Travel Nursing & Allied

Six Reasons to Become a Travel Nurse

Travel nursing exposes you to many new opportunities and experiences. Not only will you have opportunities to travel to multiple cities, but you will also enhance your skills, earn higher pay, and meet people in diverse communities.
Six Reasons to Become a Travel Nurse
February 20, 2023
|
3 min read

Travel nursing exposes you to many new opportunities and experiences.

Not only will you have opportunities to travel to multiple cities, but you will also enhance your skills, earn higher pay, and meet people in diverse communities. If you have been debating about becoming a travel nurse, read on for TotalMed’s top reasons why you should join the travel nursing industry!

1 – Explore New Cities

One of the top reasons for becoming a travel nurse are the opportunities to visit many locations while pursuing your passion for helping people. The ability to tour National Parks and Landmarks during your assignments and experience locales you may never have thought of visiting are huge selling points for becoming a travel nurse. For example, if you live in a big city, choose a small town for your next assignment and participate in all they have to offer.

2 – Flexible Schedule

Other top reasons for becoming a travel nurse are the flexible schedules. After your 13-week assignment, you can choose whether to continue on to a new assignment or take a break. You may want to travel back home to spend some time with family and friends, or go on an extended vacation. No matter how long a break you choose to take, you can easily pick up where you left off and start a new assignment!

3 – Higher Pay

On average, travel nurses earn more than staff nurses since they are filling in for a nurse shortage. According to Indeed, the average travel nurse makes around $100K per year! Plus, most of your travel salary is tax-free due to traveling more than 50 miles from home. At TotalMed, we will do everything we can to ensure you are getting the best compensation package possible!

4 – Gain More Experience and Skills

Each assignment contains diverse people to meet, updated systems and techniques to learn, and unfamiliar locations to explore. These new experiences will enhance your nursing skills, improve your communication, test your critical thinking, and grow your confidence. Applying these new skills to each and every assignment will help you build your resume and land your dream assignments!

5 – Avoid Burnout

While burnout can happen to both travel and staff nurses, it is less common to occur for travel nurses. For instance, staff nurses may have more responsibilities within the facility than a travel nurse. With contracts typically lasting only 13 weeks, travel nurses are less likely to have that “stuck” feeling. During your travel healthcare assignment, be sure to take care of yourself; socialize, go on a hike, or try out a new hobby to help avoid burnout.

6 – Meet New Friends

Travel nursing is a great networking opportunity to connect with colleagues and mentors. Throughout your travel RN journey, you will make new friends and meet coworkers who may even be able to help further your career. 

Are you ready to begin your travel nursing career? TotalMed wants to work with you! Start your new adventure with TotalMed by applying today.

LinkedIn
Facebook
X
Email

Related Articles

start travel healthcare
Career Tips
October 5, 2026
10 min read

Travel Healthcare After Years at the Bedside: Is It Too Late to Start?

Travel healthcare is often associated with professionals who start traveling relatively early in their careers. Get the necessary experience, take the first assignment, and

Read more
healthcare career goals
Career Tips
October 1, 2026
10 min read

Your Healthcare Career Changed. Should Your Goals Change Too?

Think about the career you imagined when you first entered healthcare. Maybe you had a specific specialty in mind. You planned to work at

Read more
Before You Say Yes: How to Know if a Travel Healthcare Assignment Is the Right Fit
Travel Nursing & Allied
September 28, 2026
5 min read

Before You Say Yes: How to Know if a Travel Healthcare Assignment Is the Right Fit

Accepting a travel healthcare assignment is exciting. A new location. A new team. A new opportunity to grow both personally and professionally. But before

Read more

Ready for Your Next Job?

Browse open roles across travel, per diem and permanent placement — or talk with a recruiter about where you want to go next.

This website uses cookies

We use cookies and similar tools to keep the site working, understand how it is used, and measure and improve our marketing. Some of these tools are provided by analytics and advertising partners. Privacy Policy Do not sell my information