sissy56

I worked in Tucson, AZ for the winter and the weather was perfect warm in the valley or if you felt the need, snow in the mountains. We looked at 5th wheels but I really didn't want to be driving a big diesel truck back and forth to work, so we chose a diesel pusher (better resale value, lasts longer, and low interest rate) and we tow a jeep liberty. My DH is retired military so our insurance is through the military, and we can stay in the famcamps on base if there is one close by a hospital. We stayed at Davis-Monthan AFB in Tucson. I have worked in FL during the winter and sometimes it is difficult to find a campground that isn't already booked throughout the winter, also it can get pretty pricey if you're near the ocean.

The pay is low in Fl., but there is no income tax, however they have high sales tax on everything. The bigger the city the higher the taxes so cost of living is expensive. I worked in St. Pete in ICU average 3:1 pt ratio and floated a lot to tele average 6:1 pt ratio. Also worked in Ft. Myers, beware of PBDS. Lee Memorial ownes all the hospitals in the area and if you don't pass there is nowhere nearby to work. I live in an RV so finding a place to park it in the winter time is very difficult for us and limits where we can go otherwise Fl weather is great.

Even the new diesel pushers can have problems, The ECU on our 2006 Cross Country died in Palm Bay, FL. had to have it towed to Orlando for $600, the tow truck broke both our mirrors off, $460 (thankfully it was covered by the tow company) Cummins couldn't program their own part, so freightliner fixed the problem for $330. After a week we were finally on our way. In spite of all the problems this is the only way to live for us. I tried a permanent job only lasted 5 months, now I'm back to traveling. There's just too much country to see before I can grow roots.

I don't know about traveling as an LPN, you can always go online and fill out applications for different travel companies, as to finding a class C that sleeps six, try RV.net you could also take a travel assignment and take the housing and look in different areas of the US for a used RV. The southern states FL, AZ, and CA might be the best places to look since the economy has hit there the hardest. Good luck.

I am going back to RMCH, I was there last winter. Right now we are having some RV problems (just does not want to start) but we are leaving next week. I've worked in Jax and St. Augustine but not as a traveler, haven't seen any postings for that area. I've noticed that the rates charged by the campgrounds in FL double in the winter. I've found the southwest to be more reasonable.

It been awhile since I've posted a note, I took a perm position in Fl and just couldn't take being part of the staff, I remembered why I loved travel nursing so much. I called my recruiter and accepted a position back in Gallup, NM. The staff there makes the winter worth while. When I'm in the desert I miss the ocean, when I'm at the ocean I miss the desert. Thank God my home has wheels.

My contract in Orlando fell through so I won't be able to "rally", We're going to try to stay on in the West. So far the cold and snow hasn't affected the RV. We sure have gone through a lot of propane. Good thing electric is included with our lot rent, we've been using electric heaters to suppliment the furnace.

I am just finishing an assignment in Gallup, NM. Our RV has survived the snow and below freezing weather. Thanks to heat tape, no frozen water pipes, but we are looking forward to warmer weather in FL. I wish we were headed to Arizona,too. We spent last winter in Tucson and since my DH is retired military, we spent the winter on the Davis-Monthan AFB. The campground was beautiful. We spent the winter hiking the desert, now we will be hiking Disney in Orlando.

Hi, I've been traveling for a year now, we sold everything and bought a Class A and pull a jeep. I contact my recruiter about 6-8 weeks before my contract ends and tell her where I want to go. Then we call local campgrounds to find out if they have any openings. If they do, my recruiter contacts the hospital and I interview, if we are agreeable to each other, we make reservations for 13 weeks. The hardest places to find openings were Ft. Myers in Jan and Seattle in June, where I will start a new contract next week. Usually you have a few days to a week before you sign a contract and during that time you can find a place to stay. If you can't find any openings then don't sign the contract find another place to go to.

Hi, my husband and I have been traveling for a year now and we have had a great time. We live in our 40' diesel pusher and the great thing about is that you can't buy a lot of stuff, there's no room. We get our housing in my hourly wages so that our taxes are paid as income since we don't have a permanent home. I have met other travelers, husband and wife teams that travel together. They just can't work in the same unit. The biggest problem we have encountered is that camping areas are usually full by the time we get an assignment. We got the last monthly site in Ft. Myers and we have to rent weekly on our next assignment in Seattle. If you want to go to an area that has peak seasons, like Florida in the winter, it can be difficult to find a camping spot.