Travel nursing with an RV

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My husband and I are considering purchasing a RV. Is there anyone out there that is travel nursing and using an RV?

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My husband and I are considering purchasing a RV. Is there anyone out there that is travel nursing and using an RV?

Yes I am travel nursing and stay in a mobile home park with my 5th wheel. I did not want to chance the housing I might get. I have heard a lot of bad stories about the "supplied housing". I love the privacy and freedom.

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This has always been a dream of my husband's and mine. We travel, but have never made the RV a reality. There seems to be so many positives to having an RV. One of the big ones-not having to pack and unpack every new assignment and using stipend money to pay off the RV. A couple of bad things are cost of driving the RV and also you would have to be careful about jobs you accept d/t the fact that there may not be an RV park close to your assignment.

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I to am looking into this rv idea. Not a travel nurse yet, but thinking this is the only way I would consider this. Cjf, could you give me a hint as to what agency you like the best that has paid and treated you well? Also, what kind of stipend $ avg do u get? Any help would be appreciated. I've been a med surg nurse for 5 yrs and think I'm ready to hit the road! Thanks.

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Specializes in Cath Lab.

I travel with my fifth wheel toy hauler and would never go back to supplied housing. This is truly HOME for me. apartments never seemed like home.

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Specializes in NP. Former flight, CCU, ED RN and paramedic..

My wife and I just bought a 31' fifth wheel, first assignment in three weeks. Hope to travel for three years until our two year old is old enough for school. Renting our home out. Looking forward to the future.

We did this for about six months about ten years ago in our then motor home, working just per diem. We had a blast then too.

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As an FYI, renting your home out means you are itinerant. You are now not eligible for any tax-free treatment of a housing stipend, travel reimbursement, or per diems.

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Specializes in NP. Former flight, CCU, ED RN and paramedic..

Understood, but I'm also renting out a mother-in-law apartment for myself and family. So I am "duplicating" expenses in my tax home, which meets stipulations set forth by the IRS.

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Specializes in burn ICU, SICU, ER, Trauma Rapid Response.
My husband and I are considering purchasing a RV. Is there anyone out there that is travel nursing and using an RV?

FYI There is a whole discussion forum on this exact subject over at Delphi formums. You have to create an account but it's free. Once you do search for "Nurses on Wheels". Another really good group there is TNT (travel Nurses and Therapists). I have found most of the highest paying contracts there.

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That is great about your tax status. There are many travelers with RVs, but the best place to learn about both the vehicles and the lifestyle are on dedicated RV forums. The major ones are RV dot net, iRV2, and Escapees. Look for the sub-forums about working on the road, or full-timers for relevant information pertinent to travel nursing - some will be travel nurses but it doesn't matter.

I'm don't travel that way, but it does seem pretty cool. Worked in Mammoth Lakes CA and there were two large parks adjacent to the hospital. I know several hospitals that have hookups in their parking lot! There are other hospitals with a tolerance for just parking in their lots, and going to public dumps when need be. I'm especially intrigued by boondocking, and not paying park fees. There are also national forests (one was just a couple miles from Mammoth) where camping was free.

But my analysis from great friends who travel that way is that is just about the lifestyle. Maintenance and costs are high enough that it doesn't make financial sense to me.

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Specializes in NP. Former flight, CCU, ED RN and paramedic..

I've owned every type of RV imaginable, they aren't high maintenance in my experience. The truck to pull a fifth wheel, if maintained with routine maintenance, can have an excellent life expectancy.

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FYI There is a whole discussion forum on this exact subject over at Delphi formums. You have to create an account but it's free. Once you do search for "Nurses on Wheels". Another really good group there is TNT (travel Nurses and Therapists). I have found most of the highest paying contracts there.

Wow, this is interesting, thanks for the info.

Does anyone know if there's a legal way to make this a business expense? Seems legitimate as a cost of doing business, but do you have to depreciate it over a long period of time? How's that work?

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