Travel with family?

I'm in my first year of an ADN program,so no where near ready to travel yet, but that's my dream! So when the time comes, the plan is for my husband to homeschool our son while I work. If all goes as planned, he'll be about 8 when we start.

I work in Pittsburgh and took a 13 week assignment in Philadelphia. I worked 3-12's (7a-7p) on T, W and Th in Philadelphia and came home on the weekend to work my weekend job in Pittsburgh (2-12's 7p-7a on Sat and Sun). I have a 7 and 10 yr old and my hubby worked casually as a CNA. It worked out great-it is a 4.5 hr drive and it was crazy, but I got the experience behind me and can now say I travelled. If you have that opportunity where someone can be with your kids and you want to try out something like that initially, go for it. It is a great way to get started in travelling and was a very enjoyable, sometimes frustrating but overall beneficial experience. I was done just in time for Christmas-my home job in Pittsburgh never knew I was gone (I only work weekends)-it was great.

My husband is just starting nursing school, so it will take a little while until he has the experience to join me, but it is definitely something we are looking into doing someday together.

Look around in your area or just outside of it and see what is there-you may be able to do something like that. The only thing that is kind of a deterrent for the family is the health insurance for a traveller is free, but if you are trying to cover a family, it is REALLY expensive. But if you can manage it for the 13 weeks, it's a great way to go-especially if you are looking to relocate. Just keep saying to yourself, "I can do ANYTHING for 13 weeks!!!"

If you want to PM me you can-it was a great experience!!

rbs105

With the uncertainty in the travel nurse market right now I'd put this plan on hold unless you have an independent source of income. Experienced travelers are finding contracts almost impossible to obtain right now (up to several months between contracts) and many contracts are being cancelled either within days of start date or during the course of the contract, leaving the traveler stranded.
It has been hard enough on singles like me, but I would hate to see someone left out there with no contract and children to support a long way from home.
Keep working and getting all the experience you can and we can hope that in a year or so the market turns around and it becomes feasible for you to travel.

I agree with baglady, now is not the time to take to the road...that said, i am a travel nurse currently in California with my 12 and 14 yr old(no husband). They go to public school and change schools when we move; they love it, i love it...it is hard work though, traveling doesnt pay as well as staff so we're on a tightish budget, but we live on the pacific ocean....

This is something I had been thinking about as well. We are a homeschooling family so I wouldn't be dragging my kids from school to school. But I doubt my DH would be willing to leave his job for 13 weeks, and we don't let anyone who isn't blood related watch our kids. I think I may have to wait on travel nursing till the kids are in college.