The Pros and Cons of RV Travel Nursing
Is It Right for You?
Are you a nurse who is looking for a unique and flexible way to travel and work? If so, you may want to consider RV travel nursing. RV travel nursing allows nurses to live and work in an RV while traveling to different parts of the country or even the world. This can be a great way to see new places, experience different cultures, and earn a higher salary.
In this blog post, we will discuss the pros and cons of RV travel nursing. We will also provide tips for making the most of your RV travel nursing experience. So if you are thinking about becoming an RV travel nurse, read on!
Options for Housing
Travel nurses have several options for finding housing when taking a new contract. Some agencies provide housing for their nurses, which replaces the housing stipend, but guarantees they will have a place to stay. However, choosing this option could result in living in a less than desirable location or situation for 13 weeks. Second is the option of finding and securing your own housing near the hospital where you will be working. This can be done through websites such as Furnished Finder, AirBnB, or by word of mouth, which can all be stressful when trying to match your needs with your budget.
Why I Chose RV Housing
Since I started travel nursing in 2019, I have chosen to travel in an RV as my housing choice. There are many reasons I love this option:
- All my things are with me - As I travel from place to place, I don't have to pack and unpack my belongings each time. Everything I need is right in my home-on- wheels. No wishing I had a warmer jacket when unexpected weather happens. I just reach in my closet and get one!
- Familiar Surroundings - This especially applies to our pets. They don't have to adjust to a different home every few months. But I also am a creature of habit and love the consistency of the same home in different places.
- Decreased Stress - There's nothing like the feeling of coming home after a long work shift and being in my own home and sleeping in my own bed... with a mattress I picked out and on which no one else has slept.
- Exploring between contracts - Traveling in an RV also affords us the luxury of being able to take time between contracts to explore the areas nearby. We have seen so much of the U.S. just by stopping in interesting places while traveling to a new area for the next contract. You also have the option of boondocking, or off-grid camping, which gives a very different experience than staying in RV parks.
The RV lifestyle is a happy marriage of convenience and constant adventure.
-Prevention – Volume 40, Issues 1-6
There are Cons
Of course, there is a list of cons for every list of pros:
- Upfront costs - There is the obvious expense of purchasing a recreational vehicle, which could be prohibitive to some. This expense can be mitigated in several ways, like buying a gently used model from a previous owner. RV Trader is the largest one-stop shop online to start seeing what is available. If you're purchasing a towable RV, you'll also need a tow vehicle that is rated as capable of towing your choice of RV.
- Maintenance cost - You will also have the cost of maintaining/repairing any items that are broken or stop working. This cost has to be considered when deciding to travel in an RV.
- Living in a small space - Adjustments have to be made when living even part-time in an RV. The amount of living space as well as storage space should be taken into consideration. Will you be able to manage living in a smaller space than you may have in other living arrangements?
- Finding RV parks where you want to stay - This was more of an issue during the height of the covid pandemic, but seems to be easing up now that fewer people are living the RV lifestyle.
So honestly, the nice part of living the RV life is that home is always where you are.
-Lisa Samson, Finding Hollywood Nobody
It's Up to You!
The important thing is to do your research and evaluate your likes and dislikes in advance. One way to find out if the RV life is for you is to rent an RV for a week or a month an experience it for yourself. Good Sam is a good place to start to find a rental as well as Outdoorsy, where RV owners rent out their rigs to campers. A short trial run may just be the thing to convince you that the RV life is the choice for you while you're traveling from contract to contract.
It's definitely the housing choice for this travel nurse!
See more in our Travel Nurse Tuesday video below: