If you’re reading this, you’re likely interested in, or at least curious about, becoming a travel therapist. I had personally become curious about travel therapy after traveling for several of my clinical rotations during PT school. During that time, I grew to love exploring new areas and meeting new people, all while adding another piece of work experience to my resume. After having some long conversations with my wife and seeking the advice of experienced travelers, I decided to jump right into travel therapy as a new grad. While I personally absolutely love being a traveler, it is definitely not for everyone. Below I will discuss important considerations you should be asking yourself prior to diving into the world of travel therapy.
DO YOU LOVE TO TRAVEL?
Traveling and seeing the world was the most enticing aspect for me to become a travel therapist, as it likely is for most people. From mountains to beaches, cities to small rural towns, there are so many places to see and experience. Anyone who asks what my favorite part of being a traveler is, I tell them “I get to go on a mini-vacation every single weekend!” Going out and exploring a new area every weekend during a contract is truly a dream come true to me. Check out our Explore Local tab on the blog home page to keep up with everywhere we go!
ARE YOU FLEXIBLE?
Flexibility in Your Lifestyle
Most travel contracts are ~13 weeks in length. While this may not ALWAYS be the case depending on the setting you’re working in or if you happen to accept an extension on a contract, this is the average starting contract length. This means that around every 13 weeks (~3 months) you will have to pack up all your belongings, move to a new city with new people, and start a new job.
Unless you have housing provided for you or live in an RV, you’ll have to go through the tedious process of searching for housing at each new location. Oftentimes, you won’t get everything you may be looking for, such as a private unit, furnished living spaces, laundry facilities, and budget-friendly rent. Furthermore, depending on location, you may have to make sacrifices or alterations to your normal lifestyle, like working out at home vs buying a gym membership due to a lack of convenient gym facilities.
If you happen to be a homebody at heart who loves consistent routines and the ideas presented above sound horrendous, travel therapy may not be right for you. If these ideas intimidate you but do pique your interest, that doesn’t necessarily mean travel therapy isn’t right for you. This could mean that you are at a point in your life where a challenge like traveling and meeting new people in new places could be an opportunity for self-growth.
Flexibility in Your Career
Starting a new job every 3 months may sound exhausting and tedious, particularly after realizing that you will be leaving soon after you start getting comfortable there. It’s no walk in the park, but it’s another great way to challenge yourself and pick up better ways to handle things at each place you travel to. Additionally, not everything will be novel at each job. Of course, each therapy setting comes with a certain demographic that may be familiar, or you may have a documentation system that you are able to jump right into to ease the transition. Regardless, being a travel therapist requires a significant amount of FLEXIBILITY.
TRAVEL THERAPY REQUIRES TRUST
Do You Have a Trustworthy Recruiter?
The nature of being a travel therapist is having to trust in someone else to help you obtain each new job assignment. This is where it is important to establish a solid bond between your recruiter(s). I am fortunate enough to have two amazing recruiters who know me better than I know myself. We have honest and open communication when it comes to my priorities on upcoming assignments, how I would like to be reached during the day, and my future goals.
For example, I originally passed on an outpatient job in St. Simons Island, GA, since I had no intention of traveling to Georgia; however, my recruiter reassured me that based on my interests, location preferences, and job goals this would be a great fit for me. I gave her my full trust, got the position, and ended up extending my original contract at that location because I loved it so much.
Do You Have a Mentor?
Jumping into travel therapy, particularly as a new grad, can be difficult. No matter how good of a student you were, no one has all the answers. Aside from your recruiter(s), you should look into creating a relationship with a mentor(s) that you feel you could trust and reach out to when in a pickle. Someone who will provide you with timely, insightful, and helpful responses to provide a sense of consistency and encouragement while you travel to each new job. I would be more than happy to be that someone for you! You can contact me anytime!
TRAVELING SOLO VS WITH A COMPANION
There are several different combinations of traveler companion scenarios: traveling with a companion who needs to obtain a new job in each location, traveling without a companion (solo), traveling with a fellow traveling therapist, or traveling with someone who can work remotely.
Traveler + Job Changing Companion
I travel with my wife whose background is in culinary. She is extremely flexible in attempting to snag a new job each place we go to. She’s been able to work at coffee shops and retail stores. When she wasn’t, she was able to bring in some extra cash by working online jobs. Thus, I do not have to travel alone so she can travel and explore the world with me. I do like to venture out on my own when she’s busy, but I most enjoy our time spent together. I’m not sure if travel therapy would be right for me if she couldn’t tag along. I’d personally likely get pretty lonely! However, a lot of people love to travel solo!
Solo Travelers
Solo travelers are often free-spirited, outgoing individuals who make friends easily, but are comfortable with their time spent alone and cherish their freedom to do whatever they feel like! Furthermore, If you are considering traveling solo, there will likely be more job opportunities for you than if you are attempting to travel as a therapy pair.
Traveling Therapy Pairs
As for travel pairs, I know of many very successful travel therapy couples, several of whom have a strong online presence. Many of the traveling mentors who gave me helpful advice when I was getting started are successful travel therapy couples. Thus, it is possible and there are jobs out there looking exactly for this scenario; however, there are oftentimes fewer job opportunities looking for 2 therapists at the same location. However, there’s a chance that if one person can snag a contract somewhere, the other may be able to snag a PRN job in the same area for additional income.
Traveler + Remote Working Companion
If you happen to have a partner who can work remotely in their career and can travel with you on each assignment, that’s a fantastic setup. This allows for the increase in job opportunities available to you like a solo traveler, as well as having someone to keep you company along the way.
WANT GOOD PAY & BENEFITS?
Travel assignments are often reimbursed with an hourly rate, a daily per diem, and a daily housing stipend. These all add up to above-average pay for that particular job when compared to the same job done by an employee paid on salary. The first on the list (hourly rate) is the only portion of your income that is actually being taxed!! That means a HUGE portion of your income is made TAX FREE. On average, most of my assignments thus far have come out to be a 45%: 55% ratio of taxed: non-taxed income. That’s awesome!! However, you must prove you are traveling away from a “tax home” to qualify for tax-free stipends. Download the file below to learn more about things to consider when determining your tax home representation.
When it comes to benefits, most travel companies you work through will have a day-one option for health insurance coverage. Meaning the first day of your assignment you will be covered by whatever benefits you elect. Most companies have options for medical, dental, vision, and potentially a small life insurance policy. If you’re single then the cost of insurance isn’t bad at all! However, if you were wanting to add a spouse/partner then their cost can become a bit excessive. But you can pick and choose what you would like to have covered. I cover my wife’s dental, but she was able to find cheaper medical insurance elsewhere.
WANT A CHANCE FOR PROFESSIONAL GROWTH?
Networking
Getting to travel and working different jobs allows you to meet TONS of other professionals in your career field. Many of whom can be fantastic resources when it comes to bouncing ideas off of someone on a tough case. Or they could be a connection to tie you back into the local area for the future. Thus, being a traveler is a great chance to grow your network.
Want To Explore Different Job Settings?
Travel therapy is a unique opportunity to grow your resume quickly. After graduation, I wasn’t completely sure of the setting I wanted to start practicing full-time in. While I got lots of great exposure during my clinicals during school, it’s still not quite the same as having full responsibility for your own caseload. Being a traveler has allowed me to experience what it is truly like to work as a full-time therapist in a particular setting, get a feel for it, and repeat that cycle every 3-4 months. You can stack up loads of experience for your resume to give you a better chance to land a job in any setting you may want to practice in later on (if you’re using travel as a stepping stone for later in your career).
SUMMARY OF PROS & CONS OF TRAVEL THERAPY
PROS:
- Travel and see the world
- Personal growth
- Good pay and benefits
- Network with LOADS of new people
- Lots of job experience in different settings (Resume builder!)
CONS:
- Requires GREAT flexibility
- Not ALWAYS in ideal locations
- Housing may be difficult and/or expensive at times
- Depending on your traveling companion scenario, jobs may be harder to come by
If you have any other questions about whether travel therapy is right for you, please Contact Us! I’d love to answer any further questions about travel therapy. Also, please subscribe to our monthly newsletter to keep up with all our adventures and travel therapy insights!