Travel nursing offers flexibility and the opportunity to explore the country while earning excellent pay and benefits. But some nurses have the impression that travel nursing with family isn’t possible, and that’s false! The truth is that travel nursing can be an amazing opportunity for families looking for adventure.
Being a travel nurse with a family doesn’t have to be a tough choice. At Nurse First, it’s important for every travel nurse to always have options, control, and comfort when it comes to their careers and families. Setting limitations around what you think can and cannot be done prevents the unique experiences and memories you could build with the ones you love. That’s why we’re here to offer a little insight about family travel nursing and how you can ensure a successful journey for your entire team.
When to Travel With a Family
Some travel nurses with school-age kids may choose to travel as a family solely during school breaks such as winter, summer, and even spring break. Others may decide to travel together year-round or use a hybrid model, where the whole family comes along for a summer assignment, but the traveler flies solo in the other seasons.
The experience looks a little different for travelers with younger children than teenagers. This requires additional planning, and you may want to consider how your partner’s career meshes with yours—are they able to work remotely, or do they have any vacation days saved up that they want to use? Regardless of your dynamic, you must plan ahead to ensure the timing of your travel nurse assignment works for everyone. Every time you head out with your children, you’re allowing them to experience the unique fun of travel nursing, so make the most of it!
3 Considerations When Being a Travel Nurse With a Family
Housing
Agency-provided travel nurse housing usually only accommodates one person or a couple. However, you will have the option of taking a housing stipend which you can use toward a rental that would fit a family (this could cost you some money out of pocket). You’ll want to work closely with your travel nursing recruiter to ensure they can help you with any special requests your family needs—additional rooms, a garage, pet-friendly properties, amenities, and other factors. This will go a long way in making your assignments more successful and keeping your family in good spirits.
Childcare and Activities
Travel nursing with a child becomes difficult when they have school nine months out of the year, which is why some travelers only choose to go on assignments during school breaks. If you’re lucky enough to be traveling with a significant other who doesn’t need to work, then you most likely have childcare covered. However, if you want your family to be together year-round, there are other options as well.
Before signing a travel nurse contract, you will want to explore the location’s offerings regarding local schools, daycares, and pediatricians. It’s a great idea to reach out to those contacts ahead of time to ensure you’ll have everything in place for your kids, yourself, and your partner when you land in your new location. Homeschooling is also an alternative option depending on how long you plan to stay in the area.
Bringing your children on the road with you can open them up to many different cultural experiences and broaden their horizons, so try to maximize your days off. Exploring local events, museums, and theme parks and spending more quality time with your family will only strengthen your bond and aid their emotional and mental development.
Local Travel Nursing
If you’re not sure if travel nursing would be right for you or are nervous about leaving the security of your current job, taking a short travel nurse assignment at first might help you put things into perspective. Travel nurses don’t always have to hop on a plane and journey across the country. Commuting to an assignment allows you to continue to be there for your loved ones and still receive higher pay and benefits.
Ultimately, it’s up to you and your family to decide whether or not travel nursing will be worth it. Every family is unique, so your level of additional preparation depends on the scope and size of the members coming along. Maybe it’s just you and your partner hitting the road, or you have children and pets in tow, too. Whatever your dynamic, you just need to ensure travel nursing is the right move for everyone. Also, check in with your travel nursing agency to discuss any additional benefits for family members or travel nurse contracts in family-friendly locations.
Ready to hit the road with your family? Search our job board for available travel nursing jobs to start your adventure today!
