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Working in the US as a Canadian is an easier move than you might think. Like any government process it can be tedious, but if you’re a lover of travel (or just striving towards some financial goals), coming to America might be one of the best things you’ve ever done........
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It was a cold December 27, 2021, in the Chicagoland area reading at about -10 degrees Fahrenheit. The heat was broken, and it was about 50 degrees in the living room. I was back in my hometown helping take care of my mom in between work assignments curled in layers of blankets with my cat. As I was scrolling through The Gypsy Nurse Facebook page, I remembered a post about a place called Guam. I pulled out my phone and started looking up Guam.
 As we close out Pride Month 2022, we wanted to share some highlighted points from the Instagram Live we did a few weeks ago with Sharon, Jose-Nicolas, and Graham, all LGBTQIA+ travelers, in this blogpost to celebrate, learn, and be active in continuing to create an inclusive traveler community.
Does Location Matter? Where a traveler takes an assignment is usually one of the biggest factors to consider besides pay, facility, and shift. As a member of the LGBTQIA+ community, one may consider a bigger city over a more remote area in hopes of being accepted and comfortable being authentically oneself............  Have you ever had a sentence leave your mouth and immediately you knew what the next question would be? I can almost guarantee that most of us do. For me, it’s almost always after I say “I’m a travel scrub.”
The response? “A what?” There’s a very common way to explain what a scrub, or more formally a Certified Surgical Technologist or Surgical Technician (dependent on certification status) is. That’s to use probably the one example that my fellow scrubs have also probably employed themselves. Here it goes.... Most people would say you should rent a campervan before you decide to live in one.
This is definitely some good advice... but we sure didn’t. We’ve been known to do some “crazy” things from time to time – AKA go with our gut vs. doing exactly what society expects of us. We knew deep down that we were meant to be vanlifers. So when the travel physical therapy market crashed because of the pandemic in 2020, we knew it was our time. Our only problems were....  For traveling therapists, there are three main considerations when choosing a contract: Pay, Location, and Setting. The first two considerations are going to depend more on your personal preference, but for Setting, there are several factors to consider.
First, which settings can you work as a traveling therapist? Here is a list of the main ones for OT’s, PT’s, and SLP’s:
 Travel is often glamorized on social media, especially in the last couple of years after COVID began. Pay packages began to skyrocket (finally getting the pay we deserve!) and it started seeming like it was the mass Exodus of any nurse with over two years of experience in every unit across the country. I personally have been a travel nurse for the past 4 years, and I can vouch that it’s one of the best jobs out there. What other industry can you be so in control of your own schedule, make great money, and still have fulfilling work caring for others? Sometimes, I come across nurses who would love to become a travel nurse, but they could “never” do it. A lot of the fears I hear about have to do with the fear of being away from family and friends, and the fear of being alone. I think putting yourself out there in a new state, new hospital, new unit filled with all new coworkers can be a really scary thing for some people. I also think it has changed me as a person, and I would do it all over again in a heartbeat!
You’ve just landed your dream assignment on the beautiful island of Maui but have no idea where to start. What part of the island do you live? Do you ship your car? What is there to do? Maui is literal heaven on earth and for the purpose of this blog I will share my insider's tips & tricks to help you make the most of your assignment.
Imagine waking up each day not being able to see properly and having no access to an eye doctor or the means to purchase a proper pair of prescription eye glasses. Imagine having a bad headache or becoming sick with the flu and not having access to basic medications like Tylenol or ibuprofen that most Americans always have stocked in their cabinets. Imagine never seeing a doctor your whole life for a check-up or having the most basic medical care available to you. These are things that we can’t imagine living in the United States and many other privileged countries in the world, but in many underdeveloped and underserved regions of the world these simple things would be considered a luxury.
 The Vanlife/RV living experience is about escaping the ordinary and bringing the outdoors into the forefront of your life. This lifestyle provides a consistency in travel nursing where you have "your space" no matter where you may land. For those who are able to take a leap of faith it holds endless opportunities and room for experiences and exploration. Choosing where you land to drink your coffee every morning is incredible.
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