New to Travel Nursing

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Specializes in Addictions/Mental Health, Telemetry.

So I started looking into Travel Nursing instead of returning to my old employer after medical leave. I may be starting just within my own state, and possibly not even 50 miles away from home. I realize that would not be travel rate, but it's a start. I still have a lease on an apartment and a ton of stuff!

My question is, how do you live as a traveler? Do you maintain a nomadic life, or do you have a "home" that you periodically return to? While I'm on my first few assignments within my state, I plan to return home on my days off, or at least once a month, so I can begin sorting and paring down my possessions.

Any other suggestions for me as a new Traveler? I appreciate your wisdom!

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Hi I am a new traveler myself. I began the journey January of 2015. My first assignment was 50 miles from home I ended up putting my belongings inside storage. Makes no sense in keeping an apartment I won't live in. I come home in between an assignment. I've only had 2 assignments honestly. I returned home for the second assignment but no I am ready to leave again.

Packing is key with travel. Some things you pack are unnecessary and others are necessary. A nonnegotiable for me is my Bible, family pictures, maybe and a little plush dog a friend gave me. Pack as light as you can if you can. Agency websites offer lists on what you can pack. Just remember you have to pack yourself up as well so don't go overboard. Maybe purchase a travel iron and travel ironing board as oppose to the regular household sized ones. Anything you can downsize do that.

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Your rate should not change based on distance from an assignment, only the tax treatment of your compensation (which is not distance, but if job requirements like adequate rest between shifts require local accommodations). If you commute from home, you are not eligible. If you give up your home and become itinerant, you are not eligible. If you keep your home, returning home "frequently" is one of the criteria to keep your "tax home" for continued beneficial tax treatment of your compensation.

This tax treatment I'm referring to is often called tax advantage and allows you to receive tax free housing (or a tax free stipend), a per diem to pay for meals and incidentals, and mileage to your assignment and back. These add up to around $10,000 extra take home annually for typical travelers. If the cost of maintaining you home is more than that, you might rationally choose to become itinerant (without a home). Then all your compensation is taxed as ordinary income, even provided housing.

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Specializes in Addictions/Mental Health, Telemetry.
Your rate should not change based on distance from an assignment, only the tax treatment of your compensation (which is not distance, but if job requirements like adequate rest between shifts require local accommodations). If you commute from home, you are not eligible. If you give up your home and become itinerant, you are not eligible. If you keep your home, returning home "frequently" is one of the criteria to keep your "tax home" for continued beneficial tax treatment of your compensation.

This tax treatment I'm referring to is often called tax advantage and allows you to receive tax free housing (or a tax free stipend), a per diem to pay for meals and incidentals, and mileage to your assignment and back. These add up to around $10,000 extra take home annually for typical travelers. If the cost of maintaining you home is more than that, you might rationally choose to become itinerant (without a home). Then all your compensation is taxed as ordinary income, even provided housing.

Oh my goodness! I do not understand any of this! I have a lease on an apartment for 8 more months. I have been working with a recruiter from Supplemental Health Care. I was told I would only get travel pay if the position is greater than 50 miles from my home. If not, it is considered a per diem contract. I have heard that from other companies as well.

Also, if I would not be eligible for the tax advantage if I gave up my leased apartment/"home" and became itinerant, as you say, where do travel nurses call "home"?

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Specializes in Addictions/Mental Health, Telemetry.

Where do you return to as "home" between assignments? A family member's home? Just curious, since I have a mother who lives nearby, but her place is too small for me to move in.

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Specializes in ICU, and IR.

Home is where ever you choose it to be, it can be mom & dad or you can do a roommate situation which works out really well for them since you are basically never there. If you do a room mate situation you can get tax advantage IF all the requirements are met...read the IRS site for "tax home" or check out the pantravelers.org website. In my situation we are keeping our house till May when we will sell it then from there be itinerant, we might look into a roommate thing but I actually have no problem not having a "home". Its just stuff after all and as long as I have my wife and my dogs I am happy. My recruiter did mention the 50 mile thing too with a per diem rate...this is a hospital policy mostly not a law or agency thing. Basically if the hospital can see that you live within 50 miles they figure they can hire you as a full time staff and do not want to pay you what they would a traveler so they reduce their rate to a per diem (per day) rate. That's my understanding anyway and I am by no means an expert.

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Specializes in Addictions/Mental Health, Telemetry.

Thank you for this information! And also thank you for the information about pantravelers.org!

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I have been a travel nurse since 10/2014. I did three 13 week assignments in Chicago and lived with close friends (originally from MI used to live in Chicago). I moved to Los Angeles in my Ford Fiesta with whatever would fit in it in August, and have been living in AirBnbs. I move about every 10 days, depending on my work schedule. I keep some things at my mom's house in MI. I've loved it so far...had a couple issues here and there with the nomad life, but nothing significant.

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Specializes in L&D.

TAX HOME means a permanent address, and the state you pay taxes to- I keep my same car registration/drivers license/car insurance etc because it's cheap from North Dakota where I was living for 2 years.

TAX HOME does not have to mean you own property there. it's your residential state (probably the one you came from...) according to IRS if you claim a tax home "some of your business" every year has to be done there.

I am planning to become a resident of Alaska next year and will be changing my tax home-- My only concern is April 15... i better not be owing them IRS fart heads a bunch of money.

just let the professionals do your taxes so you don't get screwed by the IRS.

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A tax home requires at a very minimum a place you live in and return to frequently. A permanent address is very different.

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I think you have the right idea about your first few travel jobs. Especially if you are not 100% sure that Travel is what you want for long term. My first 3 jobs were in my home state. I actually sold my home prior to starting travel and made my 'tax home', my mom's home, also in the same state. I get my permanent mail there, as well as it is a place to go in between assignments, especially if I do not have anything set up right away. But after a few assignments, it was time to venture out and start seeing America. Which is one main reason for Travel nursing. Then, going home between assignments, is a little harder. But you just have to plan a little better and try to get your next job to start close to when your last one is ending, so you are not spending a lot of money on housing when you are not getting paid. I also take the opportunity to possibly stop and vacation in between assignments, like staying overnight somewhere to see a tourist attraction, or just something you would like to do. i think Travel nursing can get to be a bit of a nomadic type life, if you have several assignments back to back without having a home to go back to. But I really love traveling and being somewhere new, so where I am, I consider home these days. But if being close to family and coming home frequently between assignments is important to you, you can certainly make sure assignments are not that far from home, and give yourself enough time between assignments to go home for a visit. Just be aware that when you are not working, you do not get paid and no benefits, so discuss that with your recruiter.

Travel nursing is certainly a learning experience. Even though it is a good idea to read a lot about travel nursing before you start, the first few years (or assignments) will still be a learning experience for you. If you make some bad decisions, don't let that get you down in any way. We all learn from our mistakes and we become more seasoned and veteran Travelers with each year we do it. I am in my forth year, and I certainly feel like a more savvy traveler now, than I did in my first 2 years. But I am still learning. My home state is in Florida and I am currently working in Northern California. So happy to have found this profession. Can't wait to see where my next assignment takes me!! Best of luck to you. Hope you learn to love it like many of us do!

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so can I use my parents house in FL as my "tax home" if my assignments are in other states? I'd have all of my affairs under my parents address (car registration, drivers license, etc.)

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