HIGHLY recommend going this route if traveling for longer than a few years. No apartments, no moving furniture, no setting up utilities & chasing down deposits from past assignments! Never been happier!
Close to Myrtle Beach & the beautiful low country of the Carolinas. We spoke about the coastal Carolinas above in the Hilton Head & Beaufort section. The "low country" refers to the coastal areas of norhern GA to the Outer Banks of NC. It is a beautiful, sanctuary of wetlands & intercoastal waterways that produce some of the best seafood in the world! Haven't been there? GO!
People say the only reason Florence exists is because it lies at the intersection of Interstate 95 & 20. Most of it is not that great, and is a little run down. There are a couple good bars/restaraunts and shoppes around the five points area & the 2 hospitals there are state of the art, each just a few years old.
Whiteville, NC
November 2011
An hour East of I-95, & a half hour West of the Atlantic lies some pretty rural NC country. Beautiful fields of cotton, tobacco & soybeans cover most of the landscape outside small towns. Great country people.
It was a perfect maiden voyage for our new home on wheels too. Our Mini Cooper & motorcycle did not fit in the enclosed trailer, so we sold it and bought a bigger open trailer to tow behind the motorhome.
Sometimes short & sweet is the way to go. Whiteville, NC was supposed to be a long contract in the same SNF for both of us until March, 2012. However, when Kirby & I had to start going to different buildings, & our schedules were not working out the way our contracts were written, we opted out of this assignment early.
On to bigger and better hopefully!!!
Rio Grande City & Weslaco, TX
December 2011
It was a great trip from NC to TX in the big RV! No major issues to report. Through Atlanta, New Orleans, Houston & way down South. Back down in the valley of Texas! Outpatient pediatrics for Kirby & a free-standing outpatient for me. When a company gives you a 30 day notice, you have that long to find a new job. Usually not a problem, as long as you are not too particular on where you go next. Like we've said before, if you are going to travel for more than a year, it is a good idea to keep a few licenses current for short notice.
Now then... McAllen is right in between our two job locations & is much more "Americanized" than one of our last assignments in Brownsville. Most every restaraunt you want and outlet mall shopping. Very close to the Mexican border! However, you wouldn't even know it if half the billboards weren't in Spanish. Not much else to do in this area. Regularly windy weather & lots of sun.
Looks like we will be staying in Rio Grande City for another 3 months. The best way to plan a trip, that needs some advanced planning, is to extend at your current location & ask for a vacation before beginning the extension.
Rio Grande City, TX
March 2012
When we returned from Venice, Florence, Rome, & Naples Italy (pictures from our trip to be added soon) we returned to where Kirby had been doing pediatrics in Rio Grande. Great peds place with fun & caring staff. Interstate 83 runs along the Mexico & USA border from S. Padre Island at the Gulf to El Paso in NW TX, with many border towns, like Rio Grande, along the way. It is only about 2 hours from the Gulf & S. Padre Island. Small border towns consist of older buildings, cow pastures, & even a horse tied to a tree in the median on the way to work. Traveling down in the "Valley" is a unique experience all it's own, where every other corner is a Taqueria, & I'm not talking Taco Bell. Great authentic Mexican food! One of the empoyee's mother makes homemade tamales with beans, chicken, beef, cream cheese & jalopenos. I'm not crazy about Mexican food, but I gotta tell ya these rock!
Always lots of jobs down in the Valley & for the most part it is very safe, and Border Patrol & Police keep a very visible presence. We would advise a solo traveler not to do home health down here unless absolutely fluent in Spanish, but SNF, hospital, outpatient or Peds would work well with other staff translating. Neither Kirby or I speak more than 10 words in Espanol.
TX is expensive to obtain & maintain a license, however, currently there are a ton of travel positions for OT, PT, & ST.
Laurens, SC
April 2012
Well, it has been a while since we have posted on our site. My uncle fell very sick, very quickly, and as family should do, we stopped what we were doing and flew to CA to help. As the next few months went by my recruiter found travel positions for me in SC, and Kirby bless her heart, stayed home with my uncle and took him to daily radiation & chemotherapy appointments. We flew him to SC to live with us in our house.
Back to skilled nursing for me... so many rules and regulations imposed by the federal government. Productivity is king. If patient caseload drops, then therapists are usually required to clock out and go home early, sometimes using their PTO to keep their paychecks up. As a traveler, you usually have a 40 hour per week contract. This is sticky sometimes. We have found to use your best judgement, and do what is best for you and the facility you are working at.
Greenwood, SC
July 2012
Driving a solid hour and a half to the office every morning, then driving around to see home health patients got tiresome very quickly. So, when we moved my uncle to NC to be close to his siblings and other family we moved our motorhome down to Lake Greenwood! Ahhhhh...... peaceful, beautiful upstate SC lake Greenwood. We always enjoy our times on any lake. Great country people that like to take life a little slower.
Home health gives a traveler, or full-time staff for that matter, a lot more flexibility but more paperwork. COTA travel positions in upstate SC, and most of SC & NC are scarce. Kirby stayed home trying to work some PRN here and there, but in the end it was best we head back to the house. Again, I can not stress this enough, flexibility is the key when traveling. The home health agency extended me for an additional 3 months, then 3 days later confirmed that they would no longer be using traveling therapists. Oh well, pack up... & travel on... besides between the golf cart poker runs, and watching the sunsets over the lake, Kirby & I had the chance to fall in love, yet again, with upstate SC.
Spartanburg, SC
October 2012
Yet again, back to our home in SC. Kirby ended up taking a full-time position in an ALF/SNF, and I took a travel position our recruiter found... home health right down the road from our house. Very important to realize... if you have a house, you MUST work 52 miles away to receive per diem & all the other tax-free benefits of traveling. You will loose 25 to 33% of your take home income, if you play by the IRS rules (therapists get audited regularly!). So, if a recruiter says they can bend the rules... it is not in your best interest.
Spartanburg, aka: Sparkle City, is an old textile town that has not been able to keep up. As the jobs in Spartanburg went over seas, mills closed and downtown has few stores, and fewer restaurants. The mall area is nice on the West side, plenty to keep a traveler occupied for 3 months. We already visited Civil War battlesites, a couple national parks, Chimney Rock by Lake Lure (yup dirty dancing area), explored waterfalls all over the Upstate, & put many more miles on the motorcycles!!!
DON'T WORRY!!!!!! Krispy Kreme is alive and kickin'. Who would have thunk it... fried junk... in the south...? it is not a novel idea. Haha!!!
We have not decided WHEN, not if, we are going back to nationwide traveling... but you can bet next time you come back to our site we will have many more crazy stories & good info from our adventures.
Wellington, TX
February 2013
Woohoo! Kirby & I are finally ready to get back on the road again. Although it appears COTA travel positions are harder to come by, even for this time of year. We are going to stop in Graceland, TN on the way to TX to see Elvis's house and what not. I'll post pictures and updates on the jobs in TX, so check back soon!
Wow, Texoma!!! Sunny 92 degrees Sunday & blizzard Tuesday 20 degrees. Windy ALL the time, 75mph highways, & 3000 acre farms!!! It was an educational experience that's for sure. Critical access hospitals are great learning positions. I did acute, outpatient, home health, & helped in the ED on emergencies. Lots of fun! Panhandle of TX leaves a lot to be desired though.
Albemarle, NC
May 2013
Home health for me & acute hospital for Kirby, however, Kirby didn't start for 2 wks after we got to our campground on Lake Tillery, & got her 4 week notice shortly before starting the position. What can we say... you gotta be flexible.
The lakes East of Charlotte, NC are very cool. Big enough for 40' sailboats and to find little coves without a lot of traffic (perfect for floating!)
We enjoyed Lake Tillery Family Campground very much! Great staff & lots of planned activities.
Beaumont, TX
August 2013
Beaumont is very close to Louisiana & the Gulf in TX. I am doing outpatient & Kirby is working acute. Nothing but oil refinaries down here! Lots of things to do outdoors & very hot in August.
The best part.........................!!!!!!!!!!!!
After years of trying to sell our home in SC, we finaly got an offer that was descent. So... we sold it!!!
Selling the house means we can take our profits & savings from traveling, and buy our dream home on the Outer Banks of North Carolina!!! Over 10 1/2 acres with a great house & a dock!
We turned in our notice to our positions & are settling down on the Albemarle Sound in NC!
....September 1, 2013 Kirby & I will hang up our travelin' shoes....
Camden, SC
via New Bern, NC
June 2014
WE ARE BACK TRAVELING !!!!!!!!
We bought our dream home on the water with almost 11 acres in September 2013. I am very pleased with my first full time job in over 11 years at the local hospital in New Bern. After some time off & a few part time COTA positions, our favorite recruiter Will called with a job for Kirby. It is 4+ hours from home, but a shortened assignment & high pay convinced us to go for it. She comes home every weekend from the skilled nursing position.
We have definitely noted decreased and or static salaries across the board for therapists. Traveling still promises the high pay. We are excited for what the future will bring!
Oh how my feet are itching to go traveling again!!!!!!! Talking to staff at hospital, I find myself missing traveling PT more & more............... STAY TUNED!!!!!!!
St. Thomas – USVI
July 2002
After beginning a career in a Rehab Hospital in LA & two skilled nursing jobs on the west coast of FL I decided that after two and a half years of therapy there had to be more than I had been experiencing. I researched travel PT positions in multiple states across the US online. A recruiter suggested home health in the USVI & two weeks later I was on my way to the islands & began my exhilarating career in travel PT.
What to say about the USVI... wow! Eye-opening patient issues, the poverty of a territory, great people, fun in the sun & an amazing place to begin traveling PT. If you can work at the nursing facility, the hospital or home health agency it would be worth the modest pay & expensive rental market. Be sure to take in all the tourist spots; including Megans Bay, Trunk Bay, American Yacht Harbour & many, many shops and great restaurants strewn about the islands. The British Virgin Islands are very close & only a ferry ride away. Much more to explore on your own & always on “Island Time”, these are the the islands where I spent every moment after work hours.
Ok, the downfalls... very expensive to rent an apartment, buy food, (Cruzan Rum inexpensive!), expensive to eat out, can be dangerous in the wrong part of town, which can be avoided. Any frugal traveler can easily make do with the reimbursement, however do not expect to pay off your student loans down there. Shipping my Honda Passport approximately $800 each way & 21’ boat $3700 each way. Ouch! Don’t forget... tax deductible as long as you don’t get reimbursed for it from your travel company.
Licensing is reasonably priced, completed in one month or less, & currently no $ for verification to other states.
Naples – Florida
January 2003
The beautiful Southwest coast of Florida, even in the winter, is an experience all its own. Breathtaking white sandy beaches, world famous sunsets every night over the Gulf of Mexico & a water enthusiasts’ dream-land all year round. Great dining on the water & a good night life is waiting for any ambitious traveler in Naples.
Licensing in Florida has been taking 2-3 months, so plan ahead.
Boston – Massachusetts
March 2003
One the most historical cities in the US, Boston affords a traveler any & all choices of what to do. Not many cities have the depth and the pride of the American Patriot like Boston. So, so many points to hit on in this city. Beginning with the Freedom Trail, a red line you follow walking throughout the city to historical landmarks including Bunker Hill, the US Constitution & Paul Revere’s House. After taking in the history, make your way over to Faneuil Hall, a great marketplace, & the Bull & Finch, also known as Cheers. $1400 per month for a furnished one bedroom in Quincy, MA, a few miles outside the city. In my early days of traveling I did not try very hard to be frugal with my housing stipend. Hind-sight... 20/20.
I worked at a skilled nursing facility, more of a TCU for a local hospital, admitting a whopping 100-120 patients a month! Evals, evals & more evals. Forced to learn quickly due to high acuity & volume, think on my feet & multi-task constantly 8 hours a day. This travel position taught me the most up to this point in my career.
Licensing was quick when I applied, however now requires 4+ weeks.
Cape Cod – Massachusetts
June 2003
Cape Cod in the summer! I lived in a one bedroom apartment on the first floor of an old victorian home located 2nd row on Hyannis Harbour. At that time I thought I had taken a step up in the world since I could look across the harbour at the Kennedy compound any time I wanted. Kayaking, catching stripers daily off the rock jetty & many, many vacationing college students to keep the night life very active. If you know anyone who is from Massachusetts or lives in New England, my bet is that they, or someone they know, has vacationed on Martha’s Vineyard or Nantucket in the summer. Ask them and watch closely as their eyes light up with great memories as they talk about the intriguing lighthouses, Yacht Clubs, & shoppes you can’t find anywhere else in America except Cape Cod & its islands. It would be a sin to work on the Cape and not hike the National Seashore and parks & definitely experience the nightlife of Provincetown...
A 60 bed Rehab Hospital about 20 minutes from Hyannis is where I worked with 20 other PT’s, OT’s & SLP’s. This assignment helped to shape my true belief that rehab is a muti-disciplinary team sport & everyone has equal roles in every patient’s rehab.
Hilton Head – South Carolina
October 2003
Hilton Head in the late fall is beautiful & many tourists still come to vacation. Summer life is great, nightlife is hopping, and the beaches are nice, although most are private to the condo or villa that adjoins that section. However, the winter weather isn’t so great. January rolls around and a cold, chilling Atlantic Ocean wind and vacant rentals best describe Hilton Head. However, even if the winter turns out to be one of the cold ones, Beaufort, SC & Savannah, GA are just a short drive and offer the southern charm and old plantations of the South that are in the movies. Beautiful architecture and some of the oldest plantations in the country are there to be explored. Bluffton, SC is just over the bridge West towards I-95. Many more everyday restaurants, bars, gyms, etc are here. I would recommend this to be a good place to rent an apartment... cheaper and more to do after work. I worked in four skilled nursing facilities on Hilton Head and even commuted (45 mins) to Beaufort to work in the hospital. This area is really a vacation area; tons of travelers, a bit transient, however, good times can be had by all no matter what you are looking for.
Spartanburg/Gaffney/Laurens/Rock Hill - South Carolina
May 2004
I had been traveling for almost two years by myself, from place to place, working at different facilities, meeting new people then leaving, and having to start all over again. As fun and educational it is to be a traveling therapist, it is a lonely existence. I had decided that I would stay in one place, buy a house, and travel only in the immediate area of my new home. Spartanburg was it. The foothills of the mountains, lakes & still close enough to the ocean. For a few years I traveled 60 miles North, South, East & West of Spartanburg, and even signed on an internal traveler for 6 months within a Rehab company. Ultimately after a few years, I realized my heart was not in what
I was doing at that point, so I picked up stakes and traveled on. Where is the best place to go when you need advise and support... close to family.
So I took a travel position in Durham, NC close to Raleigh where my parents live. My sister, her husband and two kids live just a mile down the road from them.
Raleigh/Durham & Fayetteville - North Carolina
June 2007
A two month assignment in Durham, NC led to me to another position with the same rehab company in Fayetteville, NC. The day after my birthday in August 2007 was when I found what it was that I was looking for with all this traveling. At about 8:00 in the morning I arrived for my first day of work and was introduced to my boss, and the rest of the rehab staff. It was then that I shook the hand of a beautiful, young, ambitious COTA. An hour or so later we were co-treating a heavy CVA in the gym, and again our paths crossed in the doorway of the office, and by ten-thirty that morning, my first day on the job, I asked her to lunch. We immediately hit it off and were soon inseparable. I never would have met my wife if I was not a traveling PT.
Morehead City - North Carolina
October 2007
Over the next 3-4 months I worked at a hospital on the coast of NC. The position was close enough to Fayetteville so my new girlfriend and I swapped every weekend driving 3 1/2 hours to see each other, one weekend in Fayetteville and the next on the beach. The company that contracted into the hospital also contracted therapists at three local nursing facilities and home health. Traveling within a large company allows you to also work PRN when your motivated. Morehead City, Beaufort (pronounced bo-furt) & Atlantic Beach houses some cute beach shops, ocean-side bars and some great musicians. One of my favorite restaurants/bars was “Backstreet” in Beaufort. Great live music and it is a retreat mostly locals only know about! The Beach Tavern, The Ruddy Duck, O’Malley’s & Jake’s are some good hot spots to check out if you make it down that way.
Fayetteville - North Carolina
January 2007
The opportunity arose for me to return to Fayetteville. I have heard people say that they have heard Fayetteville is a military town and that there is not much to do. I am here to tell you that only half of it is military, and the other half has every restaurant you could want & cool places like “Its”. A great comedy club with 3 bars, billiards, darts and more. Included in these restaurants is Smokey Bones, North Carolina’s best BBQ & ribs place.
When you find a good company (or one that owns all the buildings in the area) with good buildings and they like the work you do, they tend to keep you traveling with them for as long as they can. Three more months split between three SNF’s and I was ready to take my young lady traveling...
Lubbock – Texas
March 2007
I had finally convinced my girlfriend to let go her inhibitions, forget starting roots and go traveling with me! The difference between traveling alone and traveling with a partner is night & day. I had a great time, moving, meeting new people, & seeing new things, but there was always something missing. The right person to do it with, rocks! Sharing adventure, sharing uncertainty, sharing weekend explorations!
Some people hear horror stories about traveling therapists being stuck in horrible buildings with horrible managers and hating every minute of an assignment. At this point I had worked in 20+ facilities and over seven years when we started to work for this company in Lubbock, Texas. We could not believe the horror we stepped into. I’ll just say that if you ever come across a situation where you question yourself in your head, “Should I do that...” or, “Is that really right to do...” Don’t do it, and stand your ground for what you believe is right & ethical. In that situation you can contact your recruiter and they can remove you from an assignment immediately or you can give a 30 day notice, so don’t feel as though you have to stay in an assignment you hate.
Dry counties in west Texas, sandy wind storms, tornados & hail. Our weekend trips kept us sane. Roswell & Ruidoso, New Mexico were fun, fun, fun. The Hubbard Museum, outside Ruidoso, a tribute to the early West, has original pieces from the settlers adventure westward & Billy the Kid artifacts.
Morehead City - North Carolina
June 2008
We returned to the same hospital, SNF & home health contract company I had worked for previously. Lesson to learn... never burn a bridge... it is a small therapy world out there. We stayed at this travel position for 9 months. The less you move around, the more you can save in the long run. We reunited with our great therapist friends we will have for the rest of our lives. A weekend camping trip on Shackleford Island was where I proposed to Kirby.
Murray – Kentucky
April 2009
An unknown place, in the Southwest corner of KY, a small apartment on the outskirts of town was our home for over seven months. The hospital was expanding, and the employees were hopeful the hype would come to fruition. It was a great place to work. The Land Between the Lakes (LBL) was our playground. It was thousands of acres stretching from mid-Kentucky to Northern Tennessee, surrounded by two large lakes. We camped, hunted, shot target practice, fished, 4-wheeled, kayaked, swam and hiked endless hours over endless trails in the “LBL”. Truly the best playground we have ever enjoyed. Three times we ventured to St. Louis, Missouri. The walking city was full of shoppes, eclectic restaurants and who can say they went up the the St. Louis Arch in the gondola? 5 people squeeze into a pea pod & emerge onto the observation deck to soar over the entire city.
Camden – South Carolina
November 2009
After our wedding in North Carolina and a honeymoon in Paris, France we started a home health contract in Camden, SC, a quaint country town with a historical past. A rural town approximately 40 mins NE of Columbia along I-20. Reenactments of the civil war and historical markers throughout the town give the town a true Southern charm. We rented a 40 acre farm with a jacuzzi on the back porch. Peaceful, country bliss.
The Gourmet Deli is a great lunch spot downtown, and serves delicious soups and sandwiches. A couple other restaurants and shoppes comprise most of what is left of the town.
Anchorage - Alaska
February 2010
One of my dreams for as long as I can remember, was to visit the last true frontier... Alaska! We contacted all of the facilities in alaska seeking traveling therapy jobs. Finally, after many, many calls, we received a call back wanting us to work at a specialty hospital in anchorage. We drove from SC to Anchorage, in 8 days. An experience of a lifetime, the drive to Alaska overwhelmed us. In January, as you can imagine, we did not see much blacktop once we hit Canada. What we did see was herds and herds of bison, deer, moose, mountain goats, and bears. Truly worth the $3000 in gas, lodging, and food. Don’t complain about gas prices here in the US... we paid $1.87 Canadian per liter at a gas station in Muncho Lake.
Having experienced Alaska, we would recommend working in Anchorage & taking weekend trips to other provinces, only because most other towns only have a few buildings, little shops, one or two places to eat & commodities are more expensive. Juneau, Ketchikan & other SE towns are difficult to get to and do not allow weekend getaways due to isolation. We were disappointed to learn a plane ticket roundtrip from Anchorage to Ketchikan is $750+, in the off-season.
The dynamic long-term specialty hospital was the focus of our time during work hours, however, after 5 Alaska was our new playground. Weekend trips to Denali, Fairbanks, Chena Hot Springs, Homer, Seward & Wasilla to watch the official start of the Iditarod were some of our adventures, along with ski-machine trips, skiing in Anchorage & Alyeska & experiencing the Northern Lights.
Licensing is a hassle if your paperwork is not meticulous.
Brownsville – Texas
May 2010
The most beautiful and rugged scenery in the lower 48 states is out West. On our way to South Texas we drove through Yellow Stone National Park. Old Faithful was yet again faithful for us at 8:52 am after driving through the night from Canada. What an amazing trip! From the cold of Alaska to the heat of South Texas. In the summer, Brownsville is all about humidity and bright sunshine. Smart to live on South Padre Island if a woman traveling alone, only a 35 minute commute depending on traffic. Laguna Madre, one of the best fishing grounds in all East Texas, boasts HUGE red fish, as well as many others. Fireworks on South Padre Island every Friday should give you some indication of the wild nightlife with great bars on the water. Brownsville is a bit unruly and poor, but for the most part safe despite the recent issues with our southern neighbor country. The Sea Ranch on South Padre Island is the seafood restaurant you do not want to pass up ($25-40 per plate). Mostly beach shoppes, bars, and tourists make up this transient island, but you can drive your car on the beach anytime you want for a few bucks.
Lynchburg – Virginia
September 2010
We rented a 20+ acre ranch outside Lynchburg, VA and provided home health therapy to a wonderful population of country folks. Downtown Lynchburg by the James river is dirty and unsafe, while south lynchburg & west lynchburg areas are beautiful with huge oaks and large properties. Appomattox to the East is rural and down-home country. Home to three Universities, any store or specialty shop you need is close at hand. We extended our contract at this location for a total of 6 months & are now moving on.
Ashland -- Kentucky
March 2011
Let's see... Ashland is in the NE corner of KY & borders the Ohio River next to OH & WV. We enjoyed home health in this area because it is mostly country farming folk outside the town of Ashland. Ashland is not a tourist destination! Some historical sites & fair restaraunts make up most of the excitement in this area. Not too many boats navigate the OH River due to it's swift current & brachish waters, plenty of coal barges though. A couple of lakes in the area are pretty good for boating. If we could do it again, we would not live in Huntington, WV. Some of the worst crime per capita in the country. We had great neighbors luckily!
Florence, South Carolina
June 2011
In order to get back to SC for 3 months, Kirby had to start a contract & leave KY 3 weeks before I did. What a nightmare. Traveling back and forth from KY to SC on the weekends. Nevermind Kirby having to move into a new place alone, & me having to pack up the house and meet her down there. We do not recommend this, & would have definately reconsidered our decision if we knew the headache of spliting up, even for a short time.
Here, in Florence, we took one of the biggest steps in our traveling careers and bought a Fleetwood motorhome. Our new traveling home away from our home. HIGHLY recommend going this route if traveling for longer than a few years. No apartments, no moving furniture, no setting up utilities & chasing down deposits from past assignments! Never been happier!
Close to Myrtle Beach & the beautiful low country of the Carolinas. We spoke about the coastal Carolinas above in the Hilton Head & Beaufort section. The "low country" refers to the coastal areas of norhern GA to the Outer Banks of NC. It is a beautiful, sanctuary of wetlands & intercoastal waterways that produce some of the best seafood in the world! Haven't been there? GO!
People say the only reason Florence exists is because it lies at the intersection of Interstate 95 & 20. Most of it is not that great, and is a little run down. There are a couple good bars/restaraunts and shoppes around the five points area & the 2 hospitals there are state of the art, each just a few years old.
Whiteville, NC
November 2011
An hour East of I-95, & a half hour West of the Atlantic lies some pretty rural NC country. Beautiful fields of cotton, tobacco & soybeans cover most of the landscape outside small towns. Great country people.
It was a perfect maiden voyage for our new home on wheels too. Our Mini Cooper & motorcycle did not fit in the enclosed trailer, so we sold it and bought a bigger open trailer to tow behind the motorhome.
Sometimes short & sweet is the way to go. Whiteville, NC was supposed to be a long contract in the same SNF for both of us until March, 2012. However, when Kirby & I had to start going to different buildings, & our schedules were not working out the way our contracts were written, we opted out of this assignment early.
On to bigger and better hopefully!!!
Rio Grande City & Weslaco, TX
December 2011
It was a great trip from NC to TX in the big RV! No major issues to report. Through Atlanta, New Orleans, Houston & way down South. Back down in the valley of Texas! Outpatient pediatrics for Kirby & a free-standing outpatient for me. When a company gives you a 30 day notice, you have that long to find a new job. Usually not a problem, as long as you are not too particular on where you go next. Like we've said before, if you are going to travel for more than a year, it is a good idea to keep a few licenses current for short notice.
Now then... McAllen is right in between our two job locations & is much more "Americanized" than one of our last assignments in Brownsville. Most every restaraunt you want and outlet mall shopping. Very close to the Mexican border! However, you wouldn't even know it if half the billboards weren't in Spanish. Not much else to do in this area. Regularly windy weather & lots of sun.
Looks like we will be staying in Rio Grande City for another 3 months. The best way to plan a trip, that needs some advanced planning, is to extend at your current location & ask for a vacation before beginning the extension.
Rio Grande City, TX
March 2012
When we returned from Venice, Florence, Rome, & Naples Italy (pictures from our trip to be added soon) we returned to where Kirby had been doing pediatrics in Rio Grande. Great peds place with fun & caring staff. Interstate 83 runs along the Mexico & USA border from S. Padre Island at the Gulf to El Paso in NW TX, with many border towns, like Rio Grande, along the way. It is only about 2 hours from the Gulf & S. Padre Island. Small border towns consist of older buildings, cow pastures, & even a horse tied to a tree in the median on the way to work. Traveling down in the "Valley" is a unique experience all it's own, where every other corner is a Taqueria, & I'm not talking Taco Bell. Great authentic Mexican food! One of the empoyee's mother makes homemade tamales with beans, chicken, beef, cream cheese & jalopenos. I'm not crazy about Mexican food, but I gotta tell ya these rock!
Always lots of jobs down in the Valley & for the most part it is very safe, and Border Patrol & Police keep a very visible presence. We would advise a solo traveler not to do home health down here unless absolutely fluent in Spanish, but SNF, hospital, outpatient or Peds would work well with other staff translating. Neither Kirby or I speak more than 10 words in Espanol.
TX is expensive to obtain & maintain a license, however, currently there are a ton of travel positions for OT, PT, & ST.
Laurens, SC
April 2012
Well, it has been a while since we have posted on our site. My uncle fell very sick, very quickly, and as family should do, we stopped what we were doing and flew to CA to help. As the next few months went by my recruiter found travel positions for me in SC, and Kirby bless her heart, stayed home with my uncle and took him to daily radiation & chemotherapy appointments. We flew him to SC to live with us in our house.
Back to skilled nursing for me... so many rules and regulations imposed by the federal government. Productivity is king. If patient caseload drops, then therapists are usually required to clock out and go home early, sometimes using their PTO to keep their paychecks up. As a traveler, you usually have a 40 hour per week contract. This is sticky sometimes. We have found to use your best judgement, and do what is best for you and the facility you are working at.
Greenwood, SC
July 2012
Driving a solid hour and a half to the office every morning, then driving around to see home health patients got tiresome very quickly. So, when we moved my uncle to NC to be close to his siblings and other family we moved our motorhome down to Lake Greenwood! Ahhhhh...... peaceful, beautiful upstate SC lake Greenwood. We always enjoy our times on any lake. Great country people that like to take life a little slower.
Home health gives a traveler, or full-time staff for that matter, a lot more flexibility but more paperwork. COTA travel positions in upstate SC, and most of SC & NC are scarce. Kirby stayed home trying to work some PRN here and there, but in the end it was best we head back to the house. Again, I can not stress this enough, flexibility is the key when traveling. The home health agency extended me for an additional 3 months, then 3 days later confirmed that they would no longer be using traveling therapists. Oh well, pack up... & travel on... besides between the golf cart poker runs, and watching the sunsets over the lake, Kirby & I had the chance to fall in love, yet again, with upstate SC.
Spartanburg, SC
October 2012
Yet again, back to our home in SC. Kirby ended up taking a full-time position in an ALF/SNF, and I took a travel position our recruiter found... home health right down the road from our house. Very important to realize... if you have a house, you MUST work 52 miles away to receive per diem & all the other tax-free benefits of traveling. You will loose 25 to 33% of your take home income, if you play by the IRS rules (therapists get audited regularly!). So, if a recruiter says they can bend the rules... it is not in your best interest.
Spartanburg, aka: Sparkle City, is an old textile town that has not been able to keep up. As the jobs in Spartanburg went over seas, mills closed and downtown has few stores, and fewer restaurants. The mall area is nice on the West side, plenty to keep a traveler occupied for 3 months. We already visited Civil War battlesites, a couple national parks, Chimney Rock by Lake Lure (yup dirty dancing area), explored waterfalls all over the Upstate, & put many more miles on the motorcycles!!!
DON'T WORRY!!!!!! Krispy Kreme is alive and kickin'. Who would have thunk it... fried junk... in the south...? it is not a novel idea. Haha!!!
We have not decided WHEN, not if, we are going back to nationwide traveling... but you can bet next time you come back to our site we will have many more crazy stories & good info from our adventures.
Wellington, TX
February 2013
Woohoo! Kirby & I are finally ready to get back on the road again. Although it appears COTA travel positions are harder to come by, even for this time of year. We are going to stop in Graceland, TN on the way to TX to see Elvis's house and what not. I'll post pictures and updates on the jobs in TX, so check back soon!
Wow, Texoma!!! Sunny 92 degrees Sunday & blizzard Tuesday 20 degrees. Windy ALL the time, 75mph highways, & 3000 acre farms!!! It was an educational experience that's for sure. Critical access hospitals are great learning positions. I did acute, outpatient, home health, & helped in the ED on emergencies. Lots of fun! Panhandle of TX leaves a lot to be desired though.
Albemarle, NC
May 2013
Home health for me & acute hospital for Kirby, however, Kirby didn't start for 2 wks after we got to our campground on Lake Tillery, & got her 4 week notice shortly before starting the position. What can we say... you gotta be flexible.
The lakes East of Charlotte, NC are very cool. Big enough for 40' sailboats and to find little coves without a lot of traffic (perfect for floating!)
We enjoyed Lake Tillery Family Campground very much! Great staff & lots of planned activities.
Beaumont, TX
August 2013
Beaumont is very close to Louisiana & the Gulf in TX. I am doing outpatient & Kirby is working acute. Nothing but oil refinaries down here! Lots of things to do outdoors & very hot in August.
The best part.........................!!!!!!!!!!!!
After years of trying to sell our home in SC, we finaly got an offer that was descent. So... we sold it!!!
Selling the house means we can take our profits & savings from traveling, and buy our dream home on the Outer Banks of North Carolina!!! Over 10 1/2 acres with a great house & a dock!
We turned in our notice to our positions & are settling down on the Albemarle Sound in NC!
....September 1, 2013 Kirby & I will hang up our travelin' shoes....
Camden, SC
via New Bern, NC
June 2014
WE ARE BACK TRAVELING !!!!!!!!
We bought our dream home on the water with almost 11 acres in September 2013. I am very pleased with my first full time job in over 11 years at the local hospital in New Bern. After some time off & a few part time COTA positions, our favorite recruiter Will called with a job for Kirby. It is 4+ hours from home, but a shortened assignment & high pay convinced us to go for it. She comes home every weekend from the skilled nursing position.
We have definitely noted decreased and or static salaries across the board for therapists. Traveling still promises the high pay. We are excited for what the future will bring!
Oh how my feet are itching to go traveling again!!!!!!! Talking to staff at hospital, I find myself missing traveling PT more & more............... STAY TUNED!!!!!!!
