is it worth it? Travel agency questions

[Heartnurse24]

Hey everyone. Here's the short version:

RN with 1 year experience, med/surg/telemetry. ACLS certified. In Bachelor's program now.. to be completed in August . MY base pay is 42000 (55 with shift difs, inconvenience pay, geographic pay) Union, state retirement, full benefits, state employee.

I get bored with the same old, same old. I like flexibility and making my own schedules. Im an adventurer, however, I am 48 so i want to secure a future. I really want to get into travel nursing but not sure pay/benefits would match mine. I was a traveler as an LPN for 3 years and loved it. (long background: CNA for 20 years, LPN for 7, now an RN)

do you have to drive to all your assignments?

Do they pay airline costs? (what if you do an assignment in Cali and you're in NY? )

Do you have to buy a TV if your agency doesn't provide one? what about utilities and cable in the state you contracted in ?

Sorry, I have lots of questions but I want to research travelling well before i decide next year to do it or not.

Thanks for your input and help!!

[Heartnurse24]

oops.. one more question..

what do you do for transportation if you go to another state?

[NedRN]

I don't believe there have been any changes since you traveled as a LPN. Effectively, everything comes out of your pay. So it doesn't matter if you pay for it or the agency does.

Anecdotally, I was 40 when I started traveling. Financially secure perhaps 17 years later - meaning I could retire.

[Dinsey]

You don't have to buy a TV or drive a car or get cable.

If you can get there by train, plane or boat, they'll still reimburse you up to whatever maximum they state.

In many places (NYC, San Francisco) you might be better off without a car.

If you need a TV and they don't provide it with the housing then you will either need to bring one or buy one. I have either found my own housing with a TV provided or found housing without a TV - which is currently the case. I do not spend much time watching TV because I'm trying to experience my city, but I do watch some shows on Netflix/Hulu on my laptop (which is much easier to travel with than a TV)

I suggest you read the posts on here going back several pages - most of your questions have been asked and addressed recently.

[Heartnurse24]

Dinsey,

Thank you so much for your input. I am fairly new to this site/forum, so I'm sorry if my questions seem redundant. I am just really nervous about considering the switch. I have good health insurance now, great benefits etc. but not nearly as much experience and excitement as I'd like and travel is my forte. There's always that daunting question of "did i do the right thing"? Tv isn't that big a deal for me either, I just wasn't sure about it. There's always other options like buying a fire stick or something to bring! I live in NY but would love to travel the country and do what I enjoy doing most.. nursing.