Calling all travel nurses

Please tell me what it's like to be a travel nurse. Do you actually get to enjoy the places you see? Do you get to go where you want? Do you get homesick? or do you have a stable home?

Yes you do have time to enjoy new places - 3 months in one place working 3-4 days a week gives you lots of time to explore. I get to see lots more than I would on a vacation. (Heading over to Reno/Tahoe on Sunday!)

Right now your choice of where to go is more limited since just like the rest of the economy the travel nurse industry has really tightened up. You need to be very flexible about location in order to stay consistently employed. Sometimes places you'd never thought of going can be great.

I have a home which I share with my mom and while I occasionally miss home and family it's an easy matter to arrange a stretch of days off and fly home.

I agree with Baglady, travel nursing is fun, educational, enjoyable, difficult and trying all in one. It's a job, like most others. You will meet people you love and dislike. One thing about a travel assignment is the motto "I can do almost anything for 13 weeks" if you really don't like it, finish your contract and try another or go back to your previous job (never burn bridges when leaving though). Travel isn't for everyone. It takes time to learn how to pack, what to take and what to leave. You also will have to make new friends in different places, but some of those friends can be friends for life. While I haven't traveled all of my 20 years in nursing, it has been the longest and most rewarding job I have had. Good luck in your choice.

Rod