gymrat13

Moving is the hardest part of all of the travel nursing. My suggestion would be to keep your tax home established while on assignment (google tax home if unsure what that means). If you dont have one established, they will tax all of your per diem's because you will be considered a "transient worker." Tax free per diem's are what make travel worth it, so you need to keep those established. However, if you genuinely plan on only not having a tax home for three months, you will be fine, because you can claim your current and for a period of three months, it shouldnt be an issue because your current has been the majority of the year. It becomes pretty confusing when trying to establish these things, so another good resource is a travel nursing tax specialist. If you google it, there is a really good one in the northeast...Cant remember their name specifically, but easy to find because they do taxes for travelers all around the country and they will answer all of your travel related tax questions. They have been a life saver for me!

I travel with my wife, 14 month old baby, and two small dos. Cost end up being a little more in relation to the dogs most of the time (fees, deposits, etc). My recommendation is take the housing stipend and do your own research to find a place. It can be more difficult because you have to find places willing to take you on a 3 month lease most of the time (again, usually get tagged for the privilege), but its much better than staying in hotels. Not to mention, you can usually find places considerably cheaper than the stipend they give. It takes a little more time and effort, but well worth it. I cant imagine traveling without my family...Hope this helps a little...