How long is too long to travel?

Ruby Vee, BSN · Feb 23, 2015

I don't want to get bare with you -- I don't even know you!

How long is too long to travel? I'm thinking that as long as you're enjoying it, it isn't too long. You'll probably know -- as most of the former travel nurses in my acquaintance did -- when you're over it or when you've found the place you'd like to stay. In the mean time, enjoy the traveling!

NedRN · Feb 23, 2015

I'm coming up at 20 years traveling! I know and have met several travelers with more years than me. Personally, I think travel nurse contracts are about the ideal length of time. My last job before nursing was construction, typically 2 to 3 weeks in a hotel. And imagine all those business travelers out there just in a town for a couple of days! Three months living in an apartment or house and working is a great way and an ideal time frame to really absorb the culture and people and places of a new area. Professionally, it really keeps us sharp and a notch or more above average.

PacoUSA, BSN, RN · Feb 23, 2015

Just curious NedRN: how many state licenses do you hold? :)

My answer to the OP is as long as you love your specialty, you can travel nurse for the rest of your career, if of course you are willing to put up with working without the benefits of sick days and other perks of a staff job. I personally will only travel until I decide I want to switch my specialty. Will I travel again after 2 years of that? Time will tell. I've only been traveling for 4 months so far.

Another important tip: make sure you don't stay in one place for more than a year, else risk making it your new tax home and making your tax-free stipends taxable!

Sent from my iPad using allnurses

NedRN · Feb 23, 2015

I've held 17 licenses.

MsConstrued · Feb 24, 2015

I think the only downside is I miss all my friends back home and even if I make 1-2 friends during an assignment to go out with when I'm off, it just isn't the same. I can't imagine that for years and years, even having my fiance with me. It gets lonely. But I'm so new, the novelty hasn't worn off yet so I will keep doing it until it does!

Argo · Feb 25, 2015

I think it will depend on you for the friend aspect. My wife likes having actual friends around. she is gonna try to do actual travel with me after our son graduates high school, until then I will have a home base that she stays at and I will travel within 3 hours of home wworking 12 hour shifts and heading home on off days, hoping for long weekends.... I have been able to find $50/night rooms by my current hospital to stay in 1 or 2 nights a week. Rooms to rent around here are $500 plus a month so I'm sticking with hotels.

Anyway, being a loner like I am helps. Wanting real friends around would make it tough.... I can only keep my wife amused for so long before she needs a girlshike or night out....

wanderlust99 · Feb 27, 2015

After you've traveled for awhile it gets really hard to want to go back to staff and deal with all the politics involved. And we have so much more freedom. But, I feel like traveling makes it hard for me to form longer lasting relationships and I do get stressed with the moving and being the new kid at work every couple of months.

I started tiring of traveling after 3 years, but have continued for 6. I think I'm chronically unhappy and will never find a perfect place to settle. I have met a ton of interesting people and have friends, but they are more social friends. But that could just be me. I don't know if going staff would solve my problems!

I am considering signing on at my current position, but am just looking at it as a 1-2 year commitment and if I don't like it I will leave. Then I start thinking, well I can't take a month off and go to Europe this summer if I'm staff. So I remain conflicted about the whole thing!!

Soliloquy, MSN, APRN, NP · Feb 27, 2015

Hey wanderlust,

I often hear travelers say that they like not having to deal with the politics of nursing from being staff. what are the politics?

PacoUSA, BSN, RN · Feb 27, 2015

What I hate about traveling right now is being stuck in my specialty (telemetry). Not exactly my dream specialty, it's just the first job I got after graduation, for fear of being new grad jobless. So I'm looking at probably traveling for another 6 months to a year before hanging it up and going staff in a specialty I want (ED or CCU). Then after a couple of years and certification of that I'll think about traveling again. Maybe.

Soliloquy, MSN, APRN, NP · Feb 27, 2015

My issue is committing to one thing. The only thing I know I'm committed to is growth. I initially thought I wanted to travel for a long time, but honestly there's only so many states I'm interested in seeing for longer than 4-5 days. And only about 2-3 states that I'd be interested in working in as a bedside RN. Then, I got into graduate school for something I want and education takes priority in my book. So, maybe about 6 months to a year before I shift gears.

wanderlust99 · Feb 28, 2015

Soliloquy, some of politics like issues with management or other staff usually roll off my back because in the back of my mind I know I can leave. I remember as staff being more frustrated with management and not feeling as appreciated. I just feel more independent as a traveler. I guess because we aren't as committed it's easier not to stress over certain things. And we don't have to worry about staff meetings, shared governance, joining various committees, taking charge, being on call, not getting vacation requests - we just put it in our contract, precepting new staff all the time, etc.. We can just do what most nurses enjoy, which is patient care.