5 Surprisingly Practical Ways to Find Affordable Housing and Pocket Your Stipend While Traveling as a Nurse

Missy Doucet, RN · Apr 6

As a travel nurse, sometimes you are expected to be at a certain location in as little as 2 weeks! Rates fluctuate, and you may find yourself landing a pretty nice contract that benefits your needs, but has an inconvenient start date. All of sudden, you're scrambling to get housing, transportation and home affairs in order. Because time is short, it can be hard to find affordable and convenient housing for your new contract in time. This is where you can really begin dipping into your earnings while on contract. Home expenses are already enough to manage so keeping your travel costs down can significantly increase your retained income. If you don't want to get stuck with housing that you are overpaying for, read my list of the most helpful resources for housing when accepting a travel contract.

1. Ask Nurses on the Unit

One of the most underrated and ironically affordable ways to find cheap housing is to rent from your co-workers. If you ask around, someone usually has a room they rent out to travelers. There's a high chance of finding something this way because there's already built-in trust. You already work at the same location so they may feel more comfortable letting you into their home. It's like you're pre-approved! Plus, it's usually way cheaper!

On the other hand, you may not even need to ask anyone, they may come to you! I once was able to find a room for rent for $350/month with a contract paying $2,500-$3,500 per week. The owner was a retired nurse who posted a flyer on the HR's door. She ended up leaving on a road trip for 9 months so I had a 3 bedroom 2 bath house for $350/month to myself. I also renewed that contract for a total of 1 year so it turned out to be a pretty lucrative year.

Often times on other contracts, I have been asked by several nurses about where in the city I was staying. Depending on the area, you may want to stay at a motel near the hospital for the first few weeks until you find someone at work who is renting their room.

2. Use Furnished Finders

Furnished Finders is next runner up when it comes to affordable housing for travelers in my opinion. Many people (nurses included) rent the rooms in their homes to travelers for anywhere from 6 weeks to 6+ months. The rooms are furnished with everything you may need sometimes the owners have cleaning services. Although furnished finders is not exclusive to travel nurses, it is the #1 app I hear about for travel nurses looking for local and convenient housing.

I would stay away from high priced room and board such as Airbnb. Although I love Airbnb for vacations, when you are traveling for work, it can add up quickly! If you are traveling to a particular location for the purpose of visiting and you are not so concerned savings much of your stipend then by all means, enjoy a beautiful Airbnb. But if you are trying to keep your budget down, Furnished Finders is the way to go.

3. Use a Buddy System

Although I know many travelers are known for being very independent, it can be equally as rewarding to socialize and meet new people. Building your social network while traveling is a great way to develop a strong support system that can last an entire career. You never know if you may both want to travel to the same location or maybe even have the same recruiter already!

Travel buddies are another common living situation for travel nurses. I've seen both couples and friends travel this way. The ability to save your stipend greatly increases with this set up. This is also a more comfortable way of living while traveling. It helps to have some familiarity while away on contract.

You may also be able to utilize referral bonuses (usually around $500) that many agencies offer to nurses who refer a friend to their agency. Once you have decided a buddy system with another traveler, weigh the pros and cons of each other's agency and recruiter. Then you can choose a contract and receive a referral bonus!

4. Consider the Towns With Cheaper Housing Surrounding Large Cities

Depending on the area, you may be able to find more affordable housing in the neighboring city/town. Each contract is different and you may value different things on different assignments. For example, on one contract, you may be more focused the rate rather than convenience. In this case, you may want to consider looking for something in a cheaper city on the outskirts of town, further away from the hospital. On another contract however, you may value convenience and don't mind paying a little more for something downtown and closer to the hospital to shorten your daily commute.

Maybe instead of working in big cities, you can work in less desirable areas which are just as in need of help as the big cities are. Many rural areas have cheaper housing and a desperate need for nurses. Some examples of rural areas include Native American reservations and camping/hiking locations. Sometimes, the lesser known areas turn out to be the best contracts where you create the greatest memories!

5. Invest in a Travel Trailer

Travelers come in all different forms. Some are single with no kids. Some are married. Some are grandparents with 30+ years of experience in nursing. No matter the back story, every floor will always have at least one travel nurse with a travel trailer as their temporary home. At this point in my travel career, I have seen all different kinds of travel nurses staying in their travel trailers. And some of them are very fancy!

The travel trailer option is really a case by case option as well. Some travelers maybe already have a truck or travel trailer or both. So investing in that lifestyle isn't as much of a financial risk as someone who drives a Prius for example and would have to buy everything new. All I am saying is to consider your individual situation and ability. If you are ready for the commitment to travel nursing, travel trailers are and excellent way to travel on a budget. I recommend a travel trailer over an RV or something similar because you can detach your truck and still drive around as needed while on the contract. Who wants to drive an RV everywhere? We can sometimes be thousands of miles away from home and a vehicle is definitely needed.

All in all, there are many different ways to find housing while traveling as a nurse. The more you travel of course, the more you find out which options work best for you and your unique circumstance. That's the beauty of travel nursing. You get to choose what works for you. Happy traveling!