Is Travel Nursing Worth It? 8 Reasons to Chart Your Adventure (2024)

Last Updated on April 19, 2024

Is Travel Nursing Worth It? 8 Reasons to Chart Your Adventure (1)

Chart your adventure and level up in the new year! As we enter 2024, everyone’s starting to ask the same question: Is travel nursing worth it? Spoiler alert: It is!

Imagine a career in healthcare where you could explore parts of the country you never thought you’d see — where you could make your days off feel like a vacation, put more money into savings, open career opportunities, and choose your schedule. It’s all possible with traveling nurse jobs!

Discover the biggest opportunities to level up your nursing career, and reasons to chart your adventure as a travel nurse.

Chart Your Adventure Now: Explore Travel Nurse Jobs

How Do Traveling Nurse Jobs Work?

First things first: How do travel nurse jobs work? Travel nurses take on short-term assignments in various healthcare facilities across the country. These assignments typically last around 8 to 13 weeks, offering flexibility and the chance to explore different locations.

Once the contract is over, nurses can take a break in between, travel to their next assignment, and start working in a fresh, new environment.

Pro Tip: Many travel nurses work with agencies to help them level up with assignments at top facilities across the country, explore dream destinations, and more!

Level Up: 8 Reasons Why Travel Nursing is Worth It in 2024

Now, is travel nursing worth it, still? Even as the market begins to stabilize, there are still several opportunities and reasons to seek out traveling nurse jobs in 2024:

Higher Pay

You can’t answer the question, “Is travel nursing worth it?” without talking about pay. Travel nurses get paid more than the traditional nursing crew. On average, travel nurses pull in around $2,122 a week. This averages out to $8,211/month or $115,969/year, according to Indeed.com as of December 2023. However, some CareerStaff travel nurses make up to $3,000* weekly! Of course, salaries vary depending on the location of your assignment, travel stipends, and more.

One of the greatest benefits of traveling nurse jobs is the bonuses. Many assignments and agencies offer incentives, tax-free stipends, quick start, and holiday bonuses! This can significantly increase your take-home pay and quality of life as a nurse.

Decreased Burnout & Increased Flexibility

Feeling burnt-out? Traveling nurse jobs open up opportunities to level up your work-life balance, lifestyle freedom, and scheduling flexibility. You can take longer breaks between assignments — maybe even a few weeks off. You decide! Travel nurses can pick when they want to work when working out the contract, too.

Of course, the flexibility of traveling nurse jobs goes beyond time-off and scheduling. It’s also about where you work. You can choose assignments based on weather, personal interests, travel destination goals, or even locations near friends and family across the country. It’s your career on your terms.

New Career Opportunities & Resume-Building Experiences

For many travel nurses, it’s not just about the money. Traveling nurse jobs open doors to new career paths. As you work in different places with different people, you gain different skills, experiences, and knowledge.

The diverse experiences you gain with travel nursing are worth gold to your resume. Employers love seeing that you can thrive in various environments and adapt alongside their teams, making you a standout candidate.

New Connections in Your Career

Travel nurses have the unique opportunity to make friends and build a network across the country. Connect with new people and discover opportunities — it’s a whole world beyond your standard nursing routine.

Building a network in the healthcare industry can create future opportunities, too. Your fellow travel nurses might become lifelong friends or even valuable professional contacts.

Opportunity to Travel

Ready for the fun part? With travel nursing, your days off can turn into mini-vacations at locations worth exploring!

Explore vibrant areas like New York and Pennsylvania with endless things to do, see, and eat. Or, enjoy the great outdoors the best warm-weather destinations for travel nurses. The options are endless! Not many jobs let you travel while you work, in and outside of healthcare.

Traveling nurse jobs allow you to experience the rich culture of the U.S. Every state and even city is filled with unique cultures and subcultures. From bustling cities to serene landscapes, your assignments become more than just work — they become unforgettable adventures.

Quick Apply: Chart Your Travel Nursing Adventure!

Variety of Lifestyle

Every assignment brings something new for travel nurses: A new specialty, a new workplace, and a new home to explore. Say goodbye to routine boredom. It’s a lifestyle that keeps both work and life interesting. The variety and flexibility that come with traveling nurse jobs can help reduce burnout and keep your day-to-day interesting.

Personal Growth

For travel nurses, what you learn on the job goes beyond work. Adaptability, independence, cultural skills — it’s not just professional growth. You can become a more confident person, too. The challenges you overcome and the skills you develop make you more resilient, adaptable, and self-assured.

Travel nurses can also gain cultural competence as they build relationships with patients and colleagues across the U.S.

Travel Nurse Agencies Take Care of Everything for You

Let’s talk logistics. Moving can be stressful, right? Not as much for travel nurses. Agencies like CareerStaff handle it all — finding the positions, stipends, and negotiations, making travel nursing all the more worth it. They take the stress out of some of the most daunting parts of relocating.

How to Find Traveling Nurse Jobs

So, is travel nursing worth it? Yes! With more money, flexibility, career options, travel perks, and personal growth, it’s still one of the most exciting nursing opportunities in 2024. If you’re thinking of level up in your nursing career now, travel nursing jobs might just be the adventure you’re looking for.

Ready to chart your adventure with travel nursing? Search available travel nurse jobs, or Quick Apply below to get connected with a CareerStaff recruiter today!

Chart Your Adventure Now: Travel Nurse Jobs

Is Travel Nursing Worth It? 8 Reasons to Chart Your Adventure (2024)

FAQs

Is Travel Nursing Worth It? 8 Reasons to Chart Your Adventure? ›

So, is travel nursing worth it? Yes! With more money, flexibility, career options, travel perks, and personal growth, it's still one of the most exciting nursing opportunities in 2024. If you're thinking of level up in your nursing career now, travel nursing jobs might just be the adventure you're looking for.

Is it worth being a travel nurse? ›

While multiple factors may determine your pay, you're likely to make more as a travel nurse than a staff nurse. In January 2022, the peak wage of travel nurses was 148.1% higher than staff nurses nationally, and 103.3% higher over the whole year.

Is travel nursing still worth it in 2024? ›

However, travel nurse pay remains very strong. According to surveys by staffing agencies, the average weekly gross pay for travel nurse assignments in early 2024 is around $2,800 for a 48-hour week. This still represents a pay premium of 30-50% over commensurate permanent staff nurse positions at most facilities.

Do travel nurses get bad assignments? ›

It's just a fact of life. Seasoned travel nurses will likely recall bad experiences and stressful assignments that left them with burn out. If you find yourself in one of these situations, don't let it sour your experience with travel nursing — especially early in your career.

Why choose travel nursing? ›

As a travel nurse, you are not restricted to just one population and can see a variety of patients and procedures, while learning new on-the-job skills. This gives you the opportunity to broaden your skillset and practice your nursing critical thinking skills.

Why is a travel nurse important? ›

There is a real need for travel nurses in facilities across the country. When a facility experiences staffing shortages, travel nurses fill those gaps to ensure patients still receive the care they need over a time period agreed upon between them (or their agency) and the organization they will be working within.

Will travel nursing ever go away? ›

While the pandemic presented unique challenges and opportunities, the pulse of travel nursing remains strong. The essence of this career choice—higher pay, flexibility, new connections, adventure, a politics-free environment, and professional growth—continues to thrive.

Is nursing still in demand in 2025? ›

Yet, at the start of 2023, more than one in every six health organizations in America report a critical nursing shortage, with the majority rationing care and shutting down units. According to Bailey (2022), the nurse staff shortage is expected to reach 400k to 450k by 2025 if the stakeholders fail to take action.

Are travel nurses happy? ›

Yes! According to a survey conducted in 2023, 76% of travel nurses surveyed reported higher satisfaction than they had with their former staff position.

How does travel nursing make you a better nurse? ›

Expanding your nursing skill set

This enables them to acquire new skills and competencies. In fact, many travel nurses are able to pursue new certifications with those additions to their skill set. You may get to learn how to use new pieces of equipment or gain experience with another type of electronic medical record.

Do travel nurses actually make more money? ›

The short answer is yes, travel nurses almost always make more money than regular staff nurses. As with most things, the exact salary amount depends on a variety of factors such as experience level, specialty area, and where you're working.

Do travel nurses get free flights? ›

License and travel reimbursem*nts

Travel nurses are reimbursed for necessary state licensure. They also receive reimbursem*nts for travel expenses like gas and airfare. Travel nurse recruiters help you to obtain licensure to make it an easy process for you.

Do travel nurses get fired? ›

Travel nurse contracts can be terminated for many reasons and both the nurse and travel nurse agency may be at risk. Sometimes a healthcare facility will terminate a travel nurse's contract unexpectedly.

Why are travel nurses so overpaid? ›

The pay is commensurate with the challenges they face and the skills they bring to the job. Hospitals use travel nurses to fill short-term staff and managerial positions. Travel nurses live away from home for 13-26 weeks per assignment. Additional compensation is paid to help offset related costs and difficulties.

Can you make good money as a travel nurse? ›

Travel nurses who are registered nurses (RNs) may make as much or more than the average RN salary of $86,070 per year, while advanced practice registered nurse (APRN) salaries often exceed the annual average of $132,680.

Do travel nurses really make more money? ›

“While travel nurses do have higher gross wages than permanent staff nurses, their weekly pay includes stipends for housing, meals, and other contract-related expenses incurred on assignment.”

Are traveling nurses happy? ›

Yes! According to a survey conducted in 2023, 76% of travel nurses surveyed reported higher satisfaction than they had with their former staff position.

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