What it's like to be a travel nurse, according to those who have experienced it.

While travel nursing may not be suitable for everyone, it offers several advantages, such as more flexible work arrangements, opportunities for exploration, and higher compensation. In contrast to permanent staff nursing positions, travel nurses have the freedom to choose their assignments and locations, as well as the ability to earn more money.

Nurses who travel work short-term contracts, typically for a few months, in locations across the U.S. where there are staffing shortages, including hospitals, long-term care facilities, jails, and prisons.

The demand for travel nurses increased significantly between 2020 and 2022, resulting in gross salaries of up to $6,000 per week, according to AceStack, a health-care staffing agency.

Travel nurses can still earn higher salaries than permanent staff nurse positions, with rates ranging from 30% to 50%, even though demand has decreased somewhat.

As a travel nurse at Pelican Bay, a maximum security prison in Crescent City, California, Kevin Levu, 24, finds that his occupation offers a great deal of flexibility in his life.

Being able to decide how long I work at a place, negotiate my salary, and feel like I am being compensated fairly is what I value most, according to Levu.

Three registered or licensed vocational nurses who made the switch to travel nursing discussed the advantages and disadvantages of the profession.

The prospect of working in new environments: 'I was driven by a sense of adventure'

The ability to travel across the U.S. is frequently mentioned as one of the greatest advantages of being a travel nurse. This was what attracted Kirsten Newcomb to the profession. In March 2020, Newcomb, then 33, relocated to the Hawaiian island of Maui after leaving her longtime job as a staff nurse in Virginia.

She revealed to Grow, the personal finance site published by CNBC in partnership with Acorns in 2022, that her motivation for starting travel nursing was mainly driven by adventure. She knew she wanted to go to an epic location like Hawaii.

Newcomb had long been considering travel nursing before finally seizing the opportunity to work in Maui in 2020, before the pandemic began.

Travel nursing has allowed Levu to "experience something outside of the norm." Although working with violent inmates is not a relaxing experience, he says it has given him a new perspective on his own sense of freedom.

"For some inmates, the beach, which is three minutes away from my house, might as well be 1,000 miles away because they're never getting out," says Levu.

Shorter contracts provide more flexibility

Travel nurse contracts are typically short-term, ranging from a few months, which makes it convenient to take breaks between assignments. Additionally, contracts can be renewed in areas where travel nurses are highly sought after.

Aspen Tucker can work diligently for nine months and then take a three-month break.

In 2020, Tucker, who was 26 years old, left his nursing job to become a travel nurse, enticed by the higher compensation and the ability to set his own schedule.

He has been able to take extended vacations to exotic destinations like Belize, Colombia, Seychelles, Qatar, and Kenya with the additional time off.

"He recalls writing down a list of travel destinations he always wanted to visit when he was younger. Now, he strives to visit all the places on that list."

"I've been able to take more time off than I was as a staff nurse, for sure," she says.

Travel nursing offers increased income

Staff nurses typically earn less per hour than travel nurses, who also receive tax-free bursaries or stipends to cover living expenses, increasing their income.

Travel nurses could earn more than $6,000 per week between 2020 and 2022, but now they bring in an average of $2,800 for a 48-hour week, according to AceStack. This is about $1,400 to $1,960 higher than regular staff nursing positions.

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In 2020, Newcomb increased her weekly pay from $1,000 to $7,000 by switching to travel nursing, resulting in a savings of $30,000 over the course of one year.

In 2022, Tucker's nursing salary was more than tripled, enabling him to save $57,000 for a down payment on a home in Spartanburg, South Carolina, which serves as his home base when he's not working.

In 2024, Levu's income doubled from $56,600 to $112,000 when he began working as a travel nurse at a county prison. This financial security provides him with a sense of "relief," knowing that he has more "breathing space" in his monthly budget.

The challenges of the job take an emotional toll

Travel nursing offers financial and lifestyle advantages, but it also presents challenges. Contracts frequently involve working in high-stress settings such as prisons, hospitals, and crisis centers, which can have an emotional impact on nurses.

In 2020, Newcomb, a nurse who worked at a crisis center in Dallas during the pandemic, says the experience was grueling. She recalls seeing more patients pass away in a short period than she had in the full 10 years of her nursing career.

To become a travel nurse, Levu had to leave the predictable routine of a long-term care facility and embrace the chaotic intensity of working in a prison, where inmate violence is a constant threat.

""I'm like, 'Dude, this feels a little unreal,' as people greet me at the grocery store and I have blood on my hands," Levu says."

Tucker can work long hours when on contract to maximize his overtime pay, but he is able to take time off when needed.

Life on the road comes with trade-offs

Travel nursing also involves logistical challenges in addition to the emotional impact.

Although Newcomb could swim with turtles on a tropical island, the high cost of living in Maui prevented her from saving much money. Additionally, with each job comes the challenge of finding a new place to stay within two weeks of accepting an offer.

The logistics of travel can be "very stressful," she says.

Tucker says that managing added travel costs can be challenging, especially when he has to pay rent and mortgage payments while away from home. He also has to pay friends to take care of his pet dog and keep an eye on his home.

Tucker doesn't have health insurance when he's not working due to not having a permanent job. He has to be careful about health-care costs when he's been between contracts.

Levu faces the challenge of violence at Pelican Bay, which is why he plans to join the army as a commissioned nurse instead of making corrections on a long-term basis.

Levu is learning to prioritize his mental health over work demands. He believes that if a task brings him joy, he will do it, but if not, he doesn't need the money that badly.

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