Travel Jobs: Travel Nursing

Be a travel nurse. Sales jobs are the bread and butter of the business travel industry. But not everyone can or will work in sales. If you really want to do something, in this case travel for work, there are always options. What about travel nursing?

Okay, so the first step is to be a licensed nurse. Otherwise it’s going to take you a couple of years to get through college and one heck of a licensing exam to get this done. If you have a few years to waste, that’s great. Otherwise, we’ll look in to some other opportunities in the future that may be more your can of worms. Why is this such a great deal right now? Because that nursing shortage we’ve been hearing about for the last few years is real.

You need to get some experience under your belt before anyone will seriously consider you. How long? It can range from 6 months to 5 years or more. You do need to be licensed in the state in which you plan to work. Many states offer licensing through reciprocity (they give people from your state a license because your state will give people from their state a license – it’s just like sharing on the playground), but there are some that do not participate at this time. California is the prime example.

There are hundreds of on-line recruiting agencies specifically for travel nurses. You will be under contract with the company you choose for up to six months, so be sure to do your research and go with a company that suits you. Travel nurses are typically paid at a much higher rate than regular staff nurses. However, some of the benefits you rely on with a permanent job may be lacking. You probably will not, for example, get any type of 401K or retirement plan. As far as I’m concerned, suck it up and save the money yourself. You get to go to all sorts of great destinations with expenses paid, so it’s worth putting a few bucks back from each paycheck.