 As a solo travel nurse for almost 4 years now, I’ve seen a lot of the country. I grew up in a small town in Vermont, and after graduating from UVM, I said, “See ya New England, I’m going to explore!” First job in Boise, ID and from there, all across the country. My contracts have ranged from towns of a few thousand to cities of millions of people. Honestly, loved them all! I love tearing up trails on my mountain bike as much as trying the latest cocktails and dressing up. I’m a get out there, see the sites, do all the things kind of girl. And yes, naps are key.....
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 Have you been gettin’ your self care on?! I don't know about you, but I've seen this term thrown around a lot in the last 2 years. So, I took it upon myself to dig a little deeper. Is it face masks and bubble baths? Is it hiking and getting outdoors? Or is it mediating, painting, drawing, journaling, organizing, or becoming closer to God? Sure. No. Yes. Maybe. It’s actually all of this and then some. Self care differs from person to person. For me? Moving away from my hometown almost 4 years ago was step one. From that moment, I promised myself that I would learn and discover ME. What moves me. What brings me joy. What I value. And what I like and dislike. Because in my hometown, I felt like I was a product of my environment, molded and shaped by my family and friends into a version of myself that I wasn’t in love with. At 23 years old......
 In my short 3 years as a traveler, I have achieved a positive net worth after graduating with $120,000 in student loan debt, bought two rental properties, invested in stocks/crypto, started a side hustle business, and traveled the country. I am not saying this to brag but sharing travelers have a huge opportunity to get ahead financially if intentional with their money. I would not have ever been able to do the above if I was still working my staff job and living a safe comfortable lifestyle. As a traveler, I have made between 2-3x more in pay compared to my staff job. Travelers can make life changing money in a short time!
When I began my research into travel nursing, I was most excited about which new city I’d be moving to next. The U.S. was my oyster and I was ready to explore. When I was younger I was obsessed with the idea of moving to Seattle. I will (shamefully) admit a lot of it was Grey’s Anatomy related. However, after a bit of research, I knew Seattle was the place for me! After a sad “see you later” to my friends and family in Indiana, I made the long journey to the PNW (Pacific NorthWest).
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........
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:
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